SHEFFIELD UNITED

OF COURSE it had to be Jamie Vardy who scored a 90th-minute winner.

Who else but the boyhood Sheffield Wednesday fan could inflict such misery on Sheffield United and cause such delight for Leicester?

Boss Brendan Rodgers celebrated like the Foxes had won the Premier League and he knows how big a win this was after losing their last two league games and going four matches without a victory.

Leicester were in danger of letting a gap open up between them and the leaders, but now they are right back in the thick of the title race.

For the Blades, blows do not come much more painful than this and the fact that it was Vardy who scored with just 15 seconds left of normal time compounded their agony.

Chris Wilder refused to feel sorry for himself, claiming his players should have shown better game management and Chris Basham and John Fleck failed to control the ball before James Maddison won possession to play Vardy through.

Although Leicester were the better footballing side, it is hard not to feel some sympathy for the Blades because of the way they battled so hard and Oli McBurnie was excellent. But the

PARTY TIME The corner flag goes flying as hero Vardy celebrates late goal harsh reality is that no Premier League side have ever survived with just one point after 11 games.

Leicester looked more like themselves after those back-toback defeats by Liverpool and Fulham and they also hit the woodwork twice.

Rodgers handed Ayoze Perez his first league start since midOctober and he impressed alongside Vardy and Maddison. Vardy needs no motivating against the Blades and he hit the inside of the near post early on. In contrast, Oli Burke is a striker low on confidence and he dreadfully miscontrolled the ball when McBurnie played him in.

That was an isolated threat and Leicester’s dominant start was rewarded with the opener in the 24th minute.

James Justin’s cross from the left fell to Marc Albrighton, whose shot ricocheted off Max Lowe for Perez to volley home his first goal since July from close range.

United responded and levelled within two minutes when McBurnie headed in John Lundstram’s corner from six yards out to end his 14-game goal drought from his 20th effort on goal.

Back came Leicester and they were denied by the near post again when Maddison smacked a shot against the unobliging upright.

McBurnie was buoyed by his goal and he went close to a second when he headed just over from Basham’s cross.

Leicester always looked the more likely to score a second and Youri Tielemans blazed over after Aaron Ramsdale dropped the ball under pressure from Wesley Fofana.

Kelechi Iheanacho broke through, only for Kean Bryan to do enough to put him off.

Then, just when it seemed the Blades would escape with a point, Basham and Fleck made successive errors and Maddison sent Vardy through to score.

His delight was obvious and he ran to kick a corner flag in celebration, leaving it and the Blades broken.