Wasteful Leicester were harshly punished by clinical Crystal Palace whose 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium inflicted a sixth straight league defeat on the hosts.
The Foxes racked up their highest shot tally of the season and hit the bar through Boubakary Soumare after half-time, but were far from wily as they wasted chance after chance with Jamie Vardy the biggest culprit.
Leicester appeared buoyed from their 6-2 FA Cup win over QPR at the weekend as they burst out of the traps and dominated the opening period, but Vardy shot straight at Dean Henderson when played in behind by Stephy Mavididi.
It took Palace 51 minutes to muster their first shot on target but it was a ruthlessly clinical move which saw them snatch the lead against the league’s second-leakiest defence, when Ismaila Sarr slid Jean-Philippe Mateta through to round Jakub Stolarczyk.
Team news headlines
- Leicester recalled Jannik Vestergaard after injury in the one change from their FA Cup win over QPR.
- Will Hughes returned to the Crystal Palace midfield following a foot injury.
Chances continued to come and go for Leicester with Soumare inches away from his first goal for the club, before another sucker punch, this time from Marc Guehi, ended their comeback hopes.
The England centre-back has been the subject of a prolonged transfer pursuit by Chelsea but after the Blues recalled Trevoh Chalobah from Palace earlier on Wednesday, he appears likely to remain at Selhurst Park in this window.
Enzo Maresca’s side may have missed out on a seasoned striker with the quality of his finish to seal three points, a powerful rising volley at Stolarczyk’s near post after Eberechi Eze had dinked a free-kick over the home defence.
Those goals moved Palace, now on a six-match unbeaten league streak, above Manchester United into 14th, while Leicester, who were ahead of the Eagles at the start of their winless run, remain two points from safety in 19th.
Player ratings
Leicester: Stolarczyk (6), Justin (7), Faes (6), Vestergaard (5), Kristiansen (5), Soumare (7), Winks (6), Buonanotte (6), El Khannouss (5), Mavididi (7) , Vardy (5).
Subs used: Daka (6), Skipp (6), McAteer (6), Ayew (n/a).
Crystal Palace: Henderson (7), Munoz (7), Richards (6), Guehi (7), Lacroix (7), Mitchell (7), Lerma (6), Hughes (7), Sarr (7), Mateta (7), Eze (7).
Subs used: Doucoure (6), Kamada (6), Devenney, Nketiah, Clyne (n/a).
Player of the match: Maxence Lacroix.
Analysis: Downturn in goals adds to Leicester’s woes
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker:
“Leicester have a goals problem. Prior to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s appointment they had scored in every Premier League game except one, but this was their fourth blank of their six-match losing run, during which they have netted only twice.
“That would be a big enough problem if they didn’t have the second-worst defence in the division. They’ve seen this defeat against Crystal Palace before; Leicester’s performances under the new boss have been better than the results, and this was no different.
“But that won’t pick them up enough points to avoid the trapdoor to the Championship.
“Realistically, they will have to score their way out of trouble – this defence isn’t going to improve any time soon. So Jamie Vardy’s barren run without a goal, stretching back to the start of their losing streak, is a serious problem.
“Relying on a 38-year-old striker always presented a risk, and Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka do not have the firepower to replace him.
“Further quality incomings at one end of the pitch or the other – or ideally both – look a must if the Foxes are to stay up. But after their PSR concerns in recent years, that may be too much to ask.”
Van Nistelrooy: Second half cost us the game
Leicester head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy:
“In the second half the level dropped too much, if you compare the two.
“We weren’t consistent enough over 90 minutes to get a result. On the basis of the second half, we didn’t deserve a lot, and that’s what cost us the game.
“Palace stepped up their game in the second half, they were not as sharp and aggressive in the first. They came out strongly and we were pushed back a bit without being in a lot of danger. The first goal went in straight away, the first chance they had. That changed the momentum.”
Glasner satisfied with result but not performance
Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner:
“We’re very pleased with the result, the clean sheet, but not very satisfied with our performance, especially in the first half.
“Usually we’re talking about tactics, but everything was how we prepared the game. We didn’t do what we wanted to do what we wanted to do, we didn’t attack with the right intensity. Out of possession, it was the same.
“In the second half, we played with more intensity, made more chances and scored more goals, but it was still not one of our best performances.”
Story of the match in stats
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