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Post by Football News on Oct 3, 2015 16:02:07 GMT
Norwich City 1-2 Leicester CityHome team scorers Dieumerci Mbokani 68 Away team scorers Jamie Vardy 28 Pen Jeff Schlupp 47 England striker Jamie Vardy scored for the fifth match in succession, taking his personal haul to seven for the season, as Leicester City survived a late Norwich City fightback to continue their impressive start to the season. On the back of four games unbeaten, it was no surprise that Norwich’s only change was to recall on-loan winger Matt Jarvis, ineligible to play against parent club West Ham United last week. Slightly more surprising, at least to those who did not watch the entire game against Arsenal last week – throughout most of which Riyad Mahrez was peripheral at best – was Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri leaving the Algeria international winger on the bench. Ranieri also made changes in defence, bringing in Danny Simpson and Christian Fuchs at right-back and left-back respectively. Leicester came into the game unbeaten away from home, having won at West Ham and drawn with both Bournemouth and Stoke, and, in Vardy, boasted the most prolific striker in the Premier league this season – though it was his opposite number, Cameron Jerome, who got the first shot away, thumping a rising drive over the bar after being slipped through by Wes Hoolahan. It was not long, however, before Leicester’s pressing brought results, Marc Albrighton dispossessing Alex Tettey before crossing low. Shinji Okazaki got his head to the ball, but had to lean back to do so, and could not keep his header under the bar. A characteristically swift counter-attack resulted in Vardy comprehensively beating Russell Martin before his attempt to slide the ball inside John Ruddy’s near post from a narrow angle was turned behind. Leicester should have taken the lead when Vardy flicked on a long Fuchs throw soon afterwards, but Albrighton mis-kicked and Danny Drinkwater’s shot was well saved by Ruddy. Minutes later, however, the visitors did get the goal their dominance deserved, albeit in controversial circumstances. Vardy looked to have mis-controlled before going down in the penalty area under pressure from Sébastien Bassong, but referee Mark Clattenburg decided the defender had clipped his heels first, and Vardy sent Ruddy the wrong way from the spot. Leicester’s only concern at half-time was that their dominance had not been reflected in the scoreline, but they put that right immediately after the break. N’Golo Kanté slipped Jeff Schlupp clear into the penalty area on the Norwich left, and the Ghana international had all the time he needed to roll a shot inside Ruddy’s far post. Norwich manager Alex Neil made changes, as he had to, and the introduction of Dieumerci Mbokani alongside Jerome up front quickly paid off. The strongly built DR Congo striker, on season-long loan from Dynamo Kiev, first headed against the bar and then met Jonny Howson’s cross with a clever flick to register his first goal for the Canaries. Leicester striker Leo Ulloa, on for the ineffective Okazaki, saw a header ruled out for a shove, but Norwich, inspired by the dynamism of Mbokani, also went close in a frantic finale. Guardian
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