Barnes’ brilliance gives Foxes hope of having final say
HARVEY BARNES turned on the magic to dig rampant Leicester out of a hole.
The winger had been on for only five minutes when he earned the Foxes their just reward for a dominant display.
Manager Brendan Rodgers will have seen enough to convince himself his men can clinch a Europa Conference League final spot next week.
It is not going to be easy, however, and Roma boss Jose Mourinho will be far happier with this result than his former assistant.
Barnes powered through the defence and got in a cross which Ademola Lookman bundled in on the 67th minute, although it was later credited as an owngoal to Roma’s Gianluca Mancini.
It was a massive relief to Rodgers, above, and his men who had thrown everything at the Italians but trailed to a 15th-minute Lorenzo Pellegrini goal.
Nicola Zalewski went on a scorching run down the left before threading an inch-perfect through ball on the wrong side of Wesley Fofana.
The defender was left stranded as Pellegrini raced on to it and then fired a superb angled shot into the far bottom corner.
The Foxes were left scratching their heads after making such a brisk and commanding start.
JamieVardy had pounced on a Chris Smalling slip only to see his first-time shot blocked, and then Timothy Castagne was only inches wide with a diving header from James Maddison’s corner.
Vardy had another effort blocked and Lookman suffered the same fate on the half hour.
Five minutes after the break, Leicester really should have been level and Lookman’s face said it all as he rose to meet a Maddison corner six yards out but sent his header way off target.
Leicester did get their goal, though, and then in the 79th minute Kelechi Iheanacho almost put them ahead but Patricio did well to push the effort wide.
LEICESTER (4-3-3): Schmeichel 7; Pereira 7, Fofana 8, Evans 7, Castagne 6 (Justin 21, 7); Maddison 8, Tielemans 7, Dewsbury-Hall 7; Albrighton 7 (Barnes 62, 6), Vardy 7 (Iheanacho 62, 6), Lookman 7 (Perez 83). Goal:
Mancini 67 og.
ROMA (3-5-2): Patricio 7; Ibanez 6, Smalling 7, Mancini 6; Karsdorp 6, Mkhitaryan 7 (Veretout 57, 5), Cristante 6, Pellegrini 8 (Afena-Gyan 85), Zalewski 7 (Vina 85); Zaniolo 6 (Oliveira 69, 5), Abraham 6. Goal:
Pellegrini 15.