And that’s your lot. Paul Doyle was our man at the King Power. Here’s his verdict. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Claude Puel talks. “We made a good performance in the first half, with good chances, good play. And then we conceded this goal, I think it was not a fair result at half time. It was difficult to find a solution because they played a deep block. But we tried a lot of good moves, without success. We came back in the game with the goal from Jonny, but after we conceded the second goal on the counter attack we did not manage the game. It was difficult to keep a structure. I think it was not a foul before their first goal. We were unlucky in this moment. Of course it is a worrying time. We have played a few games with quality, without getting the result, and now we are in difficulty. It will be tough, but we have to build confidence. It’s a young team. We need a positive attitude. It’s a difficult period in the season, but we must keep going.”
Roy Hodgson speaks to BT Sport! “It was a very good win, a very dogged performance. We started slowly, were fortunate enough to get the goal, dug in during the second half, and took the chances that came our way. Age is a number, it’s really how you feel and how capable you are.”
Wilfried Zaha speaks! “It’s a massive result, we’re trying to keep the run going, and do what we have to do. I made sure I got a good connection on the ball for my first goal, and score for the team. I was fouled for the first goal, but it’s up to the referee to decide, if they’re angry about it, it doesn’t bother us. I’m sure the manager is buzzing, because he set up the team just how he wanted it.” He momentarily fails to hide his disappointment when he’s told he’ll not be getting the man-of-the-match award for his two-goal performance, as BT Sport’s John Hartson awarded it to James Tomkins instead. But he’s not down for long. “I’m shocked!” he quips, before walking off smiling.
That’s a great three points for Palace. They’re now in 13th spot on 30 points, above Burnley on goal difference and two points clear of Newcastle, who also won today. They’re still far from safe - just six points clear of 18th-placed Southampton - but on tonight’s display they’ll surely be fine. Leicester, though ... they’ve just lost four games in a row at home for the first time since 2000, and are only two points better off than Palace, in 12th spot with 32 points. So if Palace can’t yet count their chickens, neither can Leicester ... and they’re seriously short of confidence right now. The unpopular Claude Puel’s jacket is currently hanging on a very shoogly peg.
FULL TIME: Leicester City 1-4 Crystal Palace
And that’s it! Leicester had most of the possession, but did very little with it. Palace weren’t particularly good in the first half, but they were excellent in the second, and thoroughly deserved their victory. What a way for Roy Hodgson to celebrate becoming the Premier League’s oldest manager. He’s certainly the Premier League’s wisest manager tonight, his team having thrashed Leicester using his rope-a-dope tactics.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-4 Crystal Palace (Zaha 90+3)
Maguire, dozing as he strides upfield, is stripped of the ball by Ayew, who races up the other end. Ayew slips a pass right for Zaha, who slaps a shot towards the bottom right. Schmeichel should keep it out, but the power’s too much for him. The King Power descends into rancour.
90 min +2: Gray wins a corner down the left and takes it himself. He instigates a bit of head tennis, but nothing more.
90 min +1: Maguire crosses from the right. Guaita comes out to claim. Vardy, racing in, kicks the keeper on the left. It’s not a great challenge, and he should be booked. But the ref shows no interest in that.
90 min: There will be four added minutes.
88 min: Okazaki decides to go direct, welting a long pass down the right for Vardy to chase. It’s not the worst idea, but Tomkins is wise to the grift and positions himself well to intercept.
87 min: Batshuayi - who demonstrated great instinct to score his first Palace goal, and has played very well tonight -is replaced by Ayew.
85 min: Okazaki replaces Barnes, one of Leicester’s few stand-out players tonight.
84 min: On this evidence, you have to wonder how Leicester beat Manchester City and drew at Anfield. They’ve had so much of the ball, yet Guaita has had very little to do in the Palace net.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-3 Crystal Palace (Milivojevic 82 pen)
Milivojevic sidefoots powerfully to the right, Schmeichel having been sent the other way. That’s Milivojevic’s seventh successful penalty this season!
Penalty for Crystal Palace!
81 min: Schlupp crosses from the left. Batshuayi fires hard towards the bottom left. Schmeichel saves well, but Schlupp comes again from the wing. Evans hangs out a leg, and Schlupp doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. He goes over Evans’ leg, and that’s a penalty. Schmeichel is booked for arguing the toss.
80 min: Townsend is replaced by the more conservative Kouyate, as Palace look to lock down what they have.
79 min: Gray glides in from the left and shoots for the top right. The ball’s deflected off Milivojevic for another corner on the right. Maddison sticks it in the mixer this time, no messing. Some head tennis. Palace clear their lines yet again.
78 min: Maddison plays a shot corner, then faffs about. The over-elaboration allows Palace to clear. That’s a terrible waste in the circumstances.
