Foxes Formula Beats Bournemouth

Leicester City 2 - 1 Bournemouth

Leicester notched up their 5th consecutive 2-1 home victory to move into the Championship's promotion places this afternoon. Bournemouth were the visitors today and Nigel Pearson named the same team and the same substitutes as last week. They delivered the same result. In all competitions, Leicester have now won 7 consecutive home games. It is a formidable record and one that the manager will be keen to extend when Premiership side Fulham visit the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night in the 4th Round of the Capital One Cup.

Leicester got off to a good start this afternoon when Nugent curled a trademark shot into the bottom corner in the 18th minute. To Bournemouth's credit, they struck back - Pugh netting with a sublime finish from outside of the box in the 38th minute. An error from Allsop in the Bournemouth goal gifted City the winning goal in the 64th minute. The goalkeeper should have come out to clear a Chris Wood through ball. His hesitation allowed Vardy to latch onto the pass, take the ball around him and slot it home. In truth, City should have gone on to score more goals in the final quarter of the game. 

Instead, Leicester made hard work of the victory and missed a number of clear-cut chances, although they weren't helped by some poor refereeing decisions. Vardy should have had a penalty early in the second half when he was clumsily knocked over in the box. Elliott Ward, who was eventually shown a red card, should have been dismissed in the first half. Having already been booked, the Bournemouth player kicked the ball away and should have received a second booking before the break. Despite these frustrations, Leicester were very professional and, although not at their absolute best, found a way to win the game. On the evidence so far, the Foxes look a stronger outfit than they were last season. Let's hope they can last the course...

Terriers Outfoxed!

Leicester City 2 - 1 Huddersfield Town

Leicester notched up their fifth consecutive home league win to beat a spirited Huddersfield Town team this afternoon. City took the lead in the 11th minute after superb work down the left hand channel by Nugent. He found Vardy, who hammered an excellent, right footed shot into the roof of the net. Both sides then had several good chances to score in an open and entertaining match. In the 38th minute, Knockaert's corner was headed into his own net to double Leicester's lead. At that stage, City looked very comfortable and should have taken complete control of the game.

To their credit, Huddersfield continued to fight and, in the 67th minute, substitute Scannell broke through and forced Paul Konchesky into an error. The full back, on his 100th appearance for the Foxes, deflected the ball into his own net. Huddersfield pressed for an equaliser and might have found one had their striker James Vaughan kept his cool. The striker thought he was fouled by City centre back Wasilewski. When the whistle failed to go, Vaughan pushed Wasilewski to the ground with a two handed shove. He received a straight red card and the visitors' momentum dissipated. City saw the game out comfortably from that point on and secured all three points to consolidate third place in the table.

Kasper's Keepmoat Keeping Catastrophe

Doncaster Rovers 1 - 0 Leicester City

Kasper Schmeichel's 17th minute howler cost Leicester City all 3 points at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium this afternoon. A Mark Duffy corner looped gently towards the Danish keeper's near post and Schmeichel allowed the ball to slip through his grasp and into the back of the net. It was a disappointing way to concede and a disappointing result, against a team struggling at the wrong end of the Championship table. Despite 10 shots at goal, Leicester never really got going and seemed at a loss in terms of how to deal with Doncaster's direct approach. As Nigel Pearson stated after the game, "We were a little bit laboured." It would be fair to say that this was an understatement from the manager.

The most frustrating aspect of this defeat is that City now have to wait a fortnight for an opportunity to put the result behind them. It is only Leicester's second defeat of the season, but both have come leading into the International break. The Foxes will be hoping that they can bounce back in the same way as they did after defeat at Charlton. That loss triggered a run of 6 games unbeaten, including 5 victories. Despite today's result, Leicester still sit 3rd in the table, with a return of 23 points from their first 11 games. They now face a run of 3 home games in 11 days, culminating in the visit of Premiership Fulham in the 4th Round of the Capital One Cup on 29th October.

