Palace Prevail as Foxes Flounder

Crystal Palace earned a well deserved 2-1 victory over Leicester at the King Power Stadium this afternoon. The Eagles were strong, physical and well organised, with Zaha and Jedinak posing a potent threat throughout the first half in particular. Two Palace goals in 5 minutes, mid way through the first half, stunned City and left them with a mountain to climb. First, Schmeichel failed to deal with a corner in the 23rd minute, dropping the ball after colliding with his own player. Former Fox Damien Delaney fired home the loose ball to give the visitors the lead. Schmeichel's error may have affected his judgement for the corner which lead to the Eagles second goal. The ball was headed home by Ramage from the edge of the six yard box - Schmeichel was rooted to his line and perhaps should have challenged.

Pearson replaced Dyer with James on the half hour mark to try and sure up the midfield and to a certain extent it worked. James sat in front of the back four, allowing King and a disappointing Drinkwater to get forward more. Knockaert wasn't as effective as he has been in recent games either and City simply had too many players below par on the day. Having said that, the Foxes continued to press in the second half and certainly can't be criticised for a lack of effort. They came up against a better side on the day, as well as a referee who did them few favours. There were 4 good penalty shouts in the game, 3 of them to Leicester and if any had been awarded, it may have given the home side some impetus. As it was, King's 92nd minute goal was too little too late and didn't leave the Foxes enough time to draw level. It was a good finish from King, nodding home a super cross from Paul Konchesky.

Leicester will now rack up 450 miles with away trips to Watford next Saturday and Bolton the following Tuesday, two teams who are languishing in the bottom half of the Championship table. There may well be changes in personnel for those games. Marshall may be in line to replace Knockaert, who looked out of sorts today. Meanwhile, one of Waghorn, Schlupp or Futacs may deserve an opportunity to show what they can do in place of Jamie Vardy.

King's Power Maintains 100% Home Record

Andy King's tenth minute goal was enough to notch up Leicester's sixth successive home league win of the season and maintain their place at the top of the Championship table. It was a hard fought victory against a Brighton team who boast the meanest defence in the league, having only conceded 8 goals so far this term. King's goal came after an excellent run from Nugent down the left hand flank. He slipped the ball inside to King, who stroked the ball home at the second attempt. In truth, Leicester should have extended their lead and won the game more comfortably. Over the course of the game, they managed 16 shots at goal, with 12 on target.

Ten minutes into the second half, Brighton were awarded a very dubious penalty after Whitbread and Buckley collided into box. Both players had their arms raised and Whitbread was harshly penalised. Schmeichel made a superb save low to his left hand side and Morgan did enough with the follow-up to put off the penalty taker Barnes. The incident seemed to jolt Leicester into action and the Foxes were undoubtedly the better team for the remainder of the second half. City now welcome managerless Crystal Palace, who had a tough match at Barnsley this evening, to the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Another victory in that match really will underline Leicester's credentials as serious contenders for promotion.

Marshall Steers Leicester Top

A late Ben Marshall goal rescued a point for Leicester City at Birmingham City this afternoon. Leicester dominated the match and really should have beaten their Midlands rivals. They had 55% of the possession and managed 6 shots on goal to Birmingham's 3. However, Peter Lovenkrands put Birmingham 1-0 on the stroke of half-time after a cross from Marlon King. It was Birmingham's first real clear cut chance of the match. In the second half, Leicester continued to dominate. Towards the end of the game, three City substitutions finally did the trick. Marshall, Futacs and Vardy replaced Dyer, Knockaert and Waghorn. With just 4 minutes of the match remaining, Marshall's long range shot went in off the inside of the post to secure a draw.

With Cardiff and Wolves both losing and Crystal Palace only managing a draw, the result was enough to move Leicester top of the league on goal difference from Cardiff City. It also extended City's unbeaten run to 6 league games. After 5 successive victories, the international break could not have come at a worse time for Leicester. However, having battled to a draw at St. Andrew's this afternoon, and with two home games coming up this week, Pearson will be delighted with the position that the Foxes now find themselves in - top of the Championship pile.

Five Star Foxes!

Leicester recorded their fifth successive league victory this afternoon, to remain second in the Championship table. The 2-0 home victory over Bristol City is also the Foxes fifth home league win from five attempts so far this term. As the two week international break begins, Nigel Pearson will reflect on an excellent start to the season that has seen a return of 21 points from 10 games. City have also stopped leaking goals, with two successive clean sheets, which will stand them in good stead for the next phase of the season.

In truth, City were not at their best this afternoon. They dominated possession and passed the ball around well but didn't create as many clear cut chances as they might have expected. In the 19th minute, Nugent chased a Vardy through ball, which the defender should have dealt with comfortably. Nugent out-muscled his opposite number and fired past the Bristol City keeper. Bristol never looked like getting back into the match. The only surprise was that it took Leicester until the 74th minute to double their advantage. A clever forward run and cross from the excellent Andy King forced Richard Foster to head into his own net under pressure from the equally excellent David Nugent. Knockaert again was superb and Drinkwater controlled the midfield.

The only negative was what appeared to be a torn hamstring for Sean St. Ledger. Defensive cover continues to appear limited and St. Ledger has been a consistent performer this season. City will hope he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.

Anthony Knockout!

Anthony Knockaert scored two spectacular goals to give City a 2-0 victory at Huddersfield last night. The win, a fourth league victory in a row, lifts the Foxes into the Championship's automatic promotion places. The French winger opened the scoring after half an hour, driving a wonderful left footed shot home from at least 30 yards. Knockaert's second goal, on the hour mark, was arguably even better than his first effort. Konchesky crossed from the left and Knockaert flicked the ball from above waist height, with the back of his heel, into the open net from near the penalty spot. It was an incredible, audacious effort. The Foxes were well deserving of all 3 points and the manager will be particularly happy to have notched up another clean sheet. City now face Bristol City at home on Saturday - the Robins conceded three at home to Leeds Utd last night.