I will leave you with Peter Lansley’s hot-off-the-press match report – thank you for your company and communications tonight, and see you soon!
Schmeichel speaks!
Training with Keli you see it every day. I think it was a case of him finding his feet here at Leicester. With a massive figure like Jamie Vardy in front of you it can be difficult. He works so hard in training, he just needed a goal to go in for him and you can see his confidence and belief. I’m just so happy for him to see that hard work paying off. Keli is incredibly intelligent when it comes to his finishing, he knows how to shoot quickly and shoot through the defender’s legs. He’s a nightmare in training, he’s got absolutely everything to be a top striker and he’s showing it now.
Iheanacho speaks!
It is so, so big. A massive three points form us. In the second half we changed it around, we got control of the game and got them running and the space kept coming. Then we got the goal. It was a massive, massive three points for us. I think we didn’t started that well, it was a sloppy goal, but in the second half we controlled it and it gives us a boost.
[For the goal] I was in the box, controlled the ball and it was on my left foot, I wasn’t thinking about anything else, I just thought “shoot”. When you have confidence in the game it makes you perform really well, it gets your mind high and it keeps coming. It was a great game for us today. We’ve got five games left so there is a lot of work to do. We can’t talk about the Champions League until our last game.
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Liam Curson writes: “Palace fan here, and I’m sure some will see this as a betrayal ... but this must be the only time was ever been saddened to see us take a lead. Let’s face it, we’re going to finish 14th like we seem to every single year and by now it’s hard to get that excited about the end of our season. But I’ve been really rooting for all the plucky underdogs who challenged the ‘big six’ this year, and will be delighted if Leicester take a Champions League spot away from one of them far more than if we end up one spot higher in mid-table.”
If only ‘big six’ owners shared your community spirit!
Full-time: Leicester 2-1 Crystal Palace
Leicester turn it around to win through that marvellous assist and stupendous goal from Iheanacho, who was brilliant. Otherwise they didn’t convince, but they won’t mind for now – they are four points clear of fourth place and seven clear of fifth.
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90+4 min: Leicester are seeing this out quite comfortably.
90+3 min: “I’m starting to wonder if Vardy and Iheanacho are involved in some sort of body swap situation – or has Vardy got some sort of essence/mojo that Kelechi has stolen and drunk?” ponders Dan C.
90+1 min: It should be three but Vardy passes to Iheanacho, who pays off to Perez in front of goal, but he lets Guaita save. I think there may have been an offside in there actually. Palace have four added minutes to save this.
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89 min: Soyuncu has a nasty cut on his left thigh – that’s going to smart.
87 min: Benteke could possibly do better than head a free-kick well wide at the back stick. Not sure Palace will get many more chances here.
86 min: Iheanacho sets up Vardy for a potential clincher, but Palace are back to snuff it out.
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85 min: And now the ex-Fox Schlupp is on for Riedewald.
83 min: A Palace change – McCarthy is on for Milivojevic. This is looking like a big win for Leicester though.
82 min: That was Iheanacho’s 12th goal in nine games, and his 14th in 14. What a player he has become. You could say Leicester had started to stretch Palace for the first time really – but that goal was a bolt from the blue.
Goal! Leicester 2-1 Crystal Palace (Iheanacho, 80)
There’s no stopping this guy! What a finish this is – he brilliantly takes down a long pass from the back, shuffles the ball inside Dann and onto his left foot, and fair blasts it past a helpless Guaita! That. Was. Sensational.
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79 min: Oooh, Vardy gets his chance to (probably) win it. He lays off to Iheanacho, who again is on point with his own pass, and take the return at an angle on the left. Dann slides in, Vardy stays on his feet, and with the angle narrowing he fizzes it *just* across goal. Close. Palace now bring on Townsend for Ayew, but Leicester come again and Tielemans blasts wide from a presentable position 19 yards out.
76 min: The corner, superbly delivered by Tielemans this time, is bundled awkwardly behind at the far post for another. This one doesn’t beat the first man.
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75 min: Riedewald, who has been booked, concedes a free-kick and is a little bit on the edge currently. Tielemans sizes it up from 30 yards and it results in a Benteke header out for a corner ...
73 min: Leicester possession now, and a fair bit of it – but little bite. Soyuncu shows some by leaving Ayew on the floor; nobody’s too interested in the forward’s plight and up he eventually gets.
70 min: Vardy thinks he’s scored for a moment, converting a blocked Iheanacho shot, but he’s a yard offside. Rodgers has seen enough: Perez and Albrighton replace Maddison and Thomas.
69 min: A lovely, gliding run down the left from Eze brings a Palace corner. He delivers it really well, and Benteke gets up on the six-yard line – but nods straight at Schmeichel! That was a chance.
67 min: Evans whacks an ugly one straight out of play. It’s a reminder that, while they came out well after the break and equalised, Leicester are well short of their best here.
