Madd for it! Foxes pounce to second
JAMES MADDISON was on his best behaviour as he sent Gareth Southgate a classy reminder of his talent.
The Foxes frontman unlocked one of the meanest defences in the Premier League in front of the watching England boss at the King Power Stadium.
Maddison thumped home in the first half from an acute angle as these two top-flight upstarts – harbouring hopes they can gatecrash the end-of-season Champions League party – went at it full-throttle.
And Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers’ night got even better when Harvey Barnes fired home in time added on.
Maddison, 24, proved after scoring that he had been listening to the words that have rained down on footballers about their need to socially distance during their celebrations.
He found the net – ushering away all of his team-mates – and then pretended to shake hands with all of them.
Prior to Maddison’s strike both goalkeepers had come under pressure – but it was the visitors who created the cleaner openings.
Kasper Schmeichel, on his 400th appearance for the Foxes, was the busier of the two and by the interval, had produced two stops that only served to highlight his importance to Rodgers.
Covid-sufferer Danny Ings might have been sidelined but that gave Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl the opportunity to use Theo Walcott closer to striker Che Adams.
Early on, it was Adams who raced clear down the right. He had a clear ten yards on Jonny Evans but the veteran Northern Ireland international used all his experience to put his opponent under pressure as he bore down on Leicester’s keeper and Adams fluffed his lines.
At the other end, Alex Mccarthy blocked from Barnes after Marc Albrighton and Jamie
Vardy combined before Walcott fed Adams whose fierce shot was this time beaten away by Schmeichel.
It was breathless stuff, the play flowing from end-to-end, fiercely contested in midfield and with both teams making the pitch as large as possible to play in.
Something had to give. And eight minutes before the interval, it did.
Youri Tielemans was, for once, given too much time by the
Saints’ midfield, and he slipped a ball to Maddison who managed to keep control and hold off
Jack Stephens to lash between Mccarthy and the upright.
Southampton remained a threat and came within a whisker of equalising moments later when Stuart Armstrong let fly from 25 yards.
For once, Schmeichel was beaten but the crossbar came to his, and Leicester’s, rescue. The value of that close shave was seen in the dying seconds when with almost the last kick of the game, Barnes added a second.