Saturday 19 March 2011

Leicester City 0 Portsmouth 1 - 19th March 2011

Leicester’s hopes of reaching the play-offs were dealt another blow this afternoon after losing at home to an in-form Portsmouth side.

David Nugent scored the only goal of the game in the after Leicester failed to deal properly with a long throw in.

Paul Gallagher and Yakubu squandered good chances for the Foxes in the second-half as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men fell to a fourth defeat in six league games, leaving their promotion hopes hanging by a thread.

Eriksson introduced Jeffrey Bruma back into the starting eleven in replace of Miguel Vitor as his side looked to extract revenge on Portsmouth, who head beaten Leicester 6-1 at Fratton Park earlier in the season.

The first chance of the game did fall to Leicester when Yakubu headed just wide from Paul Gallagher’s cross into the penalty area.

But it was the visitors who looked the sharper of the two sides during the opening stages and were ahead after thirteen minutes when Sol Bamba’s poor defensive header fell directly into the path of David Nugent who found the net with a volley through a crowd of players.

The goal was a sloppy one for Leicester to concede, and Eriksson will have been disappointed to see his side undone by another set piece.

The former England striker was again at the heart of another Portsmouth attack moments later after breaking down the right wing before firing a low cross into the penalty area; however, Yuki Abe was alert to smother the ball behind for a corner.

At the other end, goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown pulled off a superb save to deny Sol Bamba’s towering header from a Paul Gallagher corner.

Leicester then began to put pressure on the Pompey defence after good work from Richie Wellens and Yakubu teed up Paul Gallagher on the edge of the box, but his effort flew just wide of the post.

Andy King had a glorious opportunity to net for the Foxes when Kyle Naughton picked the midfielder out with a fine cross, but the Welshman failed to trouble Jamie Ashdown with an unmarked header.

The home side looked likely to score at the end of the first-half but whilst Leicester’s build-up play was positive, there never seemed to be an end product to trouble Ashdown.

The second-half was one of few clear cut chances but the Foxes should have been level when Jeffrey Bruma’s superb long ball behind the Portsmouth defence fell to Paul Gallagher who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Jamie Ashdown did well to quickly close him down and block his low shot.

Eriksson introduced Lloyd Dyer and Martyn Waghorn on in quick succession but it was Portsmouth who looked more likely to score as they caught Leicester on the counter-attack through Dave Kitson who did well to escape Sol Bamba, and his pull back gave Jonathon Hogg the opportunity to set up Joel Ward, but the substitute inexplicably fired wide from six yards.

With less than ten minutes to go, Yakubu fired over from a good position before Kyle Naughton’s thunderous strike from distance was well-saved by Jamie Ashdown at the near post.

Leicester continued to come close in attack but when Jeffrey Bruma’s fine ball in across the face of goal escaped both Ben Mee and Lloyd Dyer, it seemed as if it simply was not their day.

The final whistle indicated a second consecutive home loss for the Foxes, and while Sven’s men remain just five points outside the play-offs, they slipped to eleventh place in the Championship with just eight games remaining.

Man of the Match – Dave Kitson

Saturday 12 March 2011

Scunthorpe United 0 Leicester City 3 - 12th March 2011

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

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Leicester City 2 Norwich City 3 - 8th March 2011

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