Leicester’s playoff hopes were dealt a hammer blow last night as they were comfortably beaten at home by Norwich City.
Wes Hoolahan netted first for the Canaries before Richie Wellens’ header levelled for the hosts shortly after the restart.
Grant Holt restored the visitors’ lead from the penalty spot three minutes after the break before Aaron Wilbraham’s deflected strike put Paul Lambert’s men 3-1 ahead ten minutes later.
Paul Gallagher gave the Foxes a glimmer of hope with a stunning free-kick in second-half stoppage time but it was not enough to prevent a second defeat in four days.
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men are now without a win in four games, having taken just one point from their last twelve in a run of form which leaves them tenth in the Championship; seven points adrift of the playoff places.
The loss also marked the end of Leicester’s twelve game unbeaten league run since the arrival of Eriksson – dating back to October 2010.
Leicester should have gone ahead within eight minutes when Bruno Berner – who replaced the injured Jeffrey Bruma from the side who lost 1-0 to QPR at the weekend – delivered a pinpoint cross to Yakubu at the back post, but the Nigerian international headed over from close range.
But it was Norwich who looked the more confident side as Sol Bamba did well to block a powerful shot by Andrew Surman after good work from Andrew Crofts.
Norwich took a deserved lead shortly after when Andrew Surman’s corner found Wes Hoolahan completely unmarked at the near post who headed past Ricardo into the top corner of the net.
It was a fine header from Hoolahan but the Foxes will wonder how they gave the Irishman so much time and space in front of goal.
However, Leicester were back in the game from an unlikely source just two minutes afterwards when Bruno Berner played another good ball into the box to Richie Wellens, who steered a downward header past Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy for his third league goal of the season.
The equaliser was just what Leicester needed, having been second best for the first twenty minutes.
The Foxes then began to play with the confidence seen throughout their excellent home run, with Yakubu testing John Ruddy with a turn and shot on goal in the penalty area.
Minutes before half-time, Richie Wellens’ cross was flicked on by Andy King into a dangerous position, but John Ruddy eventually managed to gather the ball despite pressure from Sol Bamba and Ben Mee in the penalty area.
The turning point in the match came two minutes after the break when Ben Mee was adjudged to have brought down Wes Hoolahan in the penalty area with a sliding tackle.
After consulting his linesman, Chris Foy eventually awarded the spot kick which Grant Holt blasted past Ricardo to restore the Canaries’ lead.
Norwich’s dominance continued and, just before the hour mark, Aaron Wilbraham made it 3-1 after picking the ball up inside the Leicester penalty area before passing Sol Bamba and unleashing a low drive which appeared to take a deflection off Ben Mee and past Ricardo at the near post.
With time becoming a factor, Eriksson introduced Paul Gallagher and Martyn Waghorn in an attempt to give Leicester wider options, but the Canaries were more than able to suffocate any chances with an impressive, swarming defensive effort.
With Leicester on the ropes, the visitors continued to look dangerous - especially through Andrew Crofts and David Fox who offered a quick tempo throughout the duration of the game which Leicester simply could not handle.
Ricardo was on hand to make a great diving save after Aaron Wilbraham was given far too much time to unleash a powerful strike, and, with two minutes remaining, Ben Mee’s slip almost allowed Grant Holt through in on goal, but Ricardo was out quickly to prevent a fourth goal.
Paul Gallagher scored with a sublime free-kick in injury time, but in the end it was no more than a consolation for the Foxes who in all honesty had been on the back foot for the majority of the second-half.
Paul Lambert will have been delighted with his team’s performance, whilst Sven-Goran Eriksson must know that his side now has a huge mountain to climb in order to achieve their goal of reaching the playoffs.
Man of the Match – Wes Hoolahan
No comments:
Post a Comment