Sports
LEICESTER City moved 10 points clear at the top of the Championship thanks to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Swansea City.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall put speculation about his future to one side as he raced clear to put Leicester ahead via their first attack of the game.
Patson Daka missed a golden chance to double the hosts’ advantage before winning a penalty which was drilled home by Stephy Mavididi, who also hit the woodwork.
Swansea had competed for a spell, but Leicester carried far greater attacking threat and put the result beyond doubt when substitute Yunus Akgun found the bottom corner after an error from Carl Rushworth.
Swansea kept pushing despite the contest being over, and got some reward for their efforts when Joe Allen tapped home in stoppage time.
Leicester’s ninth win in their last 13 league games – and a first in the last three – sees them edge closer to an immediate return to the Premier League.
There is now an 11-point gap between the Foxes and Southampton in third place, though the Saints and second-placed Ipswich each have a game in hand on the leaders.
Defeat leaves 17th-placed Swansea still waiting for a first league victory under Luke Williams, who has one point from three Championship fixtures since being named head coach of the Welsh club earlier this month.
Swansea had arrived at the King Power Stadium with the wounds of an FA Cup mauling at Bournemouth still fresh – and Williams pledging to take a different approach to another formidable away fixture.
His team pressed high and almost made a spectacular start after Jannik Vestergaard’s error presented a chance to Jerry Yates, but his shot was parried by Mads Hermansen.
As if jolted into life by Swansea’s early threat, Leicester responded by going ahead.
The goal came all too easily, with Swansea’s high line brutally exposed as Daka’s through ball allowed Dewsbury-Hall to run into space before he shot low into the net.
Leicester should have had a second when Dewsbury-Hall found another gap in the Swansea rearguard before rolling across goal for Daka.
The Zambia international blew a glorious chance to mark his return from the Africa Cup of Nations with a goal, skewing wide with the goal at his mercy.
With that Swansea grew into the game, Yates sending a shot over the bar before another long-range effort was gathered by Hermansen.
Allen’s response came in the fifth minute of added time, the veteran midfielder scoring from close range after fellow substitute Ben Cabango’s header was blocked at a corner.
Leicester manager Enzo Maresca:
“Tonight it was even more important [to win] after you drop points against Coventry, you drop points against Ipswich.
“We scored three but we could score more. First half especially we had more chances. But at the end it’s important to create chances.
“We could do many things better but in the end we are happy.
“Now because we are in the last part of the season, the most important thing is to win games. Tonight we won the game.”
Swansea head coach Luke Williams:
“I feel like we were competitive in the game for large periods and I think that’s an incredibly difficult thing to do here.
“We really gifted the second two goals. The first one is outstanding play. I think it can be closer, the scoreline, for sure. Barring us making errors for the second two goals, maybe it can be different.
“I think if you want to get something here, you have to be really clinical. The first thing is try to create some chances, the second thing is convert them. We didn’t manage to do that, so it’s a bit disappointing, but there are some encouraging things to take away as well.
“I think the fixtures have been incredibly tough. I hope we can start to move forward and look upwards.”
T.S
-January 31, 2024 @ 7:00 GMT|
Tags: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
