Reality does not necessarily reflect perception. On the face of it a victory such as Leicester City’s against Norwich, one that keeps the Championship title within Enzo Maresca’s side’s control, should have brought pure joy.
Football, as is true of life, is a little more nuanced than that, though. Yes, there was certainly celebration, and rightly so. Despite falling behind to Gabriel Sara’s strike, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall drove Leicester’s comeback.
Dewsbury-Hall has spent the season largely proving those who theorised he was above second-tier football absolutely correct. He equalised before the break and set up Stephy Mavididi to put Leicester ahead after it.
To complete the illusion, there was even a belated introduction for Jamie Vardy, the Haribo-infused symbol of better times. He bashed in a third deep in stoppage time.
All well, then? No. The feeling that it was not supposed to be like this was inescapable. The last time Leicester supporters had assembled on a bank holiday Monday was on New Year’s Day. Then, Huddersfield were brushed aside, and a 10-point gap at the Championship’s summit materialised. Southampton, in third, trailed by a baker’s dozen.
Premier League resurrection beckoned invitingly, with plenty doubtless earmarking this long-weekend as the one on which the final dots and crosses might be applied.
Three months on, though, a run of just four points from 18 had brought much gloom. And while there was on-field light, there remains the very real possibility that, even if promotion does transpire – and it may well – there will be an asterisk or two applied.
Penalties for alleged financial non-compliance could come from both the Premier League and EFL, a pair of crushing walls closing in from both sides. A strange beast this football thing, right?
Norwich taking an early lead hardly helped the mood. What David Wagner’s side – whose stellar 2024 leaves them, despite defeat here, well-placed for the playoffs – lacked in adventure, they made up for in organisation.
Their lead came from a smart, training-ground conceived corner routine. It was also their first meaningful attack. Ben Gibson took up a spot near the front post, closely attended by Dewsbury-Hall. Then, as Marcelino Núñez reached delivery point, Gibson cleared his marker away, allowing Sara – who has started each of Wagner’s 60 league games in charge – to dart in and poke past Mads Hermansen.
The 0ff-field architect Andy Hughes was mobbed by his coaching colleagues on the Norwich bench – albeit had he been under exam conditions, accusations of plagiarism would have doubtless led to the discovery that Hughes had simply taken notes from John Stones’s recent effort again Liverpool.
From a yellow pocket in the corner came the cry of “on the ball City”. They barely had been. Yet they were ahead.
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Leicester were, both before and after going behind, busy if a little unproductive. Nerves? Yes. Confidence? Lacking a tad, and understandably so. Still, their equaliser just after the half-hour was merited.
It came when Norwich failed to properly clear, and, from the recycled ball, Wout Faes floated a teasing cross to the back post. Stephy Mavididi met it and, rather than seek personal glory, he nodded it back across goal. That left an easy finish for Dewsbury-Hall.
What a difference a goal makes. The second half brought the return of the Leicester strut, the fluency that had seen them lead this division for so long returning.
Angus Gunn was required to smother Wilfred Ndidi’s effort. Sam McCallum, under no pressure, misdirected a back header and Patson Daka almost nicked in. It felt like when and who rather than if for Leicester.
The answer was Mavididi with 61 minutes gone. When Dewsbury-Hall received possession on the edge of the area, he received near universal encouragement to strike for goal.
Instead, he teased Shane Duffy inside. He teased him outside. He looked left and found Mavididi. With a touch of fortune Jack Stacey was nutmegged and a low curled finish resulted in home delight. Vardy added late gloss.