64 min: Magnificent play from Vardy, another who has been quiet since early on. He wriggles on from the left but fizzes a shot low to Guaita, who saves even though Van Aanholt waggles an unhelpful leg in front of him.
63 min: Palace have posed a little bit more threat since the leveller, that Riedewald chance the shining example. When they do attack they look capable.
61 min: Right-sided corner for Leicester, but it glances off some part or other of Fofana’s anatomy and loops up for Guaita.
60 min: Maddison, quiet so far, finds a rare pocket in the middle and tries to float one around Guaita. But the keeper has guessed his intentions and has none of it.
57 min: Evidence there that Leicester still need to be watchful. Ideally they need to score again, though, as any kind of dropped points here will offer the others a sniff.
55 min: Oh, how do Palace not score? They break and it’s Riedewald, unusually, breaking the lines. He is face to face with Schmeichel and should try to score, but lays right for Benteke to tap in .. only for Evans to dash back and belt the ball behind! I think if that had been anyone bar Riedewald, they go for goal and that’s in.
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53 min: Thomas goes down in the box but Dann just outmuscled him. Palace are now very much on the defensive and Leicester look calmer. That was such good, strong and composed work from Iheanacho for the goal by the way. Brilliant striker’s play.
Goal! Leicester 1-1 Crystal Palace (Castagne, 50)
That’s the early goal they needed! Iheanacho is too strong for Kouyate in reaching a Tielemans pass into the box and shows superb awareness to weight a pass to the onrushing Castagne, who sweeps superbly into the top corner. VAR is checking Iheanacho’s reaction in receiving the ball, but it stands!
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@NickAmes82 Having looked at Chelsea's last 5 games, including City, Arsenal and Leicester. I am appreciating this score from Stamford Bridge as well (well Norway but you know what I mean)!!!
— Brendan Large (@brendanlarge) April 26, 2021
Fair point! Chelsea did well at the weekend but they’ve a lot to do still.
48 min: Fofana and Zaha have an early grapple, leaving the latter looking aggrieved. But we press on.
Peeeep! We go again
Leicester kick off a big 45.
Alpesh Patel writes: “Classic Palace to turn over an in-form Leicester. City next week (hold on tonight and win there leaves us just six points from our highest ever PL points tally).”
I like that stat! And that optimism!
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Ok, a minute or two now until the second half. Is the Champions League race about to be blown back open?
“So Nick, can it be Brendan’s secret goal to finally make sure Liverpool play in the Champions League?” asks Bill Jones. Conspiracy!!
Peter Oh sees Justin Kavanagh’s effort and raises him thus: “On their day, Palace’s creative players are capable of demonstrating an inspiring lesson in attacking football. From A(yew) to Z(aha), they can make it look Eze.”
Half-time: Leicester 0-1 Crystal Palace
Palace scored clinically through Zaha; Leicester huffed and puffed to little end after that. This scoreline will be going down well at Anfield and London Stadium.
45+2 min: VAR is checking a potential Ward clip on Ndidi near the edge of the area ... but nothing doing.
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45 min: Another well-placed Leicester set-piece goes to waste, Maddison failing to find the delivery from a free-kick. They need to capitalise on these.
43 min: Thomas clips a crossfield ball out of play now. Not a good couple of minutes for him and not a good almost-45 for Leicester.
42 min: Thomas shanks a cross after a good run out from the back by Fofana. I was just about to write that Leicester were hinting at a *little bit* of rhythm.
40 min: Vardy gets in behind down the right but his centre is defended. Then the same thing happens again, Milivojevic dropping in to clear. This is “classic away performance” territory and I don’t mean that pejoratively.
38 min: Van Aanholt blocks after a sidefooter from range by Ndidi. Thomas, Maddison and Iheanacho all did well in the buildup, which was maybe Leicester’s most fluid attacking move of the game. It’s not saying a massive amount.
36 min: “The Belgian midfielder looks sluggish tonight: Could it be an early Tea for the Tielemans. Sorry, I already have my Afghan coat on.” Justin Kavanagh disgraces himself.
34 min: The Foxes have their latest left-sided corner. It flicks off a defensive head and Evans nods it down intelligently at the back stick, but Soyuncu leans back and leathers the ball horribly over. He was under some pressure but a striker might have made something of it.
32 min: You sense Leicester need a goal before half time. They’re not going to throw away a Champions League place at the last once again, are they?
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30 min: Now Milivojevic takes out Iheanacho, getting a load of ball but thundering through the man. Palace won’t get away with this for all 90.
29 min: A second Leicester corner. They’ve been pushing if not exactly bashing on the door. Tielemans inswings but Guaita, with a big “keepaaaaaarrrgh”, claims.
