ON THE eve of Roy Hodgson’s latest squad announcement, Jamie Vardy gave ample evidence that while he is prone to making a bit of a fool of himself in Leicester casinos, he is turning into one of the England’s most potent attacking weapons. He saved Leicester’s unbeaten Premier League record this season with a virtuoso moment late in the game at Vitality Stadium yesterday.
With Bournemouth set to record their first Premier League home victory, Vardy produced a devastating run into the home penalty area on 85 minutes and was hauled down by a desperate lunge by the Bournemouth centre-half Steve Cook. Nothing was going to stop Vardy’s spot kick and Claudio Ranieri’s men were rewarded for a rousing second-half recovery after they had ceded the first half, when Callum Wilson put Bournemouth ahead with his fourth Premier League goal.
It had looked like being another day of celebration at Vitality Stadium. They won their first Premier League match last week when Wilson grabbed a hat-trick at West Ham in a 4-3 victory and Wilson produced a special moment on 24 minutes, scoring his side’s first home goal in the top flight.
Max Gradel played the ball to the left-back Charlie Daniels. His cross deflected off De Laet and then Robert Huth, and as the ball spun in the air, Wilson showed great technique to produce an overhead kick sending which sent the ball past Kasper Schmeichel.
It was no surprise that Leicester’s manager Ranieri hauled off Mahrez at half time to be replaced by Shinji Okazaki. Robert Huth clattered into Wilson and then kicked the ball at the forward from close range as he lay on the ground.Huth was then confronted by Tyrone Mings, and appeared to put his hand in the full-back’s face, so the German was probably lucky to escape with only a yellow card for committing three offences in as many seconds.
Advertisement
Minutes later, poor Mings, a £8m signing from Ipswich Town during the summer and introduced at half time as a substitute for the injured Daniels, was involved in another coming together with Drinkwater as they contested a 50/50 ball, and was taken off.
That signalled a period of domination for Leicester as Bournemouth found it difficult to get out of their own half, with passes going astray.
Their Irish midfielder Eunan O’Kane also started giving the ball away in dangerous areas. When O’Kane lost possession five minutes from the end the punishment was more severe. Vardy set off on a typically direct run that only ended with the award of a penalty. Leicester had their point.
Star man: Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
Bournemouth: Boruc 7, Francis 6, Elphick 7, Cook 5, Daniels 7 (Mings 45 min 5, Smith 57 min 5), Ritchie 6, O’Kane 5, Surman 5, Gradel 6 (Pugh 67 min 6), Tomlin 7, Wilson 8
Advertisement
Leicester City: Schmeichel 6, de Laet 5 (Benalouane 90 + 1 min 5), Huth 6, Morgan 7, Schlupp 7, Mahrez 5 (Okazaki 45 min 6), Kante 5, Drinkwater 7, King 5, Vardy 8, Albrighton 6 (Dodoo 71 min 5)