Leicester Huish Home Crowd

Yeovil Town 1 - 2 Leicester City

Leicester extended their unbeaten run to 5 Championship games and moved level on points with league leaders Burnley, after a 2-1 away victory at Huish Park. Nigel Pearson named an unchanged side yet again and the Foxes made a solid start to the game, negotiating their way through to half-time at 0-0. After the break, City found a second gear and scored twice in 10 minutes to take a decisive lead in the game. First, in the 54th minute, Lloyd Dyer fired a left-footed shot into the bottom right hand corner after good work from Nugent. In the 63rd minute, De Laet was fouled in the box and Nugent slotted home his 6th penalty of the season. Hayter won and converted a penalty in the 84th minute to give Leicester an uncomfortable final 10 minutes. However, the Foxes held on to secure all 3 points.

Leicester have now suffered just one defeat in 13 matches in all competitions this season. They sit in third place in the table, level on points with leaders Burnley and second placed QPR. Nigel Pearson will be keen to go into the International break with another positive result from Saturday's trip to Doncaster, particularly after the result at Charlton, which lead into the last International break. In current form, not many would bet against them. Given the number of fixtures City have played in recent weeks, and the fact that they face another long away trip this weekend, expect to see a number of changes to the starting line-up on Saturday.

Nugent's spot on...again!

Leicester City 2 - 1 Barnsley

David Nugent scored his fifth penalty of the season to give Leicester City all 3 points at the King Power Stadium this afternoon. It looked like it was going to be a frustrating afternoon for the Foxes in the first half, as they failed to break the deadlock before the interval. Dyer and Vardy both had good chances to give City the lead, before Knockaert was fouled in the box and the referee failed to award what looked like a certain penalty. Having dominated the possession and created so many chances, the Foxes would have been frustrated to go in 0-0 at the break. Nigel Pearson could have been forgiven for making changes at half-time, particularly as Barnsley were determined to keep 11 men behind the ball. However, the manager sent the same team out in the second half and they delivered the goods.

First, Nugent ran on to an excellent Lloyd Dyer pass in the 50th minute and fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net. Less than 12 minutes later, Vardy sprinted through to latch onto a loose ball. He knocked the ball past goalkeeper Butland, who brought the striker down with a clumsy challenge. Nugent's spot-kick was ruthless - into the top corner. Leicester were comfortable at that stage and should really have gone on to win more comfortably. However, a defensive lapse in concentration allowed Scotland to steal in at the back post and score an easy header for the visitors. It created a nervous 20 minutes for Leicester and they were indebted to Kasper Schmeichel for pulling off a superb save 8 minutes from time, diving full length to his left to claw out a Crainie header. 

Leicester now face away trips to Yeovil on Tuesday night and Doncaster on Saturday. They will looking for a minimum of 4 points from these two games to consolidate their superb start to the season.

Capital One Cup - 4th Round Draw

Leicester City will face Fulham at home in the last 16 of the Capital One Cup. The match is likely to take place on Tuesday 29th October. The draw in full:

Sunderland v Southampton
Leicester City v Fulham
Birmingham City v Stoke City
Manchester Utd v Norwich City
Burnley v West Ham Utd
West Bromwich Albion/Arsenal v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City
Newcastle Utd v Manchester City

Regulars Rescue Fringe Foxes

Leicester City 2 - 1 Derby County

Nigel Pearson made 8 changes to his starting line-up for tonight's Capital One Cup tie against Derby County and it nearly cost the Foxes their place in the 4th Round. City found themselves 1-0 down at the break after a dismal first half display. The introduction of Nugent, Dyer and Knockaert changed the game, the first two coming on at the very start of the second half. City were able to get a foot-hold in the game and two goals in two minutes won the tie for the home side. 

Chris Martin gave the visitors the lead in the 42nd minute, sliding the ball past Kasper Schmeichel. It was probably a deserved lead as Leicester had not found their way out of first gear. City didn't draw level until the 78th minute when Anthony Knockaert scored from a 25-yard free kick. It was a fabulous strike which rebounded off the underside of the bar, over the goal line and into the roof of the net. Derby had barely recovered their composure when, just two minutes later, Drinkwater produced a clever backheel to steer the ball into the bottom corner. Leicester go into the hat for the fourth round draw which takes place tomorrow night.

