Football can be a very strange game. On Saturday, Leicester City were embarrassed by Barnsley, in what could hardly have been a poorer performance. Disjointed, weak, lacking in quality. Three days later, on the same ground, they take their fiercest rivals apart with a fabulous performance. 4-0 was the scoreline but 11-1 in terms of efforts on target might have been a more accurate representation of the game. So what was the difference?
Pearson went back to what he knows best, 4-4-2. City played with tempo and purpose. Passes were played with conviction and accuracy. The ball wasn't simply pumped forward aimlessly but was slid in to Beckford's feet, giving him the opportunity to run on to the ball. Beckford looked eager, interested, hungry to succeed. Instead of chasing long balls or standing with his back to goal, passes were slipped into his path and flicked past defenders. As a result, he looked like a different animal. Beckford became the first City striker to score a hat-trick in an East Midlands derby since 1948. Not bad for a player who wasn't in the team just three days ago...
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