Here, for thine eyes, is Paul Doyle’s match report!
And with that, I’ll see you all soon. Have a lovely weekend, and hope you’ve enjoyed tonight’s fare!
So it’s advantage Wolves, Everton and Watford in the Battle For Seventh. Leicester just didn’t get going there, not really. It’s OK, everyone has these days and their recalibration under Rodgers will take time. This was a professional, highly effective job from Newcastle and in the circumstances one of their best performances this season.
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Full-time: Leicester 0-1 Newcastle
That is surely Newcastle’s top-flight status secured and they totally deserved this. It can be filed under “textbook” – an absolute job done by one ex-Liverpool manager on another.
90+4 min: A Leicester free-kick on halfway. They all go up. Schmeichel launches it ... Dubravka gets a half-punch ... but there’s an offside in any case. That might be that.
90+3 min: It’s attack against defence now, of course, but the latter aren’t giving anything away whatsoever. Apart from that one Vardy chance they’ve been immaculate in this half, and most of the first.
90+1 min: Tielemans screams for a penalty after taking a tumble under Manquillo’s challenge. Was there a slight tug? Not enough of one, and Pereira’s overhit cross was going nowhere near him in any case. We’ll enjoy five added minutes of this ...
89 min: Dubravka bravely fists away a devilish Albrighton delivery from the left.
88 min: Leicester take a corner short and Iheanacho eventually wins the header, but Vardy can’t make much of it beyond the far post.
87 min: Lascelles, very good tonight, just thwarts a ball through towards Vardy. The noise is turned up but Leicester are running out of time ...
85 min: Win this, as they are on the verge of doing, and that’s surely Newcastle safe. Big achievement after the start to the season they had. A point would make it very likely too. Iheanacho tries to make sure that’s all they escape with but gets no power on his flick.
82 min: Big 10 or 12 minutes, now, for all involved. You’d fancy Leicester to pile the pressure on now and, to firm things up, Benitez brings on Diame for Ki.
80 min: That’s Vardy’s chance! And he misses it! Newcastle are more stretched than they’d want after that last break and Tielemans slips a lovely ball through to the onside striker. He is one on one with Dubravka, running around onto his left foot, but lifts it over the crossbar! What an opportunity that was. Leicester try to lift their spirits by bringing Albrighton on for Barnes.
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79 min: More superb play from Perez sends Atsu away but, with his first involvement, the winger can’t find anything that’s really a cross or a shot.
78 min: Manquillo has been booked for Newcastle, who now bring on Atsu for the lively but occasionally frustrating Almiron.
76 min: Great play by Perez! Rondon has a good chance to play Almiron in but chooses the harder pass, lofted across to Perez at the far post. Perez takes it down from the sky, spins and somehow wriggles past Chilwell, but can’t *quite* stab the ball past Schmeichel from close range. The keeper saves well.
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75 min: Maddison steps up ... and can’t come close to emulating Rondon’s effort from similar range. It’s well over.
74 min: Barnes, quiet this half, wins a corner from the impressive Schar. It is Leicester’s first. Maddison lofts it high, Maguire heads it down, but nobody is there to pounce. Maguire does, however, win a free-kick 25 yards out and a little to the right shortly afterwards – which this time earns Schar a booking. It’s a chance to do something ...
72 min: Yes, here they are. Iheanacho replaces Gray and Mendy is on for Ndidi.
71 min: I think Leicester are about to make a couple of changes and, boy, they need something different here.
68 min: And in the meantime, Schmeichel gets booked for some verbals, having come up to halfway in order to offer them. Not really sure what enraged him.
68 min: Rondon is caught frustratingly offside during a promising break with Perez. The two could have been smarter with that.
66 min: Chilwell delivers after a cute Maddison backheel but nobody can get a telling touch. Leicester are just upping things a little bit here.
64 min: Ki checks Maddison as he turns into space and is rightly booked, there were possibilities for Maddison in the space ahead. Leicester have a free-kick and a chance to build some pressure. Maddison tries to fool everyone and thread it down the side of the wall for a runner, only to pass it straight to the wall. That was ... ahem ... inauspicious.
62 min: So, naturally, Vardy then comes fairly close to scoring, leaping but missing Maddison’s dinked cross by inches. In fact he got a little contact but grazed it away from goal. Better from Leicester but that’s not to say a lot.
61 min: This is no game for Vardy, at the moment. There is nothing in behind for Leicester, no space, nada. He just isn’t in it at all.
59 min: Almiron is found in more space on the left side of the box after a sensational run from back to front by Schar. He slashes over when he might have hit the target.
57 min: Maddison unceremoniously scythes Ki down midway inside the Leicester half. It’s another chance for Newcastle to create something, but Morgan sees the danger before black and white-striped players can pounce at the back stick.
