Following a first half that was tepid for the most part, Leicester clung to their two-goal advantage throughout the second period and thereby extend their unbeaten streak against Crystal Palace to a sixth game.
Dewsbury-Hall was instrumental in both goals for the Foxes. At the same time, their visitors lacked the attacking inspiration, which was a feature of their recent solid run – only Zaha’s strike after a twice-missed penalty gave them hope.
Leicester, then, pulls three points clear of Vieira’s men in the table and takes one step closer to a top-half finish.
Starting Lineup:
LEICESTER CITY (4-3-3): Kasper Schmeichel;
James Justin, Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Luke Thomas;
Youri Tielemans, Nampalys Mendy, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall;
James Maddison, Patson Daka, Ademola Lookman.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1): Vicente Guaita;
Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell;
Cheikhou Kouyate, Jeffrey Schlupp; Jordan Ayew, Conor Gallagher, Wilfried Zaha;
Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Goals:
LEICESTER LEAD! The hosts go in front as Dewsbury-Hall drops his shoulder to evade the attentions of Kouyate in midfield before picking out Lookman with a low pass across the box. The former Everton winger cuts inside and then powers a shot past Guaita and into the bottom-left corner! It’s Leicester 1-0 Crystal Palace.
LEICESTER DOUBLE THEIR ADVANTAGE! Again escaping Kouyate just outside the Palace area, a confident Dewsbury-Hall weaves through the away defence to open up a gap to shoot. He follows up his assist for the opener by firing in his first-ever Premier League goal – guiding the ball powerfully into the top-left corner! 2-0 to Leicester.
PALACE HALF THEIR DEFICIT! Finally, the ball is forced in, as after missing his second penalty attempt, Zaha reacts first to nod the ball into the net on the rebound, with Schmeichel left prone. It’s now 2-1 to Leicester.
So, what’s next?
While Leicester travels to Eindhoven in midweek, in a bid to prolong their European adventure.
Palace is next in action at Wembley, where they meet Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals next Sunday.
