Leicester earned a valuable home win over fellow promotion hopefuls West Brom to go back to the top of the Championship. The relief inside the King’s Power stadium was palpable. You pick your hero. Hamza Choudhury, whose timely defensive interventions meant Leicester saw this through or the goalscorers – Wilfred Ndidi, whose lung-busting runs saw the game out for the the home side and Jamie Vardy, who looked to have made the game safe until Jed Wallace’ set up a nervy finish.
At the turn of the year, Leicester looked certain to bounce straight back up to the Premier League, topping the table with a 13-point gap over third-place Southampton. Two losses on the bounce against Milwall and Plymouth as well as a lack of clinical edge exhibited in those games and across the season has slowed optimism. According to Opta their conversion rate of 42% is the ninth-highest in the division. Patson Daka spurned chances against Plymouth was representative of that. Vardy did similar in last month’s game loss to Bristol City and looked to be following suit in this game.
West Brom began the game pressing Leicester high looking to catch Hermansen dawdling on the ball and that bred anxiety in the home crowd. Jed Wallace playing as a false 9 caused havoc with runs into the channel. He cut back to Mikey Johnston, whose drive was blocked on the line by Hamza Choudhury.
Chowdhury had been brought in as a hybrid right-sided midfielder and was involved in making sure the Leicester goal lived a charmed life as West Brom piled on the pressure in the early part of the first half. Hermansen was forced into a save again by Johnston, who was menacing throughout as he dribbled and probed into the gap between Conor Coady and Chowdury on the right of Leicester’s defence.
When Vardy’s penalty hit the post on the stroke of half-time it felt like more of the same. Chance after chance went begging. In the 54th minute, a ball flashed across the face of goal by the tricky Stephy Mavididi that Vardy failed to make contact. On one occasion when Leicester did go long and counterpress, Dewsbury-Hall threaded through a great ball but the former England striker’s touch let him down.
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As has been the case since their relegation from the Premier League in 2021, West Brom’s away form has severely affected their ability to fight for a top-two placement,. They remain in a strong playoff position, but were left to regret a string of missed opportunities, particularly after the break with Furlong and Bartley particularly guilty.