Vardy double keeps Leicester in front, but Spurs stay in hunt
PREMIER League leaders Leicester City moved closer to the title by winning 2-0 at relegation threatened Sunderland yesterday.
Jamie Vardy put them ahead in the 66th minute and he added his second — and 21st of the season — in time added on. With five games left, Claudio Ranieri’s unfashionable side need a maximum of nine more points to become English champions for the first time.
Meanwhile, Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela struck in six second-half minutes as Tottenham Hotspur swamped Manchester United 3-0 to keep Leicester in sight. A game delayed half-an-hour by United’s late arrival due to traffic congestion burst to life in the 70th minute with three rapid-fire goals that allowed Spurs to trim Leicester’s advantage back to seven points.
Leicester remain overwhelming favourites for the title, but Spurs’ display showed that Mauricio Pochettino’s side will not give up without a fight.
Pochettino had not beaten United in six previous attempts, first with Southampton and then Tottenham, and Spurs had not scored against them in three games under him. Both trends were reversed in stunning fashion.
The result, Spurs’ first home league win over United in 15 years, had the additional effect of securing Leicester’s place in the Champions League and United’s hopes of joining the Foxes at Europe’s top table are fading.
Louis van Gaal’s side finished the weekend four points below fourth-place Manchester City in fifth place, raising the stakes ahead of Wednesday’s FA Cup quarterfinal replay at West Ham United.
Sunderland remain in the bottom three, four points behind Norwich, who they play on Saturday.
“It was tough, we knew it would be, but we ground it out,” Vardy told Sky Sports. “We know it’s a step closer, but you never know what can happen.”
Since beating Sunderland 4-2 in his first match in charge last August, Ranieri has stayed true to his beliefs — taking nothing for granted. “Of course, nobody could have believed it,” he said of imagining a title success on that first day of the new campaign.
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce was disappointed with the way his team conceded two goals to Vardy, after warning his defenders of precisely that outcome. “We switched off once and allowed Jamie Vardy to do what we said was his strength,” he said.
That was the moment midway through the second half, when experienced defender Younes Kaboul failed to deal with Danny Drinkwater’s long ball.
Vardy latched onto it and went on to beat goalkeeper Vito Mannone. Substitute Jack Rodwell then missed Sunderland’s best chance to equalise and despite being thwarted by Mannone, Vardy went round him to seal victory in stoppage time. In a quiet first half, each team had a strong penalty appeal dismissed and Kasper Schmeichel’s save from Sunderland striker Fabio Borini was the only one of note by either goalkeeper.
Liverpool romped to an easy victory over Stoke City despite manager Juergen Klopp resting a number of players ahead of Thursday’s second leg of the Europa League quarterfinal against his former club Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp made seven changes from the side that had drawn 1-1 in Germany, giving first Premier League starts to youngsters Kevin Stewart and Sheyi Ojo.
The victory sent Liverpool above Stoke into eighth position, one point ahead of them, but nine short of the Champions League places.