Leicester City secured a straight-forward 2-0 victory against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Foxes, who have now won on Tyneside on three consecutive visits, were the first on the scoresheet as Jamie Vardy found the net from the penalty spot with half an hour gone. Harry Maguire doubled the lead with a trademark header from a corner with over 15 minutes remaining.
Early opportunities at St James’
Both sides started on the front foot on Tyneside with Ayoze Perez having the first effort of the game well blocked. Kelechi Iheanacho then tested Martin Dubravka with a shot from range but the Newcastle stopper collected comfortably. Ricardo Pereira was the next to test the goalkeeper with a solo effort from inside the box but the ball was parried behind.
Joselu should have opened the scoring soon after as he ran beyond the Leicester defence. The Spaniard had plenty of time but delayed which allowed Harry Maguire to get back and scramble the ball away. Mo Diame was also guilty of spurning a great chance as he nodded Christian Atsu’s great cross wide of goal.
Vardy punishes Newcastle from the spot
Claude Puel’s men were given a golden chance to open the scoring as the referee awarded a penalty for a handball from DeAndre Yedlin. Predictably, Jamie Vardy stepped up and coolly converted into the bottom corner to notch his third Premier League goal of the season.
Newcastle thought they had their own chance from the penalty spot minutes into the second half as Perez clashed with Maguire. However, the referee was uninterested.
Maguire leaps highest to double lead
Following a period in which they were made to defend by Newcastle, the East-Midlanders doubled the lead through Maguire. The Englishman did excellently to escape his man from a corner to dispatch James Maddison’s excellent cross into the back of the net.
Leicester’s second strike floored the hosts and they really struggled to carve out any opportunities of note. As a result, Claude Puel’s troops left St James’ Park with a comfortable victory.
Final Thoughts
The discontent at St James’ Park is only going to grow following this result. Once Leicester were ahead, Rafa Benitez’s men allowed their heads to drop. The Magpies really struggled in an attacking sense and they really have to rectify that if they harbour any ambitions of remaining in the top flight of English football after this season. They will aim to get their long-awaited first victory of the season against Manchester United next weekend.
Elsewhere, Puel will be delighted with his side’s performance. The Foxes dominated proceedings at St James’ Park but also dug in when required. They have now racked up consecutive Premier League wins and now sit seventh in the table ahead of their clash with Everton next weekend.
Match Report
Newcastle United: Dubravka (6); Yedlin (5) (Manquillo (N/A), 80′), Lascelles (6), Clark (6), Kenedy (5); Ritchie (6) (Murphy (5), 65′), Shelvey (6), Diame (5), Atsu (6), Perez (5) (Muto (5), 69′), Joselu (5).
Leicester City: Schmeichel (6); Amartey (6), Maguire (8), Morgan (6), Chilwell (7); Pereira (6), N’didi (6), Mendy (7), Maddison (7) (Iborra (N/A), 85′); Vardy (6) (Albrighton (6), 74′), Iheanacho (6).
Goals: Vardy PEN (30′), Maguire (73′)
Referee: Simon Hooper
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
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