MADD TO IGNORE US
James stars as Foxes send a title warning
STILL within reach. Still more than possible.
Leicester may not have the depth of squad enjoyed by Manchester City, Manchester United or Liverpool, but they do have that fairytale, title-winning form over course and distance.
So why not? Fulham were put to the sword by Brendan Rodgers’ men – minus Jamie Vardy – with ruthless efficiency via goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and James Justin, both set up by James Maddison.
It provided the perfect response to that shock home defeat by Leeds last Sunday. Rodgers said: “Someone asked me before the game how I felt with just one point out of six. I will happily take where we are after
22 games rather than nit-pick. We are going to lose games.
It’s how you respond to those losses and I think the players are doing superbly.”
Leicester were still seven away games without defeat, winning five, in all competitions before this, their best run for more than five years.
They continued it here with the minimum of fuss.
With 17 minutes gone, in-form Maddison crossed and Iheanacho (above, celebrating) headed in.
A minute before the break Maddison turned the Fulham defence inside out before teeing up Justin to round the keeper and cap a fine team goal. Rodgers added: “Strikers get their confidence from scoring. Kelechi was fantastic. If Kevin De Bruyne had put in the cross that James Maddison did, we’d all still be talking about it. I’m so pleased he’s in my team.
“Then for that second goal there was really great technical quality and great energy. To end up with your left-back rounding the keeper after a 70 or 80-yard run was fantastic.”
Fulham rallied in the second half with substitute Ivan Cavaleiro shooting narrowly wide from the edge of the box two minutes in and Justin providing a fine late block to deny Bobby De Cordova-reid with nine minutes to go.
Scott Parker’s men were well aware that Leicester would be seeking revenge for their 2-1 league defeat – a massive upset at the time – on November 30.
And it could have been a different game had striker Aleksandar Mitrovic turned in Frank Zambo Anguissa’s ball, shortly before Leicester went ahead.
That poor finishing, however, underlined why Fulham had been winless in 11 league games since that upset at the King Power. The Foxes were determined to bite back and they did.
Parker admitted: “We weren’t able to take our moments. But do I see a team wilting away to a slow death? Not at all.
“I see a team fully committed. We want to give ourselves a fighting chance to stay in this division.”