Jamie Vardy scored twice as Leicester City beat Watford 4-2 in a snow blizzard at the King Power Stadium.
An awful error from William Troost-Ekong, who ducked expecting Daniel Bachmann to gather the ball, instead allowed James Maddison time to half-volley past the goalkeeper after 16 minutes.
Watford got back on level terms when Emmanuel Dennis was felled in the box by Wilfred Ndidi, enabling Joshua King to equalise on the half-hour mark.
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Vardy scored two before the break to put the game firmly in Leicester’s hands, the first a dinked finish after a fine clipped ball from Maddison and then a flicked header at the near post from a corner.
Dennis robbed Timothy Castagne in the final third and coolly waited for Kasper Schmeichel to commit himself before slotting home to get the Hornets back into the game before Harvey Barnes raced through on goal and squared for Ademola Lookman to seal the points.
TALKING POINT – WHAT HAPPENED TO USING AN ORANGE BALL?
It was very much a throwback day of football with a postponement just before kickoff in Burnley and a game in awful conditions for playing but great for viewing at Leicester. When the referee went to the trouble of brushing the lines on the field and snowblowing the touchline, it did make one wonder why there is no illuminous ball that can be played in such conditions.
Perhaps the orange bits on the pretty ghastly Nike official Premier League ball are meant to glow in these conditions but it didn’t seem to have much effect. As bad as it was for outfield players keeping their feet, it looked even more difficult for goalkeepers to spot long-range efforts through the almost football-sized precipitation. Similarly for the fans, for a period in the start of the second half it must have been very difficult to pick the ball out.
James Maddison of Leicester City celebrates with Jamie Vardy
Image credit: Getty Images
PLAYER RATINGS
Leicester City: Schmeichel 6, Castagne 5, Soyuncu 6, Evans 6, Thomas 6, Ndidi 6, Soumare 6, Maddison 9*, Barnes 7, Lookman 7, Vardy 8.
Subs: Albrighton 6, Dewsbury-Hall 6.
Watford: Bachmann 7, Kiko 6, Cathcart 6, Troost-Ekong 5, Masina 6, Louza 6, Sissoko 7, Cleverley 7, Hernandez 7, Dennis 7, King 6.
Subs: Tufan 6, Pedro 7, Fletcher 6.
MAN OF THE MATCH – JAMES MADDISON (LEICESTER CITY)
It has been a disappointing year or more from Maddison after he burst onto the scene at Leicester and won an England cap in 2019. He was linked with a number of clubs shortly after and has not produced as consistently since then, but in this match he was fantastic.
His technique in turning and finishing was fantastic and his ball through for Vardy’s first goal was fantastic, but there were also a number of other occasions when his creativity set up play. A path back to the England side is far, far harder now but when he plays like this Maddison reminds you he has that level of quality.
KEY MOMENTS
16′ GOAL FOR LEICESTER! An awful error from Ekong he lets the ball go over his head and Maddison on his own half-volleys past the goalkeeper.
29′ PENALTY! Ndidi races back into the box to try to stall Dennis and inadvertently catches his standing leg. He barely catches him, but does so nonetheless.
30′ GOAL FOR WATFORD! King sends the penalty into the side-netting to Schmeichel’s left.
34′ GOAL FOR LEICESTER! Vardy latches onto to a fine clipped through-ball from Maddison and then dinks the ball over the keeper.
43′ GOAL FOR LEICESTER! Another goal for Vardy and again he links up with Maddison who whips a corner into the near post and the striker flicks his header inside the back post.
61′ GOAL FOR WATFORD! Castagne is caught in possession. Dennis takes the ball off him then waits for Schmeichel to fall over and then dinks it home.
68′ GOAL FOR LEICESTER! Great run from Barnes he gets behind the defence and then as the keeper looks to close him down he squares for Lookman to tap home.
KEY STAT
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