Foxes back on top
Late Mavididi winner puts Birmingham in drop zone
ON WHAT could prove a pivotal afternoon in the race for automatic promotion, Leicester boss Enzo Maresca put this vital win down to persistence.
Relegation-threatened Birmingham were on the verge of grabbing a point until Stephy Mavididi’s late header claimed the spoils.
Maresca will be acutely aware his side must become more clinical or risk surrendering their place at the top of the table, which was regained thanks to defeats for rivals Ipswich and Leeds.
Blues’ leading goalscorer Jay Stansfield had earlier cancelled out Kiernan DewsburyHall’s opener.
‘The important thing at this stage is to control your emotions,’ Maresca said. ‘We deserved to come through, of that there is no doubt. We showed patience and belief in how we want to play.
‘All we do now is take it game by game. The league has not ended at this moment. That is the mentality we must have.’
Maresca used his notes in a programme celebrating the club’s late former owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, to confirm that the race to escape the Championship has entered a critical phase.
The Foxes, crowned the best team in England under the Thai businessman’s ownership, are well used to coping with pressurised situations. Against opponents
fighting for survival, they initially went about their business with poise and panache.
Although Birmingham carried a threat — Koji Miyoshi testing Mads Hermansen’s handling during the early exchanges — it was not potent enough to prevent Leicester from dominating.
Their grip on the game told in the 28th minute when, having spurned numerous opportunities to clear Abdul Fatawu’s cross, Dewsbury-Hall punished the indecision of the Birmingham defence with a crisp finish from Patson Daka’s assist.
But Leicester did over-elaborate, and that proved costly on the stroke of half-time when Hermansen dithered after receiving a short pass from Wout Faes, giving Stansfield the opportunity to charge down the clearance and net for the 12th time this season.
‘Everyone makes mistakes,’ Maresca said. ‘Unfortunately when you’re a ’keeper they usually end in a goal.’ With three minutes of normal time remaining, Mavididi shattered Blues’ resistance with a perfectly-placed header from substitute Yunus Akgun’s centre.
‘Our season isn’t going to be defined by taking something here,’ said Gary Rowett, Birmingham’s interim manager, after his team dropped into the bottom three for the first time this season. ‘For me, pressure is a privilege and we’ve got the quality to get out.’