Some of the biggest cheers from Leicester supporters all night came when a flag-waving pitch-invader managed to evade several stewards before being brought down. Unfortunately for Leicester, that appears to be their direction of travel.
Second-half goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marc Guéhi enabled Crystal Palace to equal the club’s best unbeaten away record in the top flight of six successive matches, moving them eight points clear of a relegation zone in which Leicester now appear entrenched.
They may have avoided a PSR sanction on the eve of this game but, having played their manager-change card last month, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team have now lost six Premier League games in a row. “It’s a big blow,” the manager said. “It was I think the lowest that we have felt so far in my spell here because today we had high hopes of proving ourselves with the points and a performance.
“It’s our responsibility to give hope back to the fans. I felt their support tonight and it’s up to us to turn this negative cycle round.”
How he is going to shore this defence up remains to be seen. Leicester have conceded 25 goals in the 10 games since Steve Cooper was dismissed. Lose to Fulham on Saturday, and that would equal the club’s seven-game losing sequence in 2001, when they also conceded two goals in each game.
Quite where they turn now, beyond the transfer market, is a moot point. The fans turned on the director of football late on, chanting for Jon Rudkin to leave, but Woyo Coulibaly, the £3m full-back who signed from Parma on Wednesday, cannot provide all the answers on his own.
Jamie Vardy had four presentable chances in the first half, firing wide from the right channel from one before going closer when sent clear down the inside-left by Stephy Mavididi only to shoot straight at Dean Henderson.
Oliver Glasner’s side have conceded the fewest away goals in the Premier League but the manager admitted his side were lacking their usual intensity in the first period and lucky not to be behind.
“We’re very pleased with the result, the three points, with the clean sheet, but we are not really satisfied with our performance, especially in the first half.” He did concede that three players started despite still suffering from illness.
after newsletter promotion
Ebererchi Eze had a great chance to juggle and score in the first half, but his shot struck Mateta, who himself soon after somehow shot over, with only Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk in his way, from eight yards out when Daniel Muñoz’s block on Victor Kristiansen out wide turned into the perfect assist.
Leicester have only kept one clean sheet all season though and, when Vardy is not scoring, their confidence is clearly brittle, despite some good play in the middle third.
Sure enough, Palace took the lead just seven minutes after the interval. Ismaïla Sarr did well to win the ball back from Mavididi and play an excellent straight pass for Mateta’s diagonal run off the back of Jannik Vestergaard. Mateta rounded Stolarczyk, and tucked in his ninth club goal of the season.
Van Nistelrooy took decisive action, sending on three substitutes with 21 minutes remaining, and Boubakary Soumaré clipped a shot against the crossbar.
However the cries of “We want Rudkin out” grew louder after Guéhi ghosted in through the creeping fog to volley home Eze’s free-kick.
Source: theguardian.com
