Leicester demolish Swansea to increase lead at the top
Leicester City restored their eight-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur and took another stride towards the Premier League title with a ruthless demolition of Swansea City.
The Foxes were without suspended top-scorer Jamie Vardy and had watched Spurs start to apply pressure at the top of the table.
But Claudio Ranieri’s side responded emphatically by equalling their best Premier League win and scoring four for the first time since Sunderland were beaten 4-2 on the opening day.
Riyad Mahrez took advantage of Ashley Williams’ poor clearance to score with a composed finish before Leonardo Ulloa stepped into the space left by Vardy to ensure this was a win achieved in style and comfort.
Ulloa headed in Danny Drinkwater’s free-kick before the break, then scrambled in the third goal from a loose ball on the hour to give Leicester the advantage their superiority deserved.
Substitute Marc Albrighton added a fourth to leave Leicester needing a maximum of five more points to win the title for the first time in their history. They could even clinch it with victory at Manchester United next weekend if Spurs slip up at home to West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.
-Ulloa answers the Vardy question-
What would Leicester City do without Vardy? That question has been asked plenty of times this season – and more so in recent days, after he was suspended for being sent off in the 2-2 draw with West Ham and then hit with a follow-up Football Association charge for his reaction to referee Jon Moss.
The emphatic answer came in the shape of Ulloa, who fully repaid manager Ranieri’s faith in his ability to replace the man with 22 Premier League goals this season.
When Ulloa earned the Foxes a vital point with a stoppage-time penalty last weekend against West Ham, he showed he was not a man to be perturbed by pressure – and he relished the responsibility put on his shoulders against Swansea.
The 29-year-old Argentinian striker, an £8m buy from Brighton in July 2014, ran selflessly all afternoon to compensate for the darting, pacy threat of Vardy, and most importantly contributed two goals that eventually made this a stroll for Leicester City.
Ulloa reacted decisively to head Drinkwater’s inviting free-kick past Lukasz Fabianski on the half-hour, then showed determination to make sure he was first to a loose ball to bundle home his second, Leicester’s third, after Jeff Schlupp had broken clear.
The two-goal striker was rewarded with a standing ovation when he was substituted late on. Vardy was not missed – and there is no greater compliment to Ulloa’s performance.
-Fans roaring the Foxes home-
Leicester’s King Power Stadium demonstrated its first signs of tension during the draw with West Ham United last Sunday – a result that left the door ajar for title rivals Spurs.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side took full advantage with a 4-0 thrashing of Stoke City on Monday night, and that could easily have played on Foxes’ nerves.
Not a bit of it. Well before kick-off, there was a mood of expectation and optimism sweeping around this atmospheric arena, with Leicester closing in on the finale to the greatest Premier League story.
Former Leicester forward Alan Birchenall, now master of ceremonies at the stadium on match day, whipped the crowd into a fervour with a rallying speech. The traditional pre-kick-off playing of Post Horn Gallop was accompanied by a deafening greeting for Leicester’s players.
And once Mahrez gave Leicester the lead, there was never a doubt about the destiny of the points. This ground reverberates on most occasions – but it has surely never been more thunderous than this.
The final seconds were played out to roars of “Barcelona, we’re coming for you” – the perfect soundtrack to this wonderful, unlikely story of success.
This win, however, means that a day of yet greater celebration for the most unlikely of Premier League triumphs moves even closer.
-Ranieri gets his selection spot on-
Ranieri has spent the season flouting his reputation as ‘The Tinkerman’ – earned during his days at Chelsea when his penchant for squad rotation sent heads spinning.
He has relied on a bedrock of the same 11 players – but he needed to make selection decisions against Swansea, and got them spot on.
Once Vardy was suspended, the Italian announced within minutes that Ulloa would be his replacement. He talked up the player’s character and ability and got a two-goal performance.
He backed another winner when he dropped Albrighton down to the bench and brought in Schlupp.
The 23-year-old Ghana international may be an erratic figure but his direct, strong running unsettled Swansea and he set up Ulloa for his second goal. He may be slightly unconventional but he was another to earn a standing ovation when he was substituted.
And just to confirm Ranieri had the magic touch, Albrighton emerged from the bench to score the fourth late on.
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