Crystal Palace 0-2 Leicester highlights & report: Caglar Soyuncu scores first Foxes goal & Vardy sends team third
Caglar Soyuncu's first Leicester goal and a late Jamie Vardy strike saw Brendan Rodgers' side go back into third in the Premier League with a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.
While it was centre back Soyuncu's first Foxes goal, it was Vardy's 10th of the season as he maintained his position as the Premier League's top scorer.
Palace provided plenty of problems for Leicester throughout the game, and if there were any complacency within the team who battered Southampton 9-0 last Friday, it did not show as they rolled their sleeves up for a difficult afternoon.
Rodgers' side worked hard throughout and stood up to the physical battle that Roy Hodgson's men, who could have gone fifth with a win, presented, and Leicester always looked like they had just that extra bit of quality and cutting edge.
That cutting edge came from an unlikely source though as Soyuncu, who has been excellent as a replacement for Harry Maguire in the heart of their defence, nodded them in front just before the hour mark.
Palace never really threatened in response as, although they had 12 shots, Kasper Schmeichel was not required to make a save of any note.
Vardy sealed the points as he got on the end of a well-worked move two minutes from the end - firing in left-footed after good movement gave him space to get on to Demarai Grey's pull-back.
Palace remain in ninth while Leicester go back above Chelsea into third place and just two point behind Manchester City, as they show no signs of letting up in their pursuit of a top four spot this season.
On this evidence, they'll take some stopping.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Leicester match reaction
Rodgers on Foxes' flying form
Crystal Palace 0-2 Leicester City Opta stats
- This was Leicester’s 12th Premier League win under Brendan Rodgers – since his first game in charge, only Liverpool (19) and Man City (17) have won more than the Foxes.
- Crystal Palace have lost back-to-back home Premier League games for the first time since March, when they lost to Brighton and Man Utd.
- Leicester’s Jamie Vardy is the first player to score 10 Premier League goals this season – the last time he was the first player to reach 10 in a season was in 2015/16, when they went on to win the league.
- Çaglar Söyüncü became the second Turkish player to score in the Premier League for Leicester City, after Muzzy Izzet (33 goals between 1996 and 2004).
- Three of the last four Premier League goals conceded by Crystal Palace have been via corners – before this, only three of the previous 36 goals they’d conceded had been from corners.
- James Maddison created eight chances for Leicester City today – the last Englishman with more in a Premier League game was Wayne Rooney in November 2013 against Cardiff City (nine).
- Since Brendan Rodgers’ first league match in charge of Leicester on March 3rd, Jamie Vardy has scored 19 Premier League goals – five more than any other player.