Leicester could be crowned champions as soon as tomorrow if Spurs fall or draw against Chelsea. If the North London side overcome the Blues, the Foxes still have two matches for an outright win or force two draws which would be enough. Their remaining matches are against Everton at home and then away at Chelsea. Tough matches but not impossible for a team which has defied all odds all season long.
Today, it was Leicester trying to fulfill their dreams, 132 years in the making, at the Theatre of Dreams against the most titled club in English history. The Manchester club began proceedings with an urgency that belied being willing accomplices to this historic achievement. Antonio Valencia’s sleight of foot fooled Christian Fuchs and then his cross with the outside traveled all the way to Anthony Martial making no mistake with his finish. Utd were all over a very nervy Leicester. There was knife edge tension as Leicester were having problems keeping the ball allowing Utd to roam forward and attack at will.
Which brings us to Wes Morgan. The first thing you notice about the Leicester captain is he’s a large unit. The second thing, is he’s a very good central defender. But what makes him stand out are his attributes as a leader. Realizing Leicester could be in serious trouble, he immediately calmed things down, signaling to his players to focus. Leicester gained back their sharpness and counterattacking bite. Captain Morgan’s organizational skills have revamped a leaky defence with Leicester conceding only 9 goals this second half of the season even as the scoring dried up. It was thus befitting Morgan gained the equalizer from a corner shrugging of Marcos Rojo heading the ball far post past David De Gea. At the other end, Kasper Schmeichel came up with a fabulous save from Jesse Lingard’s stinging shot. Lingard minutes later could have had a penalty after a giveaway saw him driving for goal but Danny Simpson’s push which felled him was not considered a last man foul as both players engaged in a grappling contest.
How Marouane Fellaini stays on the pitch is a minor miracle. His most potent weapons are his flailing elbows which he uses like dambusters to rearrange his opponents body parts. The Belgian got away with a vicious elbow to Robert Huth’s face which should be subject to retrospective punishment. Leicester also had a penalty turned down as Riyad Mahrez ran into Rojo in the box but replays showed clearly he was brought down by the Argentinian sticking his foot out. In the end, it was the visitors enjoying a little bit of luck with Danny Drinkwater already booked foul Memphis just outside the D. An error of judgment as it should have been a penalty and sending off with the midfielder dragging back the winger just after entering the penalty area. Drinkwater yapped out some verbal abuse before exiting which should see him receive a three match ban.
Jamie Vardy’s Sharknado approach was missed – Leonardo Ulloa has his aerial presence but he’s not a speedster. The big thing is Leicester gain a valuable point which almost closes the gate on Spurs. All eyes tomorrow for a very interesting evening at Stamford Bridge.
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