BY SEBASTIAN SCHELLERER
Leicester City manages to stay atop the Premier League table due to a 88th minute winner, scored by substitute Leonardo Ulloa.
Leicester continue to lead the table with 5 points on Matchday 27, ahead of both Tottenham and Arsenal who play tomorrow.
It may have been the cold temperatures or the two weeks off that hindered Leicester’s usual fluent, aggressive style of play, but the foxes started the game slow and failed to gain much traction against the defensively minded canaries.
Leicester start with an almost unchanged 11, as Daniel Amartey starts for the suspended Danny Simpson. This was the first start and appearance for the 21 year old.
The first chance of he game came from a deep sitting Norwich team who caught Leicester on the break as Cameron Jerome managed to get one on one with Schmeichel, but the Danish keeper was as usual quick of his line, and handled it comfortably.
Leicester’s first dangerous attack came from the usual suspects, as Okazaki got ahold of the ball in the Norwich 15 yard and and got the ball through to Vardy, who managed to cross it back to Okazaki who failed to score with a back heel at the near post.
25 minutes in neither team managed to get the upper hand, as Norwich maintained their pressure on Leicester but were unable to play out any real chances on the counter.
Leicester began upping their pressure as Mahrez glides past Timm Klose with silky footwork and knocked the ball towards goal. A few moments later Christian Fuchs found himself in space on the edge of the box and blasted a shot over the crossbar.
Not long after, Albrighton just about missed Norwich’s post from a well won freekick by Okazaki who managed to take a long ball with his chest and knocked it past the Norwich defender.
In a rare Norwich attack, Nathan Redmond managed to get a shot off against Schmeichel as he found himself in the penalty area.However there was no trouble for Schmeichel who parried it out for a corner.
Leicester got a freekick 40 yards out just before halftime following a great Mahrez run from his own half. Fuchs blasted it into the Norwich wall and it went out for a throw.
A goalless first half came to an end as Leicester just about gained the upper hand by controlling possession and playing out a few more dangerous attacks. However Norwich’s best chances came from a Norwich corner as Cameron Jerome’s well won header just glides past the far post.
HT 0-0
Leicester started the second half well with Marhez winning a freekick outside the opposition box. Albrighton knocked it in towards goal, but failed to reach any players dressed in blue.
For the second time this half Mahrez wins Leicester a freekick in a dangerous position. Drinkwater cheekily laid the ball off for Vardy who powered it low and hard towards goal. However Ruddy had no trouble making the save.
As Leicester often find themselives in the Norwich half, great bit of tikki-takka football from Mahrez, Okazaki and Kante who passed themselves into Norwich’s penalty area.
Leicester made two changes in the 70th as Jeffrey Schlupp came on for Shinji Okazaki and N’Golo Kante made way for Andy King. With these changes Albrighton moved into the right midfield position occupied previously by Riyad Mahrez, who moved into the centre behind Vardy, and Jeffrey Schlupp took his place in the vacant left midfield position in front of Fuchs.
77 minutes in Leonardo Ulloa came on for the youngster Amartey, as Leicester final change and final hope at a 1-0 clincher. The first time starter Daniel Amarety played a solid game not giving Scottish national Stephen Naismith much space to cause Leicester any problems on the left.
With 10 minutes to go Schmeichel had to make a diving save to keep out Nathan Redmond’s cross following a foul by Christian Fuchs near the corner flag.
On the 88 minute mark Leo Ulloa scored a low Marc Alrbrighton cross. The ball missed two Norwich defenders as well as Jamie Vardy, but Ulloa appears at the far post and pops it in to make it 1-0 Leicester City FC.
Norwich gave the Leicester supporters a scare in the 92nd as Patrick Bamford managed to get a shot off on the edge of the box following a Norwich corner.
Once again Leicester managed a late winner which keeps them atop the Premier League table, 5 points clear over both Tottenham and Arsenal.
FT 1-0
LEICESTER: Schmeichel; Huth; Morgan; Fuchs; Amartey(Ulloa, 78); Albrighton; Kante(King, 70); Drinkwater; Mahrez; Okazaki(Schlupp, 70); Vardy. SUBS: Schwarzer; Gray; Dyer; Wasilewski.
NORWICH: Ruddy; Klose(Mbokani 90); Bennett; Martin; Pinto; Howson; Brady; Tettey; Redmond; Jerome(Bamford 90); Naismith(Jarvis 82). SUBS: Rudd; Olson Mulumbu; O’Neil.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Asst Referee: Scott Ledgar, Harry Lennard
Fourth Official Stuart Atwell
Attendance: Total: 32,114 (Away: 3,332)