77 min: Vardy busies himself down the right and wins a corner. Before it can be taken, Dann comes on for the self-hobbled Sakho.
76 min: Sakho, so skilful yet slightly awkward of gait, injures himself while making a simple pass up the left flank. He might have twisted a knee. He’s down getting treatment.
74 min: Iheanacho comes on for Tielemans, who was intermittently impressive this evening. Iheanacho hasn’t scored for 20 games. Now would be a good time to rediscover the knack.
73 min: Townsend peels off down the right. He makes up 80 yards and nearly finds Zaha at the far post with a floated cross. Evans does very well to head clear of danger.
72 min: Barnes tries to respond instantly, driving down the left and whistling a low cross through the Palace area. Nobody in blue takes a chance on him.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-2 Crystal Palace (Zaha 70)
Sakho leads the charge upfield. McArthur then drops a shoulder to the left of the D to make himself a little space. He dinks a cross towards Zaha, who is coming in from the right, totally unmarked. He meets the dropping ball on the edge of the six-yard box and bashes a sidefoot past a helpless Schmeichel! Batshuayi was in the middle, miles offside, but not interfering with play. Not sure Schmeichel sees it that way, mind you.
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69 min: Barnes has a dig from distance. That one pings off a white shirt and out for another corner, on the right. Maddison takes, and sends it sailing over everyone in the box. A dreadful delivery that allows Palace to counter. And from that break ...
68 min: Leicester have taken it up a notch. Tielemans sprays a pass wide right for Pereira, who is sent scampering into acres of space and should be ashamed of himself for hitting the first man with his cross.
66 min: There’s an extra spring in Leicester’s step now. Maguire strides down the left in the Jan Vertonghen style, then slips a pass down the channel for Vardy, who’s clear in the box! But the angle’s no good for a shot. He tries to cut back for Maddison, free on the penalty spot, but gets it all wrong. So much better from the hosts, though! What tonic a goal brings.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-1 Crystal Palace (Evans 64)
Fuchs flings it long. Maddison wins a header, flicking on towards Barnes on the right. Barnes fires a low cross into the mixer. Evans, who had been up for the throw, swivels and slams a shot into the bottom right! That came out of nothing, because neither side had been offering much. But finally there’s something for the Leicester faithful to sing about!
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63 min: Barnes busies himself down the left, his pressing forcing Ward into a hack into the stands. And from the resulting throw, near the corner flag ...
61 min: Maddison tries a curler from the left-hand edge of the Palace box. It flies wide of the top-right corner. This is a poor match.
60 min: Zaha shows a turn of pace down the left to earn a corner off Pereira. The set piece falls to Ndidi, who breaks upfield and promptly loses possession. Palace give it up again. Leicester give it up again. A farcical passage of play, like a PlayStation game when neither player knows which buttons to press.
59 min: Maddison’s corner from the right is perhaps overly ambitious, a swerving, dipping shot aimed for the top left! Guaita knows exactly what’s going on, and is in position to gently pluck the ball from the sky.
58 min: Pereira drives down the inside right, enters the area, and attempts to find Vardy inside with a chipped cross. It’s deflected out for a corner.
56 min: Tielemans tries to release Barnes with a rolled pass down the inside-left channel. It’s a lovely idea, and Barnes has the legs on Ward, but Guaita reads the danger well, tearing out of his box to batter clear.
54 min: At least that got the crowd going again. They’re also impressed when Barnes embarks on a neat dribble down the left. But he can’t find the final pass that would release Tielemans.
52 min: With Maddison and Fuchs standing over the free kick, Maguire and Sakho get involved in a light shoving match. The ref tells them both to grow up. Maddison then pings the free kick off the wall. It spins to Fuchs on the right. He wedges a cross into the mixer. Maguire tries to head forward, but there’s no real power or direction on his effort. Palace clear.
51 min: Maddison tries to dribble his way down the inside-right channel. He’s nudged in the back by McArthur, who picks up his sixth booking of the season. And this is a free-kick in a very dangerous position, just to the right of the D.
49 min: Leicester have gained 13 points from losing positions in the league this season. That’s a divisional best, with Arsenal and West Ham on 12. Not that the home fans seem particularly hopeful. They’ve fallen silent, with the Palace fans making all the noise.
47 min: Evans steps up from the back and whips a diagonal ball, right to left, that reaches Fuchs, just inside the area. There’s enough pace on the ball for Fuchs to simply flick his eyebrows at it, in the hope of diverting it into the top left. Not enough eyebrow; the ball sails harmlessly wide left. Lovely ball from Evans, though.
Leicester get the second half started. One half-time change: Gray has replaced Ghezzal.
Half-time reading. If Palace hold onto this, it would be a crucial win. Because earlier on today, down near the bottom, this happened ...
... and even earlier there was this!