56 min: Leicester have gone at least 25 minutes of play without causing a single problem, or looking like doing so.
53 min: Now Rondon crosses from the left, Perez takes a swing from 12 yards ... but miskicks! Newcastle keep up the pressure and Almiron has an effort blocked. They continue to look the more potent when they attack.
52 min: Big burst into the left side of the box from an onside Almiron and for a moment it looks as if he’s going to have a good shout of his first Newcastle goal. But Morgan recovers to concede a corner, which is underhit and hacked clear.
50 min: Ndidi takes aim but it’s harmlessly over. Newcastle will take that all night. Or for the next 44 minutes or so, anyway.
49 min: Not exactly the rattling start Leicester will have wanted though.
46 min: Barnes puts in a Ritchie-esque cross early on but it is Ritchie himself who deals with it at the back post. Haven’t seen a thing from Jamie Vardy since that sort-of chance in the second minute; will he come to the party in this half?
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Peeeeep! Leicester get us back underway
Can they brighten up?
Newcastle have had more shots, more corners, more distance covered, and only 27% of possession. That tells you how well they have played. Now they’re ready to restart here ...
Other business – spend half-time enjoying this defence of Maurizio Sarri by Barney Ronay:
Yes, a fully deserved lead for Newcastle, who let Leicester take a lot of the ball but broke dangerously whenever possible and could have ended up more than a goal ahead. Rondon hit the bar with a super free-kick before Perez’s smart header; Leicester haven’t responded at all and need half-time to clear their heads.
Half-time: Leicester 0-1 Newcastle
Tell you what, it’s a scoreline nobody can argue with.
45+1 min: Another Newcastle moment, Perez doing superbly to dart between two men but *just* overhitting his clip to an unmarked Almiron on the left of the box. Almiron was ready to take that down and, in all likelihood, score the second.
45 min: Given the nature and style of opponent they are up against I’d say Newcastle have executed this pretty perfectly so far.
43 min: Ki is back on after a two-minute delay. He seems alright now.
41 min: Tielemans is booked for a late one on Ki, which left him in a heap. It was nasty, actually, that, studs right up and I’ve seen red cards given for that. Leicester are yet to offer any kind of response and seem rattled.
40 min: Stat on my telly – Ritchie has put in more open-play crosses than anyone in the Premier League this season. That crucial one just now was a peach.
38 min: Imagine what this outcome would do for the Battle For Seventh though! Talk about putting a fire under it!
37 min: “Rafa, Rafael, Rafael Benitez!” is the cry from the 3,000 Newcastle fans. The rest of the stadium hums with concern.
35 min: And they threaten a quick second – Almiron outpacing Morgan with concerning ease and forcing Schmeichel to save a crisp low drive that was going just inside his post.
35 min: Newcastle had been good for the 10 minutes before that goal. Can’t say a goal had been on the cards, no, but nor was it undeserved.
Goal! Leicester 0-1 Newcastle (Perez 32)
Well, well! You can’t say they haven’t threatened it, either. Almiron tries to jink into the box and Pereira holds him up but the ball rolls out to Ritchie. He takes it on and whips in another sublime delivery that Perez, running to the near post and using the ball’s pace to flick a brilliant header over and beyond Schmeichel, takes full advantage of!
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30 min: Rondon intercepts a Leicester pass on the halfway line and goes for goal. Well, I think he was doing that – it squirts out for a throw-in! He didn’t have any other options, but it showed Newcastle are starting to hustle Leicester in possession a lot more effectively.
28 min: Leicester spring into life again and Barnes surges down the left with a powerful, direct run. He blasts one from an angle but it’s straight at Dubravka, who nonetheless finds it too hot to hold before reacting quickly to end the danger.
25 min: But Newcastle keep the ball alive and Almiron forces Schmeichel to clutch a curling effort to his right. Then loose play from Ndidi sees Hayden take possession but blast wastefully over from 25 yards. To be fair, Newcastle have not been without threat – and have certainly come the closest to scoring through that terrific Rondon effort.
24 min: A fine Newcastle break sees Almiron find Ritchie all alone on the left of the box. The Paraguayan wants a cutback in return but instead Ritchie drills low, his centre being hacked behind for a corner. That, too, is booted away.
21 min: Oh and that’s nice ... they keep on keeping on and, eventually, step up the tempo like lightning, Chilwell jinking into the box and seeing Dubravka parry. That was more like it; those changes of speed will cause trouble.
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20 min: Pass, pass, pass, pass but still no way through for Leicester, who are finding space impossible to come by.
18 min: That was certainly a shot across the bows for Leicester, who got themselves into the trouble that caused the free-kick. The home side haven’t really done anything with their possession yet, and Pereira now has to clean up an Almiron through ball towards Rondon.
