16th December, 2017
Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi got a red card and was sent off on his 21st birthday as Leicester City were mauled at home 3-0 by struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday.
With the result, Palace climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone for the first time this season as they outplayed Claude Puel’s resurgent Leicester to seal a rare away win.
Christian Benteke cost Palace victory when he missed an injury-time penalty he was not supposed to take last weekend, but the striker redeemed himself with a first-half header from Andros Townsend’s cross – his first goal of the campaign.
Palace had failed to score in their past 10 league away games, but Roy Hodgson’s organised and adventurous team added a second before the break when Benteke’s strong run and pass set up Wilfried Zaha for a brilliant individual finish, BBC reports.
Leicester only tested goalkeeper Julian Speroni when they rallied in the second half – the Italian reacting superbly to reach Riyad Mahrez’s angled low drive with a strong palm.
And any potential comeback was hamstrung when Wilfred Ndidi was sent off on his birthday less than a minute after Vicente Iborra’s header was correctly disallowed for a foul.
Ndidi – who turns 21 today – was shown a second yellow card for simulation in the penalty box with just under half an hour to play.
Palace had a much more legitimate penalty shout when Benteke was crumpled in the area by Marc Albrighton’s sliding tackle from behind, but the referee waved away appeals for a chance to add extra gloss on an impressive away performance.
Bakary Sako eventually provided it – tucking away Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s pass across goal to round off a 94th-minute counter-attack.
The Foxes, who so impressively dismantled Puel’s former club Southampton in midweek, remain eighth in the table, while Palace rise four places to 14th – though the teams below them are yet to play this weekend.