Foxes should have let us score, rages Hasenhuttl
RALPH HASENHUTTL revealed he asked Leicester to allow Southampton to score an equalising goal unopposed as their controversial opener left the Saints boss under pressure after 10 defeats in 13 matches. Hasenhuttl was furious with the circumstances surrounding James Maddison’s strike early in the second half. Southampton thought the ball would be returned to them when the home side restarted after a break in play — only for defender Lyanco to make a mistake when closed down by Jamie Vardy, leading to Maddison’s 18th of the campaign. ‘The offer I made was to let us score a goal when we kicked off,’ said Hasenhuttl. ‘But they didn’t take it. We speak about respect and fair play. When you act like this, it’s not acceptable. When you have the ball and the referee stops the game, you should get it back.’ There are few precedents for teams letting opponents score unopposed, though Marcelo Bielsa ordered Leeds to do so against Aston Villa at the end of the 2018-19 Championship season. Yet this was a deserved win for Leicester, who ended a difficult season on high note. They have taken 10 points from their final four games to finish eighth. Boss Brendan Rodgers said: ‘Eighth is not bad given the negativity that has been around. Let’s see if we can disrupt the top six again next season.’
After a sleepy first half, the game came to life immediately in the second. Vardy went down off the ball after a tussle with Oriol Romeu and, when referee Jon Moss was happy there had been no foul, Wesley Fofana resumed the game with a pass back to Kasper Schmeichel. Lyanco made a hash of controlling the clearance, leaving Vardy one-on-one with Alex McCarthy. The Saints keeper saved but the ball ran free to Maddison, who tapped home his fifth goal in four matches. ‘By quite a distance, our best player this season,’ said Rodgers. Vardy added a second in the 74th minute, silencing the away fans who were taunting the forward about the Wagatha Christie court case involving his wife Rebekah. James Ward-Prowse gave Saints hope with a penalty, only for substitute Ayoze Perez to grab a quickfire double — and leave Hasenhuttl facing a tricky close-season.
LEICESTER CITY (4-3-3): Schmeichel 6; Castagne 7 (Pereira 70min, 6), Fofana 6.5, Evans 7, Justin 6; Tielemans 6, Mendy 6, Dewsbury-Hall 6.5 (Perez 63, 7.5); MADDISON 8 (Amartey 82), Vardy 7, Barnes 6.5 (Lookman 77). Scorers: Maddison 49, Vardy 74, Perez 81, 90+6. Manager: Brendan Rodgers 7.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-2-2): McCarthy 6; Walker-Peters 6, Stephens 7, Lyanco 5, Salisu 6; Ward-Prowse 6.5, Romeu 6 (Smallbone 90); S Armstrong 6.5, Elyounoussi 5.5 (Djenepo 72, 6); A Armstrong 6.5 (Adams 63, 6), Redmond 5.5 (Long 83). Scorers: Ward-Prowse 79 (pen). Booked: Romeu.
Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl 5.5 Referee: Jon Moss 6. Attendance: 32,003.