The Foxes could only manage a draw at home to West
Brom on Tuesday but the fans should remain optimistic after another
pleasing performance and with the pressure now on Tottenham.
If someone who didn't know the circumstances had seen the
dejection that met the final whistle at the King Power Stadium, they
would likely have thought Leicester City had blown any chance of winning
the Premier League title. In truth the Foxes are very much alive in the
race for glory.
A 2-2 draw at home to West Brom is not the kind of result a title
tilt is generally built on, and after the Foxes’ heroics in recent
months it is not hard to work out why many supporters left Filbert Way
feeling a little glum about their chances of completing the ultimate
football fairy tale.
But in reality this was a performance that prospective champions
would be proud of. In a match in which many felt it could struggle to
break down the Baggies, Claudio Ranieri’s side mustered 22 shots on goal
and had enough clear-cut chances to win three matches. Only the
woodwork and Ben Foster stopped the Foxes this time.
"It was a fantastic match, and I am very pleased with our
performance," Ranieri told reporters after the match. "[We needed] just a
goal, but we created a lot of chances. It was a little unlucky, but I’m
happy.
"I am more confident now than after the match against Norwich. With
Norwich we won the match at the end but we created very, very few
chances. Tonight we created a lot of chances, drew the match, but that’s
okay.
"Four points from two difficult matches is fantastic. We are alive.
Our spirit is ready to fight again. I’m not so happy without the three
points, but you can’t always get three points. Then I look at the
performance, and the performance was fantastic."
Leicester’s run-in has been lauded as remarkably straightforward, but
Saturday’s last-gasp win over Norwich only served to show that it would
be anything but as opponents set out to limit the space for Ranieri’s
swashbuckling attacking players to operate in.
A similarly cagey encounter was expected against West Brom,
particularly given Tony Pulis’s penchant for playing multiple defenders
and stifling the league’s top sides. His men had only conceded 14 goals
away from home in the league before the visit to the King Power and were
buoyed by two straight wins that have helped them pull clear of
relegation trouble.
But with Saido Berahino and Stephane Sessegnon retained alongside
Salomon Rondon in an attacking trio, it was clear early on that there
would be opportunities for Leicester if it was good enough to take them.
It may have needed Rondon’s opener to stun the Foxes into life, but
for 75 minutes they were thrilling to watch. Riyad Mahrez seems to be
back in the groove after a quiet game against Norwich while Marc
Albrighton’s crossing ability is matched by very few in England's top
flight at present.
Alongside them, Danny Drinkwater put in perhaps his finest
performance of what is becoming a stellar season for the former
Manchester United trainee, while Andy King helped cover for N’Golo
Kante’s absence in a hard-working display that was rewarded with a goal.
Many pondered how Ranieri’s side would cope without the summer
signing from Caen, but King highlighted the spirit that has been created
in the squad in a similar fashion to match-winner Leonardo Ulloa three
days earlier, as he barely put a foot wrong.
Craig Gardner’s stunning free kick may have denied the home side all
three points, but there were very few negatives that Ranieri will lose
sleep over.
His defense – most notably Robert Huth – struggled at times to deal
with the physicality of Rondon, but having not conceded at home for
nearly eight hours, they can be forgiven for one sub-par display. They
cannot afford to make it a habit, of course, but some of their title
challengers have far bigger issues to resolve before they start to close
the gap.
The draw means that Tottenham can overhaul Leicester at the summit
with a win over West Ham on Wednesday, but if anything that could suit
the Foxes. Suddenly the pressure would not be quite as intense, while
Mauricio Pochettino’s side would need to deal with being top of the
Premier League for the first time outside of August in the division’s
history.
Tottenham’s visit to Upton Park is followed closely by the North
London derby on Saturday, meaning at least one of Leicester’s title
rivals will have dropped points by the time it takes the pitch again
against Watford that evening. The clash at Vicarage Road now takes on
more significance, but failing to beat the Hornets would still not be
the end of the club's challenge.
In stoppage time Ranieri had to stop goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel
from going forward for a free kick, leaving the Dane visibly furious
with his manager. But Leicester’s players, as well as their fans, must
realize that all is not lost.
Pulis revealed he will now be supporting the Foxes to go on and win
the title, and he is far from alone in doing that. If the performance
against his team can be replicated going forward, he may not be
disappointed come May 15.
Goal.com