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15 min: Maguire and Morgan briefly get in a spot of bother and the former has to clear up ... but Newcastle win the ball back and Morgan concedes a free-kick in a dangerous position 30 yards out. Rondon has a go ... and rattles the crossbar! My word, that was a good effort – pace, dip, curl, whip, everything, but it bounced straight down off the frame!
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13 min: After that bright first couple of minutes we haven’t seen a great deal, although Barnes balloons an effort over as I type. Newcastle look ... hardworking.
10 min: “Is it me or does Rondon look like he’s wearing well below mid-thigh socks and no shin pads?” asks Rob Coughlin. Ah, the bane of seven-a-side players across the land!
9 min: We have our pattern now, Leicester having almost all of the ball with Maddison and Tielemans flitting all over, while Newcastle look for the odd counter.
6 min: A long spell of Leicester passing ensues, Maddison popping up everywhere to pull the strings, but then Barnes knocks a loose one out of play.
4 min: Gray gets away beautifully from Ritchie but ends up being outmuscled by Dummett. There are shouts for a free-kick but it looked fair enough.
2 min: Immediately down the other end and it’s Barnes, cutting in and crossing from the left, whose delivery is diverted goalwards by Vardy. It’s not difficult for Dubravka but he does have to dive to his right to claim. Good, fast early moments.
2 min: And the visitors start well, Ritchie whipping over a trademark left-footed cross on the run that forces Chilwell into conceding a corner. Lascelles gets a header on target from the corner, but fairly easily for Schmeichel.
Peeeeeeep! Off we go ...
Newcastle start us off and shoot right to left ...
OK, out the teams come – get ready!
Nearly time to get started at the King Power. Newcastle were very drab at Arsenal the other week and even worse at West Ham a bit before that. When they’re dull they can be very dull, but they’d had a few ding-dongs this season too so let’s hope this is one of those.
Before we crack on here, please take the time to read this quite startling and, in places, deeply upsetting investigation by Jacob Steinberg into racism in English football:
Hugh Molloy writes about Harry Maguire and Jamaal Lascelles: “I’ve always thought Lascelles is an excellent player and I’m constantly surprised he’s not coveted by a top-six club. Quality and experience – he’s got the England age-group pedigree and he’s young for a CB at 25 but still captain of his club which shows character. If Maguire is was valued at £70m by Leicester then someone could get a bargain here – or am I missing something?!”
It’s a good point, and Lascelles is certainly better on the ball than Maguire too.
Aditya Iyengar writes in: “The race for seventh looks to be as interesting as the title – although Wolves, much like City, would be mad if they blew it up. As a diehard QPR fan from India, it pains me to recall how we were a fair match for Wolves last season, beating them at Loftus Road. In one year’s time, they are among the Best of the Rest and we’ve been whacked by a second string Rotherham at home. How times change!”
I’ll have to take issue with your first half-sentence there, Aditya, although I agree that it’s certainly going to be tight.
I really like that Leicester midfield, don’t you? Youri Tielemans is such a lovely player and it’d be some accomplishment to get him tied down for next season and beyond. James Maddison is one of the most exciting creative forces around and Wilfried Ndidi’s sheer energy and efficiency complement them perfectly. They’re all still young, too! Easy to see how Rodgers is so excited about getting his teeth into this lot.
Team news
Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo Pereira, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell, Ndidi, Gray, Tielemans, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy. Subs: Evans, Iheanacho, Albrighton, Ward, Okazaki, Mendy, Fuchs.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Manquillo, Schar, Lascelles, Dummett, Ritchie, Perez, Hayden, Ki,Almiron, Rondon. Subs: Shelvey, Diame, Muto, Fernandez, Yedlin, Darlow, Atsu.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Hello
Friday night brings you ... the latest instalment in the battle for seventh. I know! Well, only one of those teams is in the running for that and it’s Leicester, on a roll with four wins from their last four under Brendan Rodgers, who sit pretty as the Best Of The Rest. It’s a rather new twist on Arsène Wenger’s old “fourth place is like a trophy” mantra, and to be honest the fact it’s had to be confected says a lot about the state of the Premier League at the moment – but it should mean a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds so, well, why not go for it? And Leicester are, in and of themselves, already quite a nice watch in the Brendan era. You’d give them a good shout of building pretty well for next season, however this one turns out.
Newcastle could still go down. I mean, they’re not going to but they could, and three points here would probably put any fears to bed. Rafa Benitez’s first game in charge of the Magpies was a defeat at the King Power in the year they went down and Leicester became Best Of The ... Everyone. There is a severe risk this could be one of his last and a positive result might help expedite the drawn-out contract draws that are fraying nerves across Tyneside. But who knows what is going on in Mike Ashley’s head?
You don’t; I don’t. But we do know that this should be a good, watchable game – let’s settle in for it now, and send me in your thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears to the addresses above!
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