Leicester City registered their first back-to-back H2H home victories over Southampton since April 2016, defeating the ‘Saints’ 4-1 at the King Power Stadium.
Hoping to continue their promising end to an overall disappointing domestic campaign, the hosts should have been ahead after seven minutes when the marauding-forward Timothy Castagne somehow failed to hit the target with the goal at his mercy.
Looking to improve on the fourth-worst away record in the Premier League this season, after only three victories this season, Southampton failed to produce a significant attacking intent on Kasper Schmeichel’s goal. Leicester were then left bemused in the 23rd minute when referee Jonathan Moss nonchalantly waived the ‘Foxes’ appeal for a penalty away. Despite an unparalleled level of attacking dominance over their underwhelming visitors, Leicester were forced to begrudgingly trudge down the tunnel for the HT interval without an arguably deserved lead.
However, the hosts’ superiority paid dividends within the opening four minutes of the second half, when recently-crowned Leicester Player of the Season James Maddison fortuitously swept home the rebound after Alex McCarthy had failed to hold on to Jamie Vardy’s one-on-one effort. Southampton should have been level approaching the final 20 minutes, but substitute Che Adams could only direct his header over the crossbar. Vardy doubled Leicester’s lead shortly before the 75th mark, mercilessly leaving Lyanco on the King Power turf, before clinically slotting home.
Southampton set up an intriguing final 10 minutes when top scorer James Ward-Prowse fired home from the penalty spot. However, less than two minutes later, Leicester ruthlessly restored their two-goal advantage when substitute Ayoze Pérez ghosted into the penalty area to fire home at the back-post.
Pérez’s second goal in the final minute of added time capped off a convincing Leicester win that extends their deep-rooted unbeaten bragging rights against Southampton to five matches across all competitions. Ultimately the ‘Foxes’ will consider their Premier League season a disappointing one, after finishing outside the European qualification positions for the first time in three years. Meanwhile, the ‘Saints’ have not been so graceful this season, as Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side finish the campaign without a victory in their final six matches.
