10-MAN SAINTS PILE PRESSURE ON FOXES’ PUEL
Leicester 1 Southampton 2 James Nursey
RALPH HASENHUTTL celebrated his side’s gritty win with a theatrical bow in front of the relieved away following.
But for many frustrated home fans defeat to struggling 10-man Saints is fresh evidence their boss Claude Puel should exit stage left.
Leicester may be eighth in the Premier League but dissent towards Puel will be turning to open revolt at this rate.
After an embarrassing FA Cup exit at League Two Newport with a weakened team, Puel wheeled out his big guns.
But a lack of imagination in the final third meant star striker Jamie Vardy hardly had an effort.
Instead Leicester shot themselves in the foot conceding a daft early penalty which James Ward-Prowse converted.
The visitors had Yan Valery sent off in first-half stoppage time but still made it 2-0 before half-time through Shane Long.
Despite Leicester dominating the second half, as Wilfred Ndidi pulled a goal back, they failed to regularly stretch keeper Alex McCarthy.
Ex-Southampton coach Puel, whose side were booed off, reflected: “The fans are disappointed like us.
“We wanted a good response after our cup game. Our concentration was perhaps too much and we were a little nervous.
“The second goal was a bad moment and made it more difficult to get back in the game.
“This season we have scored a lot of goals in counter-attack but we have to improve to find more creativity in the final third – especially against a deep defensive block.”
Saints started brightly as Stuart Armstrong played in Long and Nampalys Mendy fouled him with a clumsy, needless challenge.
Referee Michael Oliver rightly pointed to the spot and WardProwse converted a right-footed spotkick for his first goal of the season.
Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel got two hands to it at full stretch diving to his right but couldn’t keep out the 11th-minute opener. Young rival full-backs Valery and Ben Chilwell both went in the book in the 34th minute for clashing by the touchline.
It finally sparked Leicester into showing some urgency and intensity after an awful start.
From the resulting free-kick, Wes Morgan nearly equalised with City’s first effort on goal.
James Maddison’s delivery wasn’t cleared and Morgan’s left-foot shot was going in until
Jan Bednarek cleared it off the line. Rookie Valery, 19, then saw red for a second caution on Marc Albrighton in the 45th minute.
But astonishingly it was Southampton who made it
2-0 when Long escaped from Mendy and Ricardo Pereira and Schmeichel could only divert in his right-foot effort.
The hosts made a double change at the break and pushed to get back into the game with Harry Maguire and Maddison shooting from distance.
They halved the deficit when Ndidi deflected in Pereira’s cross in the 58th minute after a good pass from Demarai Gray. But Saints defended well as Jannik Vestergaard headed numerous crosses clear. Hasenhuttl, whose side climb out of the bottom three despite missing seven players, said: “I am very proud of this team. It was a long time to go with 10 men but after the red card we were not frightened.”
SPOT ON: James Ward-Prowse