LEICESTER: Leicester City moved off the bottom of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Leeds United on Thursday, the visitors’ seventh game without a win.
Leicester’s second success of the season was secured inside 35 minutes as Robin Koch’s own goal and Harvey Barnes’s sweeping finish put the hosts in command at the King Power Stadium.
Leeds ran out of steam in the second half, with home goalkeeper Danny Ward keeping out their only shot on target in the match when he blocked Liam Cooper’s close-range effort.
Leicester saw out the match with ease to move above East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest into 19th on eight points, one point behind Leeds in 16th, as Jesse Marsch’s Yorkshire side moved closer to the relegation zone.
“When you are down there, every point is important,” Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans told Amazon. “We kept the ball really well, attacked them well, and that is what we really needed.
“Every good performance is confidence for us, and we can build on this now.”
Pressure has been mounting on both managers in recent weeks after their teams suffered disappointing starts to the season. Leicester were handed a boost for Leeds’ visit as they welcomed striker Jamie Vardy back into the side, with the veteran still looking for his first goal of the season.
Vardy did play a part in the build-up to the opener, however, with Koch unable to avoid diverting Dennis Praet’s low cross into his own net. Leeds responded well and created several openings to get back on level terms, Luis Sinisterra going closest with a curling effort that hit the crossbar.
They could not make one count, though, and that proved costly as Barnes added a second, finishing off a sweeping Leicester counter attack. The fact that Leeds never looked like getting back into the contest in the second half will be most frustrating for Marsch, as the visitors slipped to a third straight loss with a whimper.
They have now failed to win any of their opening five away league games of a season for the first time since 1998-99, with the tally of one point being Leeds’ lowest from their first five matches on the road in a league campaign since 1983-84.
“In both boxes we are not helping ourselves, but right now we have to find ways to stop the bleeding,” American Marsch said. “We have to fight and be ready for what is to come. I am here and I am doing everything I can to help this team.”
