Leicester manager Enzo Maresca was impressed with the way his side coped with a stern challenge as they edged to a 2-0 win at Norwich to maintain their excellent start to the Championship season.
Maresca’s team have now won six of their seven league games to lie second in the embryonic table but they were made to work hard for their success by a home side who had won all their games at Carrow Road before this one.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Kasey McAteer struck for the Foxes.
“I am very pleased with our performance because of the opponents we were up against,” he said.
“I have watched all their games and they usually score goals – 15 I think – so I am very pleased to come away with a win and a clean sheet.
“We had to work very hard for the points – I said to the lads afterwards that you can work on the way you play, the way you defend but you also have to have the desire out there on the pitch.
“The way the team defended was unbelievable, clearing the ball from corners and second and third phase play and that made all the difference tonight.”
Maresca made five changes to the side that won at Southampton last time out, with Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among the players left on the bench, and he was delighted with the way the new-look line-up coped.
He said: “It’s a 46-game season and you can’t just rely on a small group of players. You need at least 20 and I want to get them all involved. You can’t just play in every game.
“It was tough because they went man for man, which meant our keeper (Mads Hermansen) saw a lot of the ball and he played an important role for us when we played out, and he also made a great save – I think he is the complete keeper.”
A tight match was settled by late goals in either half, with Leicester getting their noses in front in the 44th minute through Iheanacho’s penalty.
Referee Graham Scott pointed to the spot when Stephy Mavididi went down under a challenge from Christian Fassnacht and Iheanacho did the rest, despite a valiant effort from keeper Angus Gunn.
The Foxes had to withstand plenty of pressure after that, with Hermansen making a terrific reaction save to keep out a close-range header from Shane Duffy and Kenny McLean hitting the underside of the crossbar with a well judged chip.
But a well drilled defence stood firm and Leicester sealed the points in the 87th minute when Dewsbury-Hall squared for an unmarked McAteer to tap home.
Norwich head coach David Wagner felt hard done by afterwards.
“We are obviously disappointed to lose but I am fine with the performance – it was top class,” he said.
“I am unhappy we twice gave the ball away in the lead-up to the penalty but apart from that I am very pleased with the way we played.
“We were the better side in the second half and created three or four very good opportunities but unfortunately we were not clinical enough. The lads battled hard, never gave up and in the end were beaten by a quality side so we move on.
“I think Leicester will finish top this season and the rest of the teams will be battling for the other positions. It’s tough to take but I have every faith in this group of players going forwards.”
Striker Ashley Barnes limped off early in the second half and Wagner added: “It looks like knee ligaments and we will know more after a scan tomorrow. Hopefully it is not too serious but we have strength in depth now which is good.”
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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