Leicester City 2-1 WatfordHome team scorers
Ngolo Kante 52
Jamie Vardy 65 Pen
Away team scorers
Troy Deeney 75 Pen
Jamie Vardy only 2nd player in Prem history to score in 9 consecutive games
For a brief, barely believable moment, it appeared that Riyad Mahrez was going to steal the limelight from Jamie Vardy and it felt like we were going to be intruding on a very public argument between two team-mates.
Vardy had just won a penalty for Leicester City and there was surely no debate that the player who was going to take it was the one who was on a personal mission to extend his incredible goalscoring form.
Yet, to the amazement of everyone inside the King Power Stadium, Mahrez snatched the ball and headed towards the spot, only to take one look at Vardy’s face and decide that taking a goal off him was not one of his better ideas. Crisis averted, Vardy moved within touching distance of equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in 10 consecutive top-flight matches.
From a wider perspective, Vardy’s 12th goal of the season secured a 2-1 victory for Leicester that took them level on points with Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table. Once again they took a while to get going, but the game hinged on a horrible error from Watford’s goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, who conceded the opening goal when he somehow let N’Golo Kanté’s shot squirm past him in the 52nd minute.
This had promised to be a tough examination of Leicester’s nerve. Nothing about Watford’s performances since promotion has suggested that they should be regarded as relegation candidates and there was an air of confidence about the visitors, justifiably so after consecutive 2-0 victories over Stoke City and West Ham United that belied their status as Premier League newcomers.
Watford were bright in the opening exchanges, keeping a good shape across the pitch and hunting the ball hungrily in midfield, and they were desperately unfortunate not to take the lead after 20 minutes, Troy Deeney lobbed a pass through to Odion Ighalo, who confused Wes Morgan with a clever piece of control with his knee. Ighalo, so prolific this season, aimed for the far corner from the left of the Leicester area and the shot’s trajectory fooled the Watford supporters, who were packed into a corner at the other end of the ground. But their premature celebrations faded away when the ball rebounded off the inside of the post, possibly via the faintest of touches from Kasper Schmeichel, and the Leicester goalkeeper then pushed Almen Abdi’s powerful follow-up shot over the bar.
Leicester were not at their flowing best during the first half. Miguel Britos and Craig Cathcart kept Vardy on a tight leash, restricting him to a solitary effort from 20 yards out, while Mahrez had no influence on the game in his free role. Leicester encountered difficulties in their attempts to penetrate Watford’s defence.
Etienne Capoue and Ben Watson had been effective shields at the base of Watford’s midfield and Claudio Ranieri reacted by switching his team’s formation to 4-4-2 at half-time – Shinji Okazaki coming on for Jeffrey Schlupp and joining the hitherto isolated Vardy up front, Mahrez moving to the right and given a chance to run at Nathan Ake.
The Tinkerman’s alterations sparked an instant improvement from Leicester and soon Mahrez, liberated at last after struggling to find space in the congested areas in front of Watford’s defence, was rolling a pass through to Marc Albrighton, who spooned a tame finish straight at Gomes.
Yet having coped so well with everything that Leicester had thrown at them before the break, the game ran away from Watford in the space of 13 chaotic minutes – and Gomes was at the heart of their implosion.
Watford’s goalkeeper has been a solid performer this season, but his back catalogue of calamitous moments from his Tottenham Hotspur days still linger in the memory, and Leicester’s opener was effectively an assist from Gomes. He should have been able to save Kanté’s hopeful prod in his sleep, but instead dozed off and, almost in slow motion, allowed the ball to slip through his fingers and over the line.
Gomes was a mess from that moment onwards and his next major contribution was to send Vardy flying with a crude attempt to win the ball just inside Watford’s area. The Brazilian was booked and Vardy made his point emphatically to Mahrez, powering the penalty into the roof of the net.
Leicester appeared to be on course for a straightforward victory, but they made life awkward for themselves when Kanté took a slack touch and fouled the Watford substitute Juan Carlos Paredes. Deeney’s penalty ensured an anxious final 15 minutes, but Leicester held firm.
Guardian