Leicester City ran away 2-0 winners at home against Bournemouth on Saturday in what was a fitting tribute to the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Morgan and Vardy continue Rodgers revival at Leicester
Goals from club captain Wes Morgan, who was only playing due to the suspension of Harry Maguire, and Jamie Vardy inspired the Foxes as they continued their bright start under new manager Brendan Rodgers with a third straight league win. This came on an emotional day for the club as fans paid tribute to their late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who would have been 61 this week.
An entertaining match saw Vardy and Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, miss good chances, but Leicester who became increasingly dominant throughout the 90 minutes, deserved the spoils when Vardy headed home his fifth goal in five games eight minutes from time.
“It was a very good performance, especially off the back of an international break,” said Rodgers. “We were very cohesive in the way we played, and it was good to see the ideas coming through. The pressing and aggression were outstanding.”
Bournemouth should have scored a quick equaliser after Morgan broke the deadlock but Callum Wilson was denied when Kasper Schmeichel made a block right on his goal line to deny the Englishman. The win means Leicester climb to eighth in the table before the midweek fixtures, having won three games in a row since losing to Watford in Rodgers’ first game in charge.
Leicester showing the new manager ‘effect’ once more
Leicester City is every new manager’s dream – new being keyword here. This is the first time they have won three consecutive Premier League games since a run of four since December 2017. “The reason I came is that they’re a fantastic group of players. It is going to take time to holistically get over our ideas, so it becomes the norm for the players. What they have shown is a wonderful appetite to learn and embrace how we want them to play. Like I say they have shown good tactical ideas in the games and that is very pleasing.”
“I think we’ve seen that today (Saturday), the hunger in the players and how focused they were on the game. We had a lot of chances and opportunities, but we took the most important ones and kept a clean sheet which is equally important.”
The Foxes were 12th in the table when former manager Claude Puel was sacked, having lost five of their past six games. They are now eighth – level on points with seventh-placed Wolves before they met with Manchester United – and have won three games in a row for the first time since December 2017. It is true, the hunger, speed and passion with which the Foxes are playing is a thing of 2016 title winning campaign.
Wilson and Vardy surprisingly blunt but Vardy manages to redeem
Normally dependable in front of goal, Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson’s eyes would have widened to the size of saucepans when teammate Ryan Fraser beat his opposition fullback and whipped a delicious ball into the box.
Wilson was positioned perfectly on the edge of the six-yard-box, the ball only needing to be diverted into the Leicester net. 99 times out of 100, Wilson would be wheeling away in celebration yet this was that one time out of 100.
The in-form Jamie Vardy missed his fair share of chances too however with the Foxes leading by the narrow margin of one goal, Jamie Vardy had the opportunity in the 29th minute to put Leicester two goals ahead and in a much more comfortable position.
The Foxes broke quickly with midfielder Youri Tielemans releasing fullback Ricardo Pereira whose run pulled the Bournemouth defence out of position. The Portuguese then found Vardy, who had acres of space in the Bournemouth box and although many would have expected Vardy to rifle the ball in, instead he dragged his shot wide from 10 yards.
James Maddison & Youri Tielemans fast becoming the creators in chief for Rodgers’ Foxes
Rodgers is slowly settling with his best first XI with Tielemans and Maddison forming the core. Their passing was patient but vibrant with threat coming from across the forward line and they pressed high up the field to deny Bournemouth time to build from the back.
Rodgers’ side repeatedly produced flowing attacking moves and had 18 shots over the 90 minutes, compared with eight from their opponents. James Maddison’s performance against Bournemouth exemplified why the young Englishman is knocking on the door of Gareth Southgate’s senior national side, and the calls for his inclusion will only have intensified after this performance. His range of passing was exemplary, and he consistently found his teammates and played a key part in Leicester’s attacking play.
Leicester’s performance was an excellent all-round showing but Tielemans was the most composed player in their midfield and provided a perfect assist for Vardy’s goal.
Away woes refusing to go away for Bournemouth
Another away match. Another defeat. The loss means the Cherries have now lost 10 of their last 11 away games – the only positive result in that run being a win in their last game on the road against bottom-of-the-table, already relegated, Huddersfield.
Manager Eddie Howe said he had “no complaints” with the result and said he was “disappointed” with his side’s performance. “Our away record is a concern and we are trying to find ways to improve what we do,” he said. “I want a game tomorrow after that performance. People travel a long way to come and see us play and we didn’t perform.”
In the first half, they played their part in an entertaining encounter with a chance for Joshua King following the one for Wilson, but in the second they offered little attacking threat. Striker Wilson only had 21 touches, the fewest of any starter, and none of those came in the Leicester penalty box in the second half.
Centre-back Nathan Ake was the only player to impress as he repeatedly blocked shots from Leicester players, doing so four times – three more than any other player. The win against Huddersfield is their only victory in their last eight matches, home or away, and Howe said before kick-off that they are still not completely safe from relegation. They remain 12th – 10 points clear of 18th-placed Cardiff who have two games in hand.
Attacking win gives fitting ‘Special Vichai’ tribute
Brendan Rodgers was delighted his players produced an attacking and winning performance against Bournemouth as Leicester City fans paid tribute to former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Srivaddhanaprabha, who died when his helicopter crashed after a Leicester match last October, would have turned 61 this week, and the club marked the occasion by offering supporters free beer and cake, a regular tradition during his reign at the football club.
On 61 minutes, fans sang an emotional tribute, holding applause and waving banners to celebrate the man who oversaw the club’s famous Premier League title win in 2016. “We are here to play a brand of football that’s attacking and aggressive and on a day that’s a special occasion the fans showed their appreciation,” Rodgers said at his post-match media conference.
“I hope they enjoyed the day. The atmosphere here is incredible when the fans have a team that attacks with speed and quality and I think we saw that.”
What’s next for both?
Bournemouth host Burnley while Leicester go to Huddersfield on Saturday.
