15 January 2025
Leicester 0 Crystal Palace 2
It has not be plain sailing for Ruud van Nistelrooy since he took the helm at the King Power. The Foxes are now winless in six games as they welcomed Crystal Palace. The Eagles had their dangerous forward trio of Eze, Mateta and Sarr starting and would come into this game fancying their chances of breaching this leaky Leicester defence.
The Foxes almost made their dream start Kristiansen went route one with a ball over the top for Vardy to run onto. He used the pace of the ball before getting a first-time shot away, with Henderson at full-stretch. Fortunately for The Eagles his shot dropped just wide of the far post. Even in his golden years, Vardy has a turn of pace to cause issues for any side in the top-flight still.
Glasner’s side were looking to press the hosts high up the pitch. As Kristiansen’s clearance was charged down, the ball broke to Mateta with a clear sight of goal. The Frenchman lashed his effort over the crossbar, his face immediately showing that he knew he should have done a lot better. It was a warning to The Foxes that Palace had quality in the final third more than capable of creativity.
Crystal Palace started to turn the screw as they pressed forward. Eze checked inside before looking to get a shot off but it was well blocked and it broke into the path of Hughes. He looked to let fly from distance but his effort was always rising over the crossbar. It had Stolarczyk worried as he scrambled across his goal.
There were few chances created by either side in the first-half and the teams headed in at the interval all square. It was anyone’s call at this stage which way the game would go. While Palace seem to have more quality in the final third although with Vardy in the team, The Foxes were always capable of hitting them on the break.
After the interval Sarr won the ball back in the heart of midfield. He turned towards goal and strode forward before spotting the run from Mateta. He laid it into his path and the French striker did not squander this chance. He showed good feet to skip around the keeper before slotting the ball into the empty net, sending the away fans into raptures.
Sarr has been a bit of a journeyman since leaving Watford but is starting to show some of the form when he last plied his trade in the Premier League with The Hornets. He is linking up well with Eze and Mateta and they are forming a formidable attacking trio. This is why they will not be drawn into any relegation dogfight as long as they keep these three fit, they have too many goals in them.
The Senegal attacker was pulling the strings again as he played a sublime pass in between the defence into the path of Mitchell. With only the keeper to beat, Stolarczyk was quick off his line and made a good block to deny The Eagles’ full-back. You felt at this point the visitors needed another goal to put this game to bed.
Van Nistelrooy made some changes hoping to spark his side into life. McAteer did well down the right after Vardy won the ball back near the halfway line. He slotted it into the path of Daka but his shot was sliced wide of the target. It probably dropped to the wrong person and The Foxes needed to be finding Vardy in these pockets of space.
McAteer brought some fresh legs to the Leicester team and was asking questions of the visitors. He drove into the box before laying it off to Soumare whose first-time shot came crashing back off the crossbar. It was not looking like it was going to happen for The Foxes. While Palace had a slender lead, they knew they were still in this game.
The Eagles then won a free-kick in a dangerous position. With everyone expecting a shot from Eze, he lifted a well-weighted ball over the defence for Guehi to run onto and volley home. Oliver Glasner’s side had seemingly sealed victory doubling their lead, the match seemed beyond Leicester with their problems in front of goal.
Deep into added time The Foxes forced a corner. As it was swung in, Mavididi rose to glance a header at goal. His effort narrowly missed the far post and summed up the evening for the hosts. As the fog descended on the King Power Stadium it was almost like mother nature was closing the curtains to this game, deciding the home fans had endured enough.
Victory moved Crystal Palace eight points clear of the bottom three. The Foxes will be hoping to add to their squad, with rivals Ipswich Town having already made moves in the transfer window. It is going to be a struggle for van Nistelrooy to keep this side up, but if they are to do so, they need to start putting away the chances they create.
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