Leicester back up to third as Jamie Vardy wraps up win at Crystal Palace
They couldn’t do it again, could they? As Leicester supporters will tell you, stranger things have happened. Another victory for Brendan Rodgers’s side means they have amassed one more point at this stage of the campaign than during the title-winning season in 2015-16. Caglar Soyuncu’s header and Jamie Vardy’s late strike ensured they moved back above Chelsea on goal difference and into third spot.
But if they are to stand a chance of keeping pace with Liverpool and Manchester City, Rodgers must know they will need more than their fair share of luck. That was certainly the case against Palace because Jonny Evans was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card for scything down Cheikhou Kouyaté a few minutes before his defensive partner popped up with the opening goal.
Leicester were deserved winners in the end as Vardy’s goal one minute from time, following excellent combination play with the substitute Demarai Gray, rounded off the victory and took him to the top of the league’s scoring charts. Palace had never really looked capable of finding a way through a defence who are the Premier League’s joint-best with Sheffield United, having conceded only eight times.
“The team is playing well but we’re certainly not getting carried away,” Rodgers said. “They understand we’re trying to create something we can sustain. With 10 games to go let’s see where we are.”
Given that their last outing resulted in the 9-0 thrashing of Southampton that set a Premier League record for an away win, it was unsurprising Rodgers stuck with the side who performed so well the previous week. Roy Hodgson made two changes from Palace’s draw at Arsenal, with the goalkeeper Vicente Guaita returning from injury and Jeffrey Schlupp brought in to replace the injured Andros Townsend.
The past four meetings of these sides had all ended in victory for Palace, including a 5-0 thrashing on this ground in April 2018.
That and last season’s 4-1 win at the King Power Stadium in February, which prompted the sacking of Claude Puel, contributed to a 13-1 aggregate score in Palace’s favour, yet this Leicester team are a different proposition altogether under Rodgers. This was always likely to be a tight affair and it took a moment of brilliant improvisation from Harvey Barnes to set up their first real chance. His backheel picked out James Maddison who played an inch-perfect pass for Vardy, only for Guaita to deny him from a tight angle. Evans headed the corner over the bar after a great delivery from Maddison.
Palace also looked a threat in attack at times in the first half, although finding a way past Evans, Soyuncu and co in Leicester’s defence is not easy these days. At the other end, Ricardo Pereira mysteriously decided not to head Maddison’s free-kick towards the gaping goal after outjumping Gary Cahill and Guaita, otherwise the visitors could easily have taken the lead.
Kasper Schmeichel was finally called into action five minutes before the break when he tipped over Schlupp’s deflected shot from distance.
A subdued start to the second half was brought to life when Evans could count himself lucky to escape a red card for flying in on Kouyaté with a dangerous tackle. The Senegal midfielder was at his rangy best throughout the match and provided the perfect opportunity for Palace to go ahead with a superb cross from the right, only for Jordan Ayew to barely make contact with the ball six yards out. It was to prove a costly miss.
Having seen Guaita produce a fantastic save to tip over a bullet header from Evans moments earlier, Palace’s defence should have been more alert for the next ball whipped in by Maddison. Yet a flick off the head of Patrick van Aanholt at the near post diverted the cross perfectly on to the forehead of the unmarked Soyuncu, who gleefully powered his effort home.
“We’re going to win the league,” sang the Leicester fans in the corner.
Palace huffed and puffed but were kept at arm’s length pretty comfortably before Vardy applied the coup de graĉe, celebrating by mocking Palace supporters who had been on his back for most of the game. It could have been an even bigger win had Ben Chilwell’s late effort not come back off the post but Rodgers had to be satisfied with just the two goals this time.
“What they carry which unfortunately at the moment we could be accused of not carrying is a very clear goal threat,” Hodgson said. “That is the major difference. They are in the top four on merit because that’s how well they are playing and that’s how good their squad is.”