Leicester City came back from a goal down to help Leicester produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. The hosts, who were playing their first game at home under new manager Dean Smith, were able to secure an essential three points in their fight for survival thanks to Timothy Castagne’s cool-headed goal in the 75th minute. After the game, though, Smith was eager to point out that despite climbing out of the relegation zone, Leicester had accomplished nothing and needed to keep working hard. After Youri Tielemans made a mistake earlier, Wolves took the lead through Matheus Cunha in the 13th minute, but Leicester tied the score eight minutes before halftime when Kelechi Iheanacho converted a penalty. As a result, Leicester moves up to 17th place, one goal ahead of Everton in 18th. With six games left, the Wolves are in 13th place, six points above the bottom three.
James Maddison’s absence due to illness forced Leicester manager Smith to make a risky move by starting Patson Daka, Tete, and Iheanacho alongside Jamie Vardy up front. Vardy turned back the years in less than three minutes, proving Smith’s unwavering belief that the striker could restore some previous greatness, however temporary, to save Leicester. Vardy sped past Craig Dawson to cross for Tete after Iheanacho let him through because the new manager believed the 36-year-old could still trust his legs, but Toti Gomes stopped him.
Nevertheless, despite a strong start, the hosts shot themselves in the foot as Tielemans handed Wolves the lead in the 13th minute. When he received Wout Faes’ pass from 30 yards out, there was minimal danger, but Mario Lemina immediately pursued the midfielder with the help of a hard touch. The ball ran to Cunha, who advanced and from the edge of the box drilled a precise finish low past Daniel Iversen. It shook Leicester; their initial zip vanished, and the Foxes began to creak in the back, their defensive frailty becoming all too apparent. Pablo Sarabia’s shot was stopped by Faes, and Dawson’s follow-up shot was deflected wide as Matheus Nunes took control of the midfield.
So it came as a surprise when the home team scored the equalizer eight minutes before halftime. Vardy skipped around Jose Sa when Iheanacho broke through, but the custodian slipped and fell on him. Vardy played the perfect game, but the forward required extensive medical attention after Sa caught him on the ankle. He was off the pitch as Iheanacho converted the penalty. The Foxes were eager to seize the opportunity, but Sa spilled Tete’s shot and stopped Daka’s follow-up before halftime.
When Vardy was replaced at halftime, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall wasted a golden opportunity 11 minutes into the second half after Sa had denied Daka. Wolves had lost their impetus and needed Sa to stop Caglar Soyuncu once more as Leicester searched for a crucial victory. After an incisive play that sent Wolves scurrying for cover, it eventually materialized with 14 minutes remaining. Victor Kristiansen was moving forward when Boubakary Soumare switched passes with Daka and threaded a beautiful ball to him. His initial cross was intercepted by Castagne, who was closing in, and swept in from 12 yards for his first goal since August. Ruben Neves’ final free kick still needed to be turned over by Iversen, but the Foxes clung on to maintain their chance.
“It doesn’t matter; we must continue to leave and keep as much distance between us as we can. We will savor this victory and the feeling it brings as we prepare for Tuesday’s game against Leeds,” Leicester boss Dean Smith said. “It’s a significant victory that we’ve needed. To come back from a goal down and a mistake that resulted in a goal displays a tremendous amount of character. All the athletes will feel better mentally as a result. Because of the run, we’ve been on, I believe there is a sense of relief. The most crucial thing for them right now is recuperation, so I just spoke to them in the locker room and told them to “enjoy it but don’t get too high because we’ve got another big game on Tuesday.”
“The players being aware that they have a buffer is the very worst message we can give them. Given my knowledge of football and the Premier League, that sends a very hazardous message,” Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui said. “You haven’t done anything until you’ve completed one goal. Even if it can be challenging to describe, it has to do with football. The players are aware of this message because it is quite clear to them. We are obviously frustrated that we received nothing good from this. We must quickly recover. In two days, we have a very difficult battle [against Crystal Palace]. Though we made progress, it wasn’t enough.”
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