The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsJamie Vardy has deservedly taken the headlines recently but it was his teammate Riyad Mahrez who was in the spotlight this week after scoring a hat-trick.
The Algerian has been in immense form so far this season but his recent efforts have been in the shadows with Vardy breaking the record last weekend. He reminded everyone why he’s one of the Premier League’s stars at the Liberty Stadium after his three goals took the Foxes to the top of the league table.
It took less than five minutes for Leicester to break the deadlock; the windy conditions caused havoc in the Swansea box, allowing Mahrez to put his side ahead from a corner. His second was an assured finish after a pass from N’Golo Kante although there was a suspicion offside, but the linesman’s flag wasn’t raised.
The Swans did manage to catch a break from Leicester’s dominance and create some chances of their own. Ki Sung-yeung hit the bar with a header in the second period and Gylfi Sigurdsson struck the post when the game was already settled.
The Foxes dominated the first half and should have been four or five goals up. In addition to Mahrez’s two goals, Vardy, Leonardo Ulloa and Mahrez once again had big chances to score.
It took until just past the hour-mark for Leicester to really seal the victory; Kante split the Swansea midfield to find Vardy in the box who unselfishly picked out Mahrez at the back post to calmly slot the ball past Lukasz Fabianski. It was an excellent counter-attack, a piece of play that is really beginning to define Leicester City.
Vardy couldn’t continue the streak which was a shame for him and everyone involved with the club, but the three points were the most important thing from this game and he was still involved in assisting Mahrez for the hat-trick.
These two players have become such a deadly duo in the Premier League this season; Vardy has 14 goals and 2 assists while Mahrez now has 10 goals and 6 assists. Their combined goals tally is more than what 14 top flight teams have managed as a team, so it is no wonder why the Foxes are in the position they’re in.
It was a potentially difficult game today but Ranieri’s men made it look very comfortable. It’s their second 3-0 away victory in a row and they still haven’t lost on the road since March, but this really piles the pressure on Garry Monk and Swansea.
The Leicester fans can dream but no-one will know if they are genuine title contenders until after Christmas when the tough run of fixtures is over. The Foxes’ next four league games are Chelsea at home, Everton away, Liverpool away and Manchester City at home; it will be a great indication of where the club is at.
The players are at an all-time high with confidence and the quality of football is growing each week, so at the moment Leicester are capable of giving any team a game.
