Leicester fairytale is grim... and tonic
West Ham’s fightback is foiled and Shakespeare looking for happy ending
THIS is the latest chapter in Leicester’s grim fairy-tale and Craig Shakespeare is proving the worthiest person to write it.
Their story up until Claudio Ranieri’s sacking three weeks ago would not have looked out of place in the sick, twisted collection composed by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. They are not for the fainthearted and neither is being a Leicester supporter this season.
Yet since Ranieri’s dismissal the transformation by Shakespeare has given every indication that this will not have such a catastrophic ending after all. ‘There’s no secret,’ he said, after seeing Leicester earn a first away league win of the season. ‘Hard work. Endeavour. Resilience. We showed all of that. Along with some good footballers.’
They beat Liverpool 3-1, beat Hull 3-1, overturned a first-leg deficit to knock Sevilla out of the Champions League. Talk of the quarter-final draw against Atletico Madrid has been put on hold. ‘The Champions League has been put to one side,’ said Shakespeare. ‘We knew we were coming on the back of an awful away record and we wanted to try and put that right.’
Riyad Mahrez was involved in everything and opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he cut inside from the right and aimed an inswinging delivery. The ball flew between centre-backs Jose Fonte and Winston Reid, bounced and crept into the far left corner.
Mahrez played a part in the second, too. A free-kick to the left of goal, Marc Albrighton ran up as if to cross but rolled the ball back, continuing his run parallel to the edge of the penalty area. Mahrez passed into his path, Albrighton used the outside of his boot to curl in a neat cross and Robert Huth headed in from close range.
Slaven Bilic will have a hip operation in the summer but he continued to hunch and hobble on the touchline and his players responded to the determination of the man by getting a goal back. West Ham won a free-kick 25 yards from goal, Robert Snodgrass had just that moment come on, for the injured Winston Reid in the 20th minute and the set-piece specialist appeared primed to take it, but Manuel Lanzini went instead and popped the ball perfectly into the top left corner.
If only they had put as much effort into defending as Bilic was to standing upright they would not have conceded a third. Mahrez’s corner dropped in the six-yard box, the ball ricocheted between Wilfried Ndidi and Jamie Vardy, before the latter thumped it in.
That made Shakespeare the first Premier League manager to have his side score three goals in each of their first three games in charge — but he will care more about their defensive problems.
For the Leicester of last season that would have been it, but the fragility is still there and West Ham drew within a goal once more in the 63rd minute when, from a corner, Andy Carroll headed back across goal and Andre Ayew nodded in.
A disappointing end for Michail Antonio, who is likely to withdraw from the England squad and the chance of winning a first cap after injuring his hamstring. But Kasper Schmeichel’s two saves, diving back on the line to push Carroll’s header clear and a one-hander in stoppage time, secured the happy ending Leicester craved. West Ham (4-2-3-1): Randolph 4.5; Byram 5, Fonte 5, Reid 5 (Snodgrass 18min, 6), Cresswell 5 (Masuaku 73, 6); Kouyate 6, Obiang 6 (Fernandes 66, 6); Antonio 6, Lanzini 6.5, Ayew 6.5; Carroll 6. subs (not used): Nordtveit, Feghouli, Adrian, Collins. Leicester (4-4-2): Schmeichel 7.5; Simpson 6, Huth 7, Benalouane 6, Fuchs 6; Mahrez 8 (Chilwell 87), Ndidi 6, Drinkwater 6, Albrighton 7; Okazaki 6 (Musa 76), Vardy 7 (Slimani 76). subs (not used): King, Amartey, Zieler, Gray. Booked: Drinkwater. referee: R East (Wiltshire) 6.