Foxes on track with Sunderland win
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ENGLISH Premier League leader Leicester City moved even closer to the title by winning 2-0 at relegation-threatened Sunderland yesterday.
England international Jamie Vardy put the Foxes ahead in the 66th minute and he added his second — and 21st of the season — in added time.
That left it 10 points ahead of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, whose home game against Manchester United later yesterday was delayed by at least half hour because the visitors’ coach was stuck in traffic.
With five games left, Claudio Ranieri’s unfashionable side needs a maximum of nine more points to become English champion for the first time.
Sunderland remains in the bottom three, four points behind Norwich City, which it plays next Saturday.
“It was tough, we knew it would be, but we ground it out,” Vardy told Sky Sports. “We know it’s a step closer but you never know what can happen. The main thing now is we’ve got to take it into the next week.”
Since beating Sunderland 4-2 in his first match in charge last August, Ranieri has stayed true to his beliefs — taking nothing for granted.
“Of course nobody could have believed it,” the Italian said of imagining a title success on that first day of the new campaign.
“It’s amazing and I want to thank each (of our fan). We moved Leicester to Sunderland.”
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce was disappointed with the way his team conceded two goals to Vardy, after warning his defenders of precisely that outcome. “We switched off once and allowed Jamie Vardy to do what we said was his main strength,” he told Sky.
That was the moment midway through the second half when experienced defender Younes Kaboul failed to deal with Danny Drinkwater’s long ball.
Vardy latched onto it and went on to beat goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
Substitute Jack Rodwell then missed Sunderland’s best chance to equalize and despite being thwarted once by Mannone, Vardy went round him to seal victory in stoppage time.
In a quiet first half each team had a strong penalty appeal dismissed and Kasper Schmeichel’s save from Sunderland striker Fabio Borini was the only one of note by either goalkeeper.
On Saturday, Arsenal needed a flawless finish to the league season to stand a realistic chance of reeling in Leicester.
Thanks to West Ham United striker Andy Carroll, that won’t be happening.
Carroll scored an 8-minute hat trick as West Ham came from two goals behind and drew 3-3 with Arsenal in a wild match at Upton Park that summed up the visitors’ season — a strong start, a collapse, and then a recovery that was too little, too late.
Arsenal is now 13 points behind Leicester.
Arsenal is not yet assured of securing a top-four place and Champions League football for next season, with Manchester City only two points back in fourth after rallying to a 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion thanks to Samir Nasri’s second-half winner. City played a weakened team ahead of the second leg of its Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain, which is 2-2 after the first leg on Wednesday.
Confirmation of Aston Villa’s inevitable relegation was delayed at least another week, despite the last-place team losing 1-2 at home to Bournemouth for a 23rd defeat in 33 league matches as Crystal Palace beat Norwich 1-0. Newcastle looks likely to be joining Villa in the second tier after losing 1-3 at Southampton to stay six points behind Norwich, with only six matches left.
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