Blackpool Beach King Kon Comeback

Blackpool 2 - 2 Leicester City

Two Leicester goals in less than 2 minutes from Paul Konchesky and Andy King almost stole all 3 points for the Foxes at Bloomfield Road this afternoon. In the end, the match finished 2-2, enough to keep City above Blackpool in the Championship table, with a return of 17 points from 8 games. Leicester now sit third behind QPR and Burnley, having lost just one league match so far this term. It was a good result for City, who didn't play at their best and were 1-0 behind until the 72nd minute. The hosts took the lead in the 19th minute, when Chris Basham rose well at the back post to head home Fuller's cross. In truth, it could have been worse than 1-0 at half-time for Leicester.

City found their way back into the match when Jack Robinson fouled Danny Drinkwater in the box in the 72nd minute. As Nugent had been substituted, it was left to Paul Konchesky to calmly side-foot the penalty into the bottom corner, sending the Blackpool keeper the wrong way. Less than two minutes later, Andy King fired a sublime left-footed shot into the top corner from outside the box. The Tangerines were clearly shocked by the sudden shift in fortunes and it looked as though Leicester would hold on to claim all 3 points. However, Schmeichel clumsily bundled over MacKenzie in the penalty area in the first minute of injury time and Ince scored the equalising goal from the spot. Although this was a frustrating end to the game, Leicester will certainly be taking the positives from the game.

The Foxes found a way back into the game from a losing position, away from home against a very good side. Pearson's double substitution and change of formation turned the game around. Taylor-Fletcher and Schlupp replaced Nugent and Dyer respectively and City switched to 4-3-3. The two Leicester goals followed just 5 minutes later. City managed 15 shots at goal to Blackpool's 10 and dominated possession, with 57% of the ball over the course of the game. It was certainly a point gained, particularly when you consider that Leicester's next two league games are against teams currently sitting in the relegation zone. Before that of course, the mouth-watering prospect of a cup game against East Midlands rivals Derby County at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night.

Formidable Foxes are Top of the Tower

Leicester City 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers

Leicester produced their third successive home league victory to move top of the Championship table, after a 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. Lloyd Dyer opened the scoring for City in the 16th minute after an excellent pass from Andy King. On the stroke of half-time, Leicester were awarded yet another penalty and David Nugent stepped up to give Leicester a comfortable 2-0 lead at half-time. In the second half, City created a plethora of good chances and should have extended their lead. Vardy, King and Nugent all went close. Inevitably perhaps, after spurning a whole host of chances, Blackburn pulled a goal back - Drinkwater conceded a penalty kick and Jordan Rhodes converted for the visitors. City held on though to secure all 3 points and top spot in the league. 

Overall, it was an excellent performance from the Foxes and things are starting to fall into place. Vardy and Moore have been in inspired form so far this season. Experienced players like Morgan, King and Dyer are playing consistently well. Pearson is also making subtle changes to his squad. Experienced Polish international Marcin Wasilewski has signed on a one year contract. The 33 year old has 60 caps for his country and adds a wealth of experience to the squad. Former Wigan trainee Ryan Watson has signed on a one year deal. Finally, it emerged this evening that former Blackpool forward Gary Taylor-Fletcher has been training with the club although no deal has been agreed as yet. An away trip to Blackpool is next up for Leicester. City will be hoping that they can enjoy the view from the top of the tower again on Saturday evening.

That's Moore Like It!

Leicester City 2 - 0 Wigan Athletic

Leicester got back to winning ways this afternoon with a 2-0 home victory over Wigan Athletic. Liam Moore scored his first goal for the club that he joined at the age of 7, heading home Knockaert's corner after 15 minutes. In celebrating the goal, Moore put his foot through the advertising hoarding - it clearly meant a lot to him! The Foxes created some excellent chances after that but poor finishing, particularly from David Nugent, meant that they had to wait until the 81st minute to double their advantage. Beausejour fouled Vardy in the box and Nugent dispatched the penalty kick. It was a good, solid performance from Leicester, although Wigan were poor.

The visitors did have one good spell in the second half after making all 3 substitutions. However, Pearson combatted their tactics by switching to 4-5-1 and playing Wood as the lone striker with Vardy and Nugent wide. It was a crucial stage of the game and Pearson's substitutions may have been a telling influence on the final result. The manager was forced to watch from the stands, having being handed a one match touch-line ban after the Charlton game. Pearson will be relieved to get back to winning ways and a return of 13 points from the first 6 games puts the Foxes in 4th place. They will be hoping to continue their good form against Blackburn on Tuesday night at the King Power Stadium.