Dynamic midfield pair ensure City start 2021 with another away win
MADDISON AND TIELEMANS ON TARGET AGAINST NEWCASTLE
LEICESTER City moved to a point off the Premier League summit by kicking off the new year with a 2-1 victory at Newcastle yesterday.
James Maddison and Youri Tielemans brilliantly finished off second half moves to put City on course for three points.
Andy Carroll’s late volley set the nerves jangling, but Brendan Rodgers’ side held out for the win that takes them back up to third, a point off Liverpool, who play at Southampton tonight.
City had started much the brighter and looked worlds better than Newcastle, but that dominance quickly subsided and it turned into a scrappy game.
But City showed in the second period that they can put sweeping moves together, and two attacks combining thrust, precision and powerful finishes saw them into a lead that would eventually be enough for a seventh Premier League away win from nine.
Carroll took advantage of more slack defending at a set-piece, but that will not trouble Rodgers too much with the three points heading back down to the East Midlands.
City have a very good record when it comes to new year fixtures.
They are unbeaten in their last 12 calendar year league openers, and with a strong side out, they were expected to continue their very good away form this season.
Only Ricardo Pereira was unavailable, with City’s injury problems now behind them, and Rodgers reverted to the side that drew 2-2 with Manchester United on Boxing Day.
That meant the big hitters returned in seven changes from
the draw at Palace, and it made for a bright start, City moving the ball with urgency and precision, from Youri Tielemans to James Maddison and in to Jamie Vardy.
Three minutes in, Maddison tried his luck from range with his left foot as he successfully did in this fixture – a 3-0 victory – almost exactly a year ago. This time he was off target.
Tielemans then controlled excellently and played an inchperfect one-two with Vardy, only to be guilty of overplaying.
The Belgian midfielder should have let fly from 15 yards, but instead tried to find compatriot Timothy Castagne, butchering the pass and the chance.
Moments later, City did have the ball in the net as Maddison slipped in Vardy, who rounded Karl Darlow and finished coolly, only to be pulled back by the offside flag.
That was the warning Newcastle needed to sharpen up and from there, they were quicker to press City, forcing a scrappy affair.
There were a couple of halfchances here and there.
Joelinton nodded straight at Kasper Schmeichel, Castagne pinged a cross at Harvey Barnes that cannoned off his shoulder and wide, and Wesley Fofana met a corner and headed over.
Barnes had also been guilty of poor passes and poor decisions in good areas.
By the interval, there had been more injury stoppages, and more accidental interceptions by referee Robert Jones (three), than there had good chances.
Thankfully for City, that changed in the second half.
Almost immediately, Vardy was played in, Castagne chipping over the top, but the striker sliced the bouncing ball wide on his weaker foot. Newcastle responded and were actually on top for a few minutes, with balls in behind cut out at the death by City’s centre-backs.
Then one of those vital interventions led to the first goal.
Fofana stopped the pass, played the ball to Jonny Evans, with the Frenchman then galloping up the wing.
That provided a good dummy run for the ball to be fed in to Barnes.
He drove forward and this time played the right ball, finding Vardy on the left after he had peeled off.
A little neat footwork and some excellent awareness saw Vardy tee up Maddison on the edge of the box, and he slammed the ball past Darlow.
The hosts continued to waste good positions and, as the game opened up, City grabbed their second with a terrific goal.
Tielemans nipped it around the corner to Maddison, who spread play out to Albrighton.
The tireless Tielemans continued his charge forward and Albrighton found him galloping in, the midfielder sweeping home a beautiful curling effort.
That should have been game over, but City had to cope with a late scare when a free-kick was headed up in the air and Carroll watched the flight of the ball to strike a sweet volley into the bottom corner, his first Magpies goal for a decade.
But with Caglar Soyuncu on to form a back five, City just about held out without any glaring opportunities for Newcastle.
In fact, they should have made it 3-1 when Barnes was played in, his heavy first touch forcing a rushed shot that Darlow saved with his face.
It did not matter, though. The three points were City’s and a winning start to the new year had been secured.
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