HALF TIME: Leicester City 0-1 Crystal Palace
There’s just enough time for Leicester to win a corner down the right, and for Maguire to send a poor header over the bar. And that’s the half-time whistle. It’s been all Leicester, though they’ve not seriously worked Guaita. Palace had one attempt, and they’ve scored from it. That’s the unpredictable nature of football, and why we both love and hate it in equal measure! Schmeichel accompanies the ref down the tunnel, ranting and raving.
44 min: Tielemans tries to whip one into the bottom left from 25 yards. It’s not a bad effort but always going wide, and Guaita calmly watches it sail by.
42 min: Schmeichel races after the referee, livid at the award of a free kick for Zaha in the centre circle, the move for the goal having started from there. Or maybe he’s angry at the non-award of a penalty. Either way, the ref’s not interested at all.
GOAL! Leicester City 0-1 Crystal Palace (Batshuayi 41)
It’s been all Leicester, so this had to happen. Milivojevic, to the left of the centre circle, fires a pass forward to McArthur, 25 yards out, level with the right-hand post. McArthur shoots towards the bottom left. Perhaps it’s going wide. The ball passes Batshuayi, who sticks out a leg and diverts it towards the bottom right ... and it’s in, past a wrong-footed Schmeichel! That’s a great instinctive goal.
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40 min: Barnes dribbles into the Palace box from the left. He goes over near Tomkins, and claims a penalty. But there’s nothing doing; the defender got the ball.
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39 min: Tielemans, Pereira and the ever-busy Maddison nearly open up Palace down the right with some very intricate close passing. But then Tielemans clumsily clips the back of van Aanholt, and Palace are let off the hook.
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38 min: Tielemans crosses from a deep position on the left. It’s deflected, and nearly finds Ghezzal clear, breaking down the channel. But Ghezzal opts to settle for the corner instead. The set piece is fizzed in low, and headed away very bravely by Tomkins.
36 min: Palace have been fouling for fun since the get-go, but it’s a Leicester player who goes in the book first. Ndidi clips Schlupp from behind, and that’s a yellow card. On the touchline, Puel debates this with the fourth official in the passionate continental style.
34 min: Maddison’s free kick, aimed for the top left, clips the Palace wall and twangs into the arms of Guaita. Leicester are soon coming again, Tielemans slipping a ball down the inside-left channel for Maddison, whose shot from a tight angle is straight at the keeper.
32 min: Leicester pin Palace back in their own area. Quite a bit of pinball in the box. Palace just about get away with it, but then Milivojevic clips Maddison to the ground, and this is a very dangerous free kick just to the left of the D.
30 min: Townsend brings down Maddison, 30 yards from goal on the left. Leicester load the box, but the delivery is poor and easily cleared. Tielemans tries to retrieve the ball, but is do-si-do’d out of play by Zaha. It’s an ersatz version of Ramos-Salah, and Tielemans ends up on his knees on the pitch border. No foul, for some reason.
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28 min: Well, Palace have done very little so far, but they should have caused Leicester some serious trouble here. Batshuayi drives at the Leicester back line. He reaches the edge of the box, and has Zaha totally free to his left, but the attempted pass clanks into Evans and the hosts can clear. That’s an appalling effort, a great opportunity wasted, and you can understand Zaha’s theatrical frustration.
27 min: Fuchs floats a pass down the inside-left channel and nearly releases Vardy. Just a little too much air on that. Guaita gathers.
25 min: The home crowd are getting a little agitated. Ghezzal accidentally plays a simple pass ten yards behind the nearby Pereira. No harm done, but the Leicester faithful don’t seem in the mood to cut Claude Puel’s team some slack, and deliver pelters accordingly.
23 min: Ndidi decides to have a shy at goal from the best part of 30 yards. That’s no good at all. Full marks for ambition, I suppose.
21 min: Palace are offering absolutely nowt.
19 min: Barnes spins 30 yards from goal and sends a bobbling bouncer towards the bottom right. Guaita claims it easily enough, there wasn’t a whole lot of power in that. But if Leicester keep on shooting at this healthy rate - that’s six attempts already - someone’s going to catch one at some point.
18 min: Vardy goes blazing down the left wing. He’s roughed up a little in full flight by Ward, and Tielemans claims a free kick for his team-mate, but the ref’s not interested at all.
16 min: There’s not a whole lot going on right now. Time to wheel out a stat, they’re always good when you have nothing of note to say: Leicester are enjoying the bulk of the possession, with 65% of the ball.
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14 min: A corner for Palace out on the right. Milivojevic has two goes at beating the first man, and fails both times. Leicester tear upfield on the break, and Tielemans is stopped from dribbling down the left by Zaha, who leaves his studs on his opponent’s shin. That’s a really poor challenge, and if the referee had seen it, he could
12 min: Tielemans is a very tidy player indeed. He skitters in from the left, exchanges passes with Barnes, and tries to curl one into the top right. There’s not quite enough oomph in the effort, and it’s an easy claim from Guaita. Leicester are beginning to ask questions.
