What now for City?
CITY VERDICT SCHMEICHEL, NDIDI, EVANS AND SOYUNCU’S COLLECTIVE NIGHTMARE AS FOXES IMPLODE
IT was two minutes of madness that could come to define Leicester City’s season.
Presented with an opportunity to return to the top three and boost their belief in their Champions League dream, City blew it at their bogey ground in a loss totally of their own making.
Ahead and cruising at the break thanks to Jamie Vardy’s bundled goal, four calamitous moments in a little over 60 seconds in the second half sent City to defeat.
First, Kasper Schmeichel booted a goal kick at his own man, Wilfred Ndidi, to put Bournemouth in on goal. Second, Ndidi tripped Callum Wilson, allowing Junior Stanislas to convert from the spot. Third, Jonny Evans misread a header and Dominic Solanke escaped to score a second for the hosts. Fourth, Caglar Soyuncu immaturely retaliated and earned a red card.
If City fail to finish in the Champions League places, and a win for Manchester United tonight will push them down to fifth, then those four moments will be what is remembered.
City will hold out hope that the Court of Arbitration for Sport rules against Manchester City today and fifth place becomes a Champions League spot. But if it doesn’t and City miss out on a place at Europe’s top table, they can only have themselves to blame.
City had not won on the road since New Year’s Day, while they had never beaten Bournemouth in their own backyard in the Premier League.
But the relegation-battling Cherries came into the match on a nine-game winless streak, their longest-ever in the Premier League, and the lack of confidence showed in a first half littered with individual mistakes by the hosts.
City did their best to take advantage. Early on, a Marc Albrighton ball sent Kelechi Iheanacho away and Aaron Ramsdale rushed out to claim, calling off his defenders.
But the Cherries keeper did not get there, and Iheanacho lofted the ball over him, with only Nathan Ake denying Vardy with the net unguarded.
City had made one change for the game, Ryan Bennett dropping to the bench for Christian Fuchs to come in for his first start since the restart, but the Wolves loanee was on the pitch after a quarter of an hour, with Albrighton off injured.
It prompted a tinker for Rodgers and City, but their dominance did not subside. They were looking sharp, particularly with Youri Tielemans controlling play in the middle and Ayoze Perez finding space on the half-turn. A goal was coming.
Midway through the half, Perez robbed Dan Gosling, Iheanacho carried it forward, played a onetwo with the Spaniard and dinked it over Ramsdale.
It wasn’t on target, but Lloyd Kelly made a total hash of the clearance, allowing Vardy to battle with Ake to bundle into the corner
for his fourth goal in three matches.
The errors kept coming, and so did the chances for City. Arnaut Danjuma inexplicably passed straight to Vardy, who darted past Ake only for the Dutch international to dive and deflect the shot over with a last-ditch block. It was a big stretch from Ake, so big in fact, that he was immediately substituted with a muscle strain.
There was a warning sign for City at the end of the half as David Brooks powered a strike at Kasper Schmeichel from 25 yards after a neat move, the Dane doing very well to get a strong hand to it.
With the injuries adding five minutes to the end of the first 45, there was still time for another late City chance as Fuchs curled in teasing cross, Ramsdale just getting a touch as Vardy looked to pounce.
Rodgers made a change at halftime, taking off the dangerous Iheanacho for Dennis Praet, dropping an extra man into midfield.
Bournemouth made two changes of their own, and it turned the tide somewhat. The opening moments of the second half were evenly matched, and both sides pushed for a goal, creating an end-to-end affair. With the match poised, then came the two minutes of madness.
Schmeichel, so good since the restart, booted his goal-kick into Wilfred Ndidi on the edge of his area. The ball rebounded to Callum Wilson, Ndidi got back and tripped the England striker, and a penalty was given. Junior Stanislas thumped it down the middle to equalise.
But that was just the start for City. Barely 60 seconds later, Jonny Evans misjudged a long ball, Dominic Solanke picked it up, sprinting into the area and finishing underneath Schmeichel.
Soyuncu chased it down, but the ball trickled over the line, and Solanke had his first Premier League goal for the Cherries.
Following Soyuncu in was Wilson, who pushed the Turk into the net. Soyuncu, who has grown in maturity throughout the campaign and was putting into a truly professional display, showed those thoughtless moments have not been eradicated.
He turned around and kicked Wilson, Stuart Attwell reaching for an inevitable red card.
All hope and fight drained out of City in that moment, and in the final 25 minutes, Bournemouth took advantage of the implosion.
Stanislas danced around Fuchs and struck goalwards, the ball deflecting off Evans’ calf, wrongfooting Schmeichel for 3-1.
Then Fuchs played a simple pass into a grateful Solanke, who jinked around the static Bennett and prodded through Schmeichel’s legs.
It was the worst half of City’s season, when they only needed to defend a lead against one of the poorest sides they have faced.
Somehow, they have to put this calamity behind them ahead of matches against sides placed seventh, eighth, and fifth in the final fortnight of the campaign.