On paper there was only ever going to be one winner in this game. Leicester went into the fixture fifteen games unbeaten, flying high at the top of the league and having only lost one home league game all term. Blackpool, by contrast, have been one of the worst away teams in the league, having lost 8 and drawn 2 of their last ten away league games. Indeed, since Leicester began this current sequence of games without defeat, Blackpool have been rock bottom of the Championship form guide. A handsome home victory seemed to be the order of the day - it proved to be anything but.
Having dominated the first half in terms of possession and attempts at goal, the Foxes found themselves 1-0 down at the interval. David Goodwillie fired the visitors ahead in the 41st minute after Leicester failed to deal with a long throw. The Blackpool striker had the easiest possible task, chesting the ball down and nudging it home from close range. In truth, Leicester should have already been out of sight. Nugent, James and Knockaert all had opportunities to score in the first half, although the best chance fell to Vardy who failed to hit the target when one on one with the goalkeeper.
Early in the second half it seemed as though it was going to be one of those days. Leicester were channeling their energy in the wrong direction as first Vardy and then James were booked for petulant fouls. It was going to take something special to get Leicester back into the game. Cue Riyad Mahrez. On the hour mark, the Algerian wide player cut in from the right flank, beat one man and then fired a thunderous left footed shot into the net from the corner of the penalty area. Nine minutes from time, Mahrez exerted his influence once again.
This time, surrounded by two Blackpool players and seemingly meandering towards the touchline, Mahrez dinked an outrageous cross to the far post where Wes Morgan was waiting to head home his first goal of the season. The King Power Stadium breathed a collective sigh of relief. Kevin Phillips provided the icing on the cake. In the 87th minute, the ball arrived at the veteran striker's feet in the box and he slotted a clever shot into the top corner beyond the reach of the hapless Gilks. It was no more than Leicester deserved. Over the course of the match, they had 68% of the possession and managed 25 attempts at goal to Blackpool's 5.
City are now seven points clear of Burnley in second and a staggering 17 points clear of Derby in third place. Remarkably, they have already reached 80 points, passing the tally that got Hull City into the Premier League last season. They have also notched up 25 league wins, as many as last season's champions Cardiff managed all season. Such is Leicester's dominance with 11 league games to go. It is now a case of "when" rather than "if". Leicester City's 10 year absence from the top flight of English football will soon be over.
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