David Nugent’s inevitable goal was sandwiched between strikes from Jamie Vardy and Chris Wood as Championship leaders Leicester comfortably beat Town 3-0 at the King Power Stadium. Vardy opened the scoring in the 19th minute, Nugent added the second on 31 and Wood completed the scoring two minutes before the end.
As expected, Frank Nouble replaced injured top scorer David McGoldrick alongside Daryl Murphy up front, while Dean Gerken returned in goal, despite Scott Loach’s impressive display in last week’s 0-0 draw with Blackpool.
Jay Tabb took over in midfield from Luke Hyam, who is out for a fortnight with the hamstring injury he suffered in the early stages against the Seasiders. For Leicester, Jeff Schlupp replaced the suspended Paul Konchesky at left-back.
There was an early scare for Town, in their red and black away kit, when the wind caught a ball over the top but Tommy Smith got across to dispossess Vardy.
There was another worrying moment in the third minute when Gerken mishandled Luke Chambers’s header back to him but fortunately grabbed hold of the ball before it reached his goal and ahead of Vardy.
The table-topping home side were starting strongly and on four Gerken saved sharply down to his left after Wes Morgan had headed Matty James’s left-sided corner goalwards.
Vardy claimed Smith had felled him as he chased the ball in a promising area in the seventh minute but referee James Linington waved away his protests, the former Fleetwood man having gone to ground very easily.
Cole Skuse mis-hit Town’s first chance of the game wide in the 12th minute after Paul Green had caught James dallying in possession on the edge of his own area. The loose ball fell nicely to the former Bristol City man, who should have gone much closer to netting his first goal for the Blues.
Marcin Wasilewski got his name in referee Linington’s book for a high challenge on Stephen Hunt on 16 then moments later Tabb joined him for a foul on Vardy.
Cresswell forced Kasper Schmeichel into his first serious save of the afternoon on 18, the left-back whipping over a cross-shot which the Danish international tipped beyond the bar.
Vardy had been Leicester’s main danger and in the 19th minute he put his side in front, although with significant help from the Blues. Tabb failed to spot the Leicester striker in behind his defenders and played a backpass towards Gerken which Vardy intercepted and then flicked past the Town keeper from a tight angle on the left.
Twelve minutes later, it was 2-0 and perhaps inevitably David Nugent was the scorer. Chambers tried to divert Ritchie De Laet’s cross from the right behind but only succeeded in returning the ball to the Belgian, who sent it back into the box to Nugent, who gleefully tapped home his 14th goal in 13 games against the Blues and sixth in five for Leicester against Town.
There was little doubt that Leicester had been on top from the off but both goals owed almost everything to woeful Town defending.
Anthony Knockaert went looking for a third, curling a 36th minute freekick just wide, then just before the break Wasilewski flicked James’s cross from the left just over.
As the half moved into injury time, Nugent found Lloyd Dyer breaking down the centre to his right but Aaron Cresswell got across to dispossess the winger.
The end of the half came as a bit of a relief for the Blues who had been shown exactly why Leicester are top of the table and seemingly certain to return to the Premier League come May.
The Foxes had been on top throughout — Skuse’s scuffed shot was Town’s only real chance — but both goals were the result of poor defending. Given the home side’s superiority, a second half Town comeback seemed an unlikely prospect.
Morgan headed a Knockaert corner wide at the far post five minutes after the restart with Leicester starting the second half on the front foot.
On 54 Knockaert shot wide from the right with Cresswell on the ground just off the pitch having hurt himself trying to cut out an earlier Vardy cross. The Blues left-back was OK to return after treatment.
Nouble showed persistence to come close to blocking a Schmeichel kick, then on the hour Smith was unable to keep a header down at the far post after Berra had flicked on a Cresswell freekick from the left. On 61 Paul Anderson replaced Tabb with Green moving into the middle.
Town were looking more of a threat than they had in the first half and in the 61st minute Hunt’s cross from the left eventually fell to Murphy after battling work from Nouble but the Irishman’s scuffed shot failed to test Schmeichel. In the 66th minute Sylvan Ebanks-Blake replaced Nouble.
James shot wide from distance for the Foxes on 68 with the half a more even affair than the first period. Three minutes later, Cresswell dragged a 25-yard freekick well wide when he ought to have done better.
Gerken blocked Schlupp’s shot from a tight angle on the left in the 74th minute after good work from sub Riyad Mahrez prior to Paul Taylor taking over from Hunt.
Ebanks-Blake’s backheel from Anderson’s low ball from the right in the 79th minute was too close to Schmeichel, then the former Forest and Bristol City man couldn’t get away from Schlupp after being sent away by Murphy’s clever flick.
Taylor shot into the side-netting from the left as the game entered its final seven minutes. Town’s nemesis Nugent made way having netted his usual goal soon afterwards, Kevin Phillips taking over up front for the Foxes.
An Ebanks-Blake strike deflected wide on 85, winning Town only their second corner of the afternoon. Taylor flicked on Anderson’s flagkick but neither Ebanks-Blake nor Murphy could divert the ball goalwards.
Wasilewski should have made it 3-0 in the 87th minute but headed James’s cross from the left over from virtually under the bar.
However, the Foxes didn’t have to wait too long for a third goal. James played in sub Chris Wood, who beat the advancing Gerken.
In injury time Taylor curled a 25-yard freekick wide, but there was no way back for the Blues and referee Linington’s final whistle confirmed Town’s heaviest defeat of the season.
While Leicester’s two goals were rather gifted to them by poor defending, the Foxes were much the superior side and a home win never really looked in question from the opening minutes.
Town were better after the break than they had been during the first half, however, the game was all but over by that stage with Wood’s third goal adding a late gloss.
Today’s results see the Blues drop to 10th but still five points from the play-offs with sixth-placed reading losing at home to Blackburn.
Leicester: Schmeichel, De Laet, Wasilewski, Morgan (c), Schlupp, Knockaert, James, Drinkwater, Dyer (Mahrez 64), Nugent (Phillips 84), Vardy (Wood 71). Unused: Hammond, King, Moore, Logan.
Town: Gerken, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Green, Skuse, Tabb (Anderson 61), Hunt (Taylor 75), Murphy, Nouble (Ebanks-Blake 66). Unused: Loach, Mings, Richardson, Wordsworth. Referee: James Linington (Newport, Isle of Wight). Att: 28,078 (Town: 1,212).