Leicester City reignited their promotion hopes after comfortably beating relegation-threatened Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park this afternoon.
Miguel Vitor scored a goal in each half, while Kyle Naughton added a third with fifteen minutes remaining to help Leicester snap a four game winless streak which deflated their playoff ambitions.
It was Vitor’s first start after picking up a hamstring injury against Ipswich in December last year, but the Portuguese defender put in an outstanding performance both in defence and from attacking set pieces, giving manager Sven-Goran Eriksson something to smile about after a poor team display against Norwich City during the week.
Eriksson also reintroduced Paul Gallagher to the starting XI following Tuesday night’s loss, whilst also adopting the more attacking 4-3-3 formation.
Scunthorpe did give the visitors an early scare when Michael Raynes headed Mark Duffy’s corner kick towards goal, but Richie Wellens was well-placed to clear the ball off the line.
Yakubu then hit the target minutes later at the other end with a close range header, but it was saved by Scunthorpe keeper Josh Lillis.
On the half-hour mark, Yuki Abe’s venomous long range half-volley struck the crossbar before being bundled behind for a corner by the Iron defence.
Leicester then broke the deadlock from an ensuing corner when Paul Gallagher’s ball into the box was nodded on at the near post by Ben Mee to Miguel Vitor, who was well-placed in the six yard box to prod the ball into the net.
The Foxes were good value for their lead, having been the better side on a difficult pitch for most of the first-half and offering much more in attack than their counterparts.
At the other end, Ben Mee made an important clearance before a counter attack involving Andy King and Yakubu almost led to a second Leicester goal before half-time – the Everton loanee being foiled however by an unfortunate bounce before being able to trouble Josh Lillis.
After the break, Scunthorpe were almost handed a lifeline when referee Rob Shoebridge awarded the hosts a penalty after Kyle Naughton was adjudged to have pushed Joe Garner in the penalty area – however, the assistant had flagged Garner for being offside before the whistle, and the referee reversed his decision.
Paul Gallagher then came close for Leicester with a curling free kick which Josh Lillis did well to tip around the post for a corner kick.
Naughton and Garner were again under the spotlight when Garner appeared to lash out following a forceful challenge by the Tottenham full-back – the referee surprisingly booking Naughton and awarding a free-kick to the home side.
Just before the hour mark, Leicester came close to doubling their advantage when some excellent work from Darius Vassell down the wing resulted in a low ball to the back post; however, the pass just escaped the oncoming Andy King, who was unable to hit the target.
Scunthorpe thought they had found an equaliser minutes later when Joe Garner found the back of the net following a corner kick, but the goal was disallowed as Garner was deemed to have handled the ball and was consequentially cautioned.
Leicester eventually did add to their lead when more good work from Darius Vassell allowed Paul Gallagher to whip the ball dangerously in across goal, with Miguel Vitor again in the right place at the right time to power a header off the underside of the bar and into the net for his – and Leicester’s – second of the game.
The goal deflated the hosts, and, with their tails up, Leicester instinctively put the match out of sight five minutes later when Kyle Naughton smashed a low drive through the heart of the Scunthorpe defence and beyond Josh Lillis.
It was Naughton’s fifth goal of the season – an impressive tally from a defender – and a clear demonstration of his ability to punish teams if given time and space on the ball.
Leicester were then able to see the remainder of the game out, and could have had a fourth goal after substitute Martyn Waghorn’s shot from a tight angle tested Josh Lillis at his near post.
It was a match that Leicester really needed to win in order to bounce back from a run of disappointing results, and the Foxes did so in emphatic style, picking up the three points which leaves them just five points off the playoffs with nine games remaining.
Man of the Match – Miguel Vitor
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