Marvellous Marvin lifts the gloom at Ewood
Two wins on the spin in under a week, six points pocketed and the horrifying threat of becoming only the second top-flight champions to be relegated the following season is evaporating fast.
The only real question hanging over a suddenly- bouncing King Power Stadium is why on earth it took the club’s Thai owners so long to get rid of their Italian coach. Such is the fickle word of football. Fans can only guess where the Midlands outfit might be sitting in the table had he been fired sooner.
Certainly, they would be a lot further away from the danger zone.
As it is, the Premier League holders are edging towards the haven of mid-table security after victory over relegation rivals Hull sent them FIVE points clear of trouble.
Goals from Christian Fuchs and Riyad Mahrez either side of the break completed a gritty comeback – and further boosted Craig Shakespeare’s ambitions of getting the job full time.
The current Leicester caretaker coach meets the board on Friday when he surely can expect to be handed the reins for the rest of the campaign – at least.
Any whispers that former England boss Roy Hodgson ( right) could still be in the running is laughable after this rapid turnaround in fortunes.
But Shakespeare refused to be drawn on his future after the game and said: “I have stated my case already.
“I spoke with the owners in the week and they said we’ll talk again at the end of this one. I’m very comfortable with that situation. “I am not expecting anything. I have to go in there with an open mind.” Shakespeare also claimed his players could have done no more for his cause and added: “We had a great result and performance on Monday and we needed to back it up today. “I haven’t done a lot differently – there’s been only one change in personnel. Winning breeds confidence and gives momentum.” Hull, on the other hand, are back i n t he mire after t heir own managerial reshuffle fizzled out. While eight points from seven games is still not a bad return for Marco Silva, his side find themselves four points from safety. The Tigers still have a chance to save themselves with fellow s t r ugg l e r s S w a n s e a , Middlesbro u g h and Sunderland all travelling to their patch i n the next couple of months. Leicester began as they had finished in Monday n i g h t ’ s destruction of Liverpool – playing on the front foot, at lightning pace and creating chances galore. Two of those opportunities were absolute sitters that were simply begging to be tucked in. Firstly, unmarked skipper Wes Morgan headed Riyad Mahrez’s fourth-minute free-kick six yards wide from the same distance out. Then Jamie Vardy sprung the offside trap and crossed to the far post where Marc Albrighton somehow failed to finish.
They were bad misses. Yet there was little warning they might come back to haunt the hosts quite as quickly as they did.
Wilfred Ndidi had been a star five days earlier but was guilty of the poor 15th-minute pass that sparked Hull’s superb counter-attack.
Sam Clucas intercepted, sped 40 yards up field and fed Kamil Grosicki along the left who forced Kasper Schmeichel to parry the ball behind the on-rushing midfielder.
Ex-Foxes academy man Clucas managed to twist and hook the ball home from close range.
The goal put Leicester’s fragile confidence to the test and that poser was answered in emphatic fashion 13 minutes later.
Fuchs sent Vardy surging forward and he heeded the full-back’s screams for a return pass.
The Austrian received the ball and side-footed a shot under Hull keeper Eldin Jakupovic, who should have done better.
The same applied to the Swiss stopper in the 54th minute when he failed to stop Leicester going ahead.
Mahrez had burst into life after the break and after having one drive turned away, he let rip again.
This time he saw his firm 20-yarder sneak inside Jakupovic’s near post.
That all-but secured Leicester back-to-back triumphs for the first time since April last year before Tom Huddlestone’s late own-goal sealed the priceless points.
Hull boss Silva conceded his side will have to show greater willpower to escape relegation after their rivals picked up points yesterday.
He said: “I felt we started strongly today and deserved to be level at half-time.
“We then conceded a second goal that was more down to our defence than Leicester’s attack.” BLACKBURN finally clawed their way out of the bottom three thanks to a worldie from Marvin Emnes.
In a nervy relegation six-pointer, the Dutch forward struck the decisive blow in the 58th minute for a Rovers side who are loving life under new boss Tony Mowbray.
The winning goal actually came from a Wigan attack.
Rovers keeper Luke Steele saved a rasping Callum Connolly effort and instantly pinged out a tremendous long pass to Emnes.
The on-loan Swansea man controlled the ball beautifully before cutting inside from the left and unleashing a fierce 18-yard drive that flew past Matt Gilks.
It was the Dutchman’s first goal since September 24 and earned his side a deserved three points.
Mowbray – who now has seven points from his first three games as Ewood Park boss – said: “I think the performance level of the team has been good. I think their endeavour, their drive, their commitment, their togetherness has been what’s got us through.
“I’m delighted for Marvin because he needs to add goals to his game and I know he can.
“If you’re going to play number 10 behind the striker in any football team, you have to have goals. I’m pleased for Marvin, pleased for the team and also pleased for the supporters too.
“There was a lot of hard work from that group of players today and hopefully we’ll get the benefits.”
Meanwhile, Wigan’s lack of threat in front of goal continued and the league’s lowest scorers are now four points adrift of safety.
“We think we’ve got the quality on the pitch and we’ve got the lads who battle away at the back and keep you in the game,” said Latics assistant manager Graham Barrow.
“I think the finger has to be pointed at people higher up the pitch. From midfield onwards, we have to do better.
“There are different ways to score and it’s probably down to bravery and commitment.
“It certainly wasn’t there first half, was it?”