Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FOXES TAKE MADD LEAP TO THE TOP
Rock bottom Leicester hit the summit
JAMES MADDISON delivered to help propel Leicester from the bottom of the group to the top as King Power boos turned to cheers.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have hit the front in perfect time with just one game left away at Napoli on December 9.
Only top spot guarantees a last-16 place and Leicester tore into Warsaw with serious intent after being booed off against Chelsea.
Patson Daka opened the scoring early on before Maddison produced a brilliant ‘Cryuff ’ turn and finish to make it 2-0.
Warsaw pulled a goal back but Maddison’s pin-point corner picked out Wilfred Ndidi to make it 3-1 before the break.
Leicester were reassuringly compact and solid in the second half to see out the game.
It compounded Legia’s misery as the Polish outfit endure their worst run in 85 years.
But Leicester won’t care a jot and they showed character after losing defender Jonny Evans injured in the warm up to be replaced by Daniel Amartey.
It didn’t stop the hosts from making a fast start with Maddison having an early effort.
They took the lead in the 11th minute after Luke Thomas won possession and released Harvey Barnes.
His run to the edge of the box was halted but the ricochet fell kindly for Daka who turned and buried a low left-foot finish for his fifth goal in Europe this season and sixth in total, one fewer than Jamie Vardy.
If the goal was a little fortunate given how the ball broke kindly for Daka, the hosts’ second was class.
Maddison instigated the danger wide on the right as he exchanged passes with Ademola Lookman.
He then bamboozled the visitors’ defence with a Cruyff turn before curling a left-foot finish in for his second goal this term
Leicester’s advantage was halved when Ndidi was penalised for handball and a penalty was given.
Mahir Emreli saw his spot-kick saved by Kasper Schmeichel but Filip Mladenovic reacted quickest for a tap-in in the 26th minute.
Yet it didn’t take the hosts long to restore their two-goal advantage.
Maddison turned provider as his inswinging corner picked out Ndidi to glance past on-rushing keeper Cezary Miszta.
Yet it was consistent with Leicester’s defensive woes this term that they never looked comfortable and needed some desperate defending before the interval.
But the hosts were much more solid in the second half and enjoyed the full support of fans after Rodgers hit out at his side being booed during the loss to Chelsea.
Maddison was clattered and subbed but his classy contribution was enough to put Leicester in pole position for the last 16.