10 min: Vardy’s in the mood now. He busies himself down the inside-left channel and cuts back for Maddison, who looks to send a powerful curler into the top right. It’s a decent effort, but flicks off Sakho’s shoulder and out for a corner. Maddison claims half-heartedly for a penalty, but there’s no way. And nothing comes of the set piece.
9 min: Good work by Barnes out on the left. He scoops a cross into the box for Vardy, who wins a header but can only flash it over the bar.
6 min: Zaha cuts in from the left and slips a pass to McArthur, who tries to release van Aanholt with a cute pass down the channel. But the Palace full-back has wandered a mile offside, and a promising position on the edge of the Leicester box is wasted.
5 min: It’s a little bit hectic and scrappy. Passing moves at a premium in these early stages.
3 min: Maddison and Tielemans nearly balls it up, the former tapping to the latter, who dilly-dallies and nearly gets closed down. But Tielemans gets a shot away just in time. Despite a big deflection, Guaita isn’t going to be troubled by that, and he gathers easily enough.
2 min: Now Leicester take a turn at knocking it around. Schlupp gets fed up and clatters Maddison to the floor. This’ll be a free kick in a central position, 35 yards from the Palace goal.
Here we go, then! Palace get the match started, and stroke it about the back awhile. Then Zaha goes off on a run down the left. He goes nowhere, but don’t worry, it won’t be his last of the evening.
The teams are out! Leicester wear their famous blue shirts, with black armbands today in memory of Gordon Banks. Palace are in their change strip of white with Team-of-the-Eighties retro sash. Before kick-off, there’s a minute of the warmest applause, as the King Power pays its respects to the life and stellar achievements of one of football’s true greats. We’ll be off in a minute.
How does Roy Hodgson feel about becoming the oldest manager in Premier League history? “I am proud of my career and journey, though I don’t know there’s too much to be proud of in just becoming old enough to be given that title! But I’m still glad to be here, that’s the most important thing, and I’m really satisfied with the career football has given me. I’m also very happy that I’m here to be enjoying it to this day. It’s nice to be recognised in the company of such great men as Bobby Robson and Alex Ferguson, so it’s a good day in that respect, though it’ll only be a really good day if we get a result today.”
His opposite number Claude Puel adds: “Roy has a fantastic record. I do not think I will rival him! But I offer him a lot of congratulation, he is a fantastic man and manager. I just hope he cannot have good luck today!
It’ll be an emotional day for Leicester, as they get a chance to say farewell to their legendary keeper Gordon Banks, who passed away earlier this month. The 1966 World Cup winner played 356 times for the Foxes between 1959 and 1967, winning the 1964 League Cup and turning out in the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals. He also very nearly won the league title while at Filbert Street, as part of the ill-fated Ice Kings side of 1962-63. Anyone unfamiliar with that particular bittersweet tale should click below now.
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Leicester make two changes to the XI named for the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur a fortnight ago. Jamie Vardy replaces Demarai Gray, who drops to the bench, while Christian Fuchs comes in for the injured Ben Chilwell.
Palace make five changes to the side that brushed past Doncaster Rovers in the fifth round of the FA Cup last weekend. Vincente Guaita, James Tomkins, Mamadou Sakho, James McArthur and Wilfried Zaha replace Wayne Hennessey, Scott Dann, Martin Kelly, Max Meyer and Jordan Ayew. All of them drop to the bench, bar Kelly who is injured.
The teams
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Ricardo Pereira, Evans, Maguire, Fuchs, Tielemans, Ndidi, Maddison, Ghezzal, Vardy, Barnes.
Subs: Soyuncu, Morgan, Gray, Iheanacho, Ward, Okazaki, Mendy.
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Milivojevic, Schlupp, Townsend, Batshuayi, Zaha.
Subs: Dann, Meyer, Kouyate, Hennessey, Ayew, Benteke, Riedewald.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Preamble
It’s a historic day in Leicester. Not quite up there with the discovery of the remains of Richard III, perhaps, but notable enough, as Roy I becomes the oldest man ever to manage a team in the Premier League.
Hodgson is 71 years and 199 days young today. That means the Crystal Palace boss sashays past the legendary Sir Bobby Robson, who was 71 years and 191 days old when he took charge of his final game for Newcastle United. So hats off to King Roy.
There’s a fair chance he’ll be celebrating a win tonight, too. That’s because Leicester are on a dismal run, having taken just one point from the last 15 available. And they’ve lost their last three matches against Palace, shipping nine goals while failing to score themselves.
Claude Puel, never popular at the King Power, could do with three points this afternoon to stem the bleeding. Palace need the win to keep them insulated from relegation worries. A tense tussle awaits us. It’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm BST.
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