Dyer Deflection Beats Boro

An 89th minute deflected shot from Lloyd Dyer gave Leicester their first away victory of the season this afternoon and moved the Foxes up to 5th place in the Championship table. It looked like being another frustrating afternoon for Nigel Pearson's side as they dominated possession, created the best chances but still found themselves 1-0 down, five minutes into the second half. Middlesborough's Nicky Bailey hit a superb shot from long range to give the home side the lead, although Schmeichel will be disappointed to have been beaten from so far out. Vardy equalised for City just after the hour mark. As the 90th minute approached, Dyer's shot deflected over Boro keeper Jason Steele to give Leicester the victory.

That's 3 successive league wins for Leicester, who now find themselves just a point away from the top of the table. Things are starting to click into place for the Foxes, although the central midfield pairing of Drinkwater and James is a concern. They are very similar players and neither of them is going to make surging forward runs and score goals on a regular basis. It wouldn't be a surprise if King got the nod ahead of James for the next game. Pearson will be looking forward to Tuesday night's trip to Huddersfield, particularly as the Terriers conceded three goals at home to Watford this afternoon. With Vardy and Nugent both in form, City will hope that another positive result is on the cards. 

Nuge Win for Leicester!

David Nugent scored a superb hat-trick this afternoon, to secure a maximum 6 points from 2 home games this week, and move City up to seventh place in the Championship. Leicester have now won all four of their home league games this season - form that will delight manager Nigel Pearson. City started positively, putting visitors Hull on the back foot from the outset. Nugent latched onto a loose ball in the seventh minute, to fire a precise left footed shot into the corener of the net. Vardy squandered a couple of opportunities to double City's advantage before Simpson slid in to put Hull level. It was poor defending from Leicester, who have switched off at the back too often this season. However, three minutes before half time, Nugent headed home from six yards to restore the home side's lead.

In the second half, Leicester continued to dominate, creating the best chances and putting Hull City under pressure. 10 minutes before full time, Hull manager Steve Bruce was sent to the stands for verbally abusing the referee. To cap a miserable afternoon for the Hull manager, Nugent completed his perfect hat-trick in the final minute with a right footed finish. Leicester now face trips to Middlesborough and Huddersfield and will be hoping to find some form on the road to match their recent record at the King Power Stadium. Certainly Nugent's excellent form gives them reason to be optimistic about their prospects, as does the return of Andy King, who is sure to replace Matty James in the starting line-up next weekend.

Knock Knock Knockaert on Burnley's door!

Leicester moved to 10th place in the Championship with a hard fought victory over Burnley at the King Power stadium this evening. Burnley took a 10th minute lead when Marney finished off a neat move from the visitors. Leicester struggled to create clear cut opportunities for the remainder of the first half and there were boos as City went into the break 1-0 behind. A slight change in formation, bringing Knockaert into a more central position, paid dividends early in the second half. Nugent scored the equaliser just two minutes into the second half, stroking home a cross from the left hand side. Vardy's miss-hit cross gave Leicester a 2-1 lead just 10 minutes later. Knockaert was a threat throughout the match and his influence in the second half was arguably the different between the sides.

Sam Vokes should have rescued a point for Burnley in the 90th minute but failed to get the ball past a stranded Schmeichel. It demonstrates how fine the margins are at this stage of the season and how crucial this victory might prove to be. Leicester are into the top half of the table. Defeat this evening would have left them languishing in 20th position. Next up, Hull City at the King Power on Sunday. They are currently 4th in the table and will be determined to get one over on their old manager, Pearson. At least tonight's victory has afforded Nigel's men a little breathing space.

Wolves show Foxes who's top dog!

Two poor defensive errors, both from set pieces, cost Leicester City all three points at Wolverhampton Wanderers this afternoon. The home side were 2-0 up less than a quarter of the way through the match. Ebanks-Blake escaped the attentions of Paul Konchesky to head home a free kick in the 13th minute. Just 8 minutes later, another defensive lapse from De Laet allowed former City player Richard Stearman time to double the hosts advantage with a well executed volley. Schmeichel will also be disappointed with both goals, particularly the first, which was headed home from less than 6 yards. City pushed forward in the second half and squandered several good opportunities to score. A superb 40-yard strike from Paul Konchesky, 20 minutes from time, found the back of the net to halve the defecit. However, it proved to be just a consolation goal.

City have now lost 2-1 in all three away fixtures this season. They are languishing in 16th place in the Championship with just 6 points from 5 games. With 18 teams playing on Tuesday night, 24 hours before Leicester take to the field again, City are likely to slide even further down the table. It will be another crucial week for Nigel Pearson, with home fixtures to come against Burnley on Wednesday and Hull a week today. Anything less than 4 points from these two games will surely increase the pressure on the Leicester manager. As long as his team continue to leak soft goals, questions will persist about the strength of defensive cover in the squad. Sadly, after ten months in charge, they will not be easy questions for Pearson to answer.

Blackpool Pleasure Beached

Leicester ended Blackpool's unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium this evening. The Foxes dominated from the outset and could have been a couple of goals up by half-time, with Vardy posing a real attacking threat to the visitors. Leicester had two penalty appeals turned away, before Vardy tumbled in the box ten minutes into the second half. It was a debatable penalty, although there was no doubt about Marshall's thumping strike from the spot. In truth, Leicester could have scored a couple more in the second half. Defensively, the Foxes will be delighted with how well they restricted Blackpool, who scored 6 against Ipswich last week, from creating many clear cut opportunities. City were clinging on in the last few minutes but were good value for the victory. The win moves them up to 9th place in the table with Blackpool remaining top.

Despite the win and the clean sheet, there must still be question marks about the defensive cover available to Leicester. With no defenders on the bench, City finished the match with the diminutive Paul Konchesky playing at centre back and striker Jeff Schlupp playing at left back. It's a worry that just 4 games into the season, Nigel Pearson is having to make do. When suspensions and injuries kick in, the shortage of squad cover in defensive positions may well come back to haunt Pearson. For now though, the manager will enjoy this victory and hope that the two week international break allows him enough time to get all of his defenders fully fit. Next up, a lunchtime match at Wolves on Sunday 16th September. No easy games in this league.