26 min: A late one is left on Maddison, but play waved on. Palace aren’t messing about with a few of these challenges now they’re ahead. In fairness they haven’t really been stretched since that early Vardy chance.
24 min: A bit of a lull, but it’s been lively stuff so far.
22 min: If I were Palace then, given who I’ve got on the pitch, I’d go for another goal rather than sit in for the next 70 minutes. They concede a corner and Evans heads it down, but he’s adjudged to have tugged Dann.
19 min: Tielemans has a go, running around the ball and flipping it over the wall, but it’s an easy claim for Guaita.
18 min: Booking for Riedewald after a scythe on Tielemans. Not a good challenge at all, he really flew in. Another free-kick in a good area ...
16 min: Leicester have a dangerous free-kick out to the left, a few yards beyond the edge of the area. Tielemans is over it but it’s poor, blocked at the near post by Milivojevic.
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14 min: That was a surprise but also not because, as I said, Palace do have some attacking talent out there. Here, three of them combined in a lethal counter after Tielemans dallied.
Goal! Leicester 0-1 Crystal Palace (Zaha, 12)
Fofana couldn’t stop Zaha there! Tielemans is dispossessed by Benteke on halfway and Eze sashays on, slipping a perfect pass beyond Fofana’s lunge for Zaha to run through and convert coolly. Game on!
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11 min: Iheanacho tries some acrobatics in the box but can’t connect. Vardy can, though, belting a snap shot a metre off target from the loose ball. Not an easy chance but he’s buried those before. VAR might have spoiled it all anyway if Iheanacho’s foot was too high.
10 min: Fofana is excellent again, outmuscling Zaha after the winger tried to take him on and shepherding the ball out for a goal kick.
8 min: Eze tries a give-and-go with Ayew but can’t control the return. Much of the play is in Leicester’s half, which might feel odd to Palace.
6 min: Fofana, who I *love* – what a player – flings himself in front of Benteke to thud a diagonal pass away.
4 min: Ooh, Leicester create first though. Iheanacho slips Vardy in and he tries to nip around Guaita, who does very well indeed to stretch out a hand and claw the ball behind off Vardy.
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3 min: They start with a certain amount of intent. Ayew, Zaha and Eze around Benteke shouldn’t really scream “catenaccio” in fairness.
2 min: I haven’t seen Palace since I went to Brighton and covered their incredible Benteke-led mugging. Rarely seen a smash and grab like it. What odds on same again?
Peeeeep! Palace kick off
They’re shooting right to left. Here’s to a fun one!
The players are striding out at the King Power. Must say, I *loved* being at Wembley yesterday with 8,000 noisy fans in there – feels a bit of a comedown going back to behind closed doors ...
The two ex-Liverpool managers are having a lovely old chinwag by the touchline. Leicester are unchanged; Palace bring in Dann for Cahill, their only change from the defeat to Chelsea several lifetimes 16 days ago.
Michael Cosgrove writes:
“Before it’s replaced I’d just like to say that’s a lovely lead photo of Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson. Two wonderful footballing gents if ever I saw them and the photo makes a welcome and a positive change from all the recent shenanigans and skullduggery. That apart, Leicester 2-0 Palace is my prognostic, so it’s highly likely to be wrong.”
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Today’s “in case you missed it” – could a tech billionaire and three club legends be about to take over at Arsenal? They are certainly serious about trying to.
Teams
Leicester: Schmeichel; Fofana, Evans, Söyüncü; Castagne, Ndidi, Tielemans, Maddison, Thomas; Vardy, Ịheanachọ. Subs: Ward, Ricardo, Amartey, Mendy, Choudhury, Praet, Albrighton, Ünder, Pérez.
Crystal Palace: Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Dann, van Aanholt; Ayew, Milivojevic, Riedewald, Eze; Zaha; Benteke. Subs: Butland, Clyne, Kelly, Mitchell, Schlupp, McCarthy, Townsend, Mateta, Batshuayi.
Back in a bit ...
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Hello
Here is some more football. Tonight it’s all about Leicester, who can really hammer home their credentials to hang onto third place if they win. It’d take them four points clear of Chelsea with five – including a visit to Stamford Bridge – yet so there’s a real imperative not to slip up. Last week’s demolition of West Brom was impressive, and got them on track again after a wobble, so Brendan Rodgers and company will be hoping for more of the same against Palace.
As for Palace ... errrm ... they are 13th but have a couple of games in hand on most teams above them so winning this one would give them a little glance towards a top-half finish. I can’t offer you a lot more than that. I suppose another three points would take them above the magical 40 point mark, although it rarely takes that much to make you safe these days and almost certainly won’t this time.
They’ll be awkward opponents though, as always. And very fresh because, bizarrely in the current schedule, they’ve only played four times since 3 March. Let’s see what they and their hosts can cook up – join me, and keep your emails and tweets flooding in!
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