Leicester City 3-0 Watford: Ndidi, Mahrez and Albrighton secure win for Craig Shakespeare’s men

LEICESTER CITY secure their fifth home victory under Craig Shakespeare in 2-0 win against struggling Watford.

Goals from Wilfred Ndidi and Riyad Marez sealed the points for the Foxes as they move to 9th in the Premier League table.

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Leicester kicked off the game as Vardy came close to an opener for the foxes with a free-kick but it was smashed clear from Mariappa against his own post.

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The first goal came from a panic in the Watford defence as the ball pinged off Capoue and there was Ndidi to slam home from close range.

Riyad Mahrez made his 100th Premier League appearance today and celebrated it with a superb finish as he stabbed it home through the keeper’s legs to double the lead for Leicester City.

Marc Albrighton made it three in stoppage time with a low finish from a Vardy pass.

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Watford have now suffered their third successive defeat and dropped to 15th in the Premier League table.

The Hornets are eight points above the relegation zone with three games remaining.

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FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Riyad Mahrez made his 100^th Premier League appearance – the first Algerian to reach that milestone. What’s more he marked it with a goal – nutmegging Heurelho Gomes shortly after the break to celebrate in style.
• It’s not often Robert Huth is bullied. But Watford striker Stefano Okaka is a hefty unit and managed to bundle the big German stopper over after hitting him like a runaway freight train!
•  Walter Mazzarri’s lack of English leads to some fantastically frantic Italian-style hand gesticulating. He put his hands in his pockets at one point and was rendered speechless for 10 minutes!
• Craig Shakespeare has clearly been working hard on the training ground as Leicester produced a series of innovative short free kicks and corners. However Okazaki was denied a certain tap in from one when Adrian Mariappa produced a breathtaking block to deflect the ball on to the post.

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• Yohann Benalouane was so far out of the first team picture at the start of the season you would have needed a telescope to spot him. Now his form is such, it looks as if Wes Morgan and Robert Huth will be battling to partner HIM next season.
• The Foxes needed the their Tunisian stopper to be at his best. Watford strike partners Okaka and M’Baye Niang like to – ahem – ‘put themselves about.’ I’m still trying to work out which one is Ronnie and which one is Reggie!
• Christian Kabasele had Heurelho Gomes to thank for saving him the embarrassment of winning the Own Goal of the Season award. The Brazilian stopper brilliantly diverted his teammate’s flying header as it was arrowing towards the far corner.
• Not to be outdone, Kasper Schmeichel showed why he is being linked with a big-money move to Manchester this summer. The Dane’s stop from Tom Cleverley’s wicked swerving shot after 36 minutes was also top drawer.
• It proved to be a crucial intervention as his side took the lead two minutes later when another clever set piece routine ended with Wilfred Ndidi smashing the ball beyond Gomes to open the scoring.

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• It was the Nigerian’s third Leicester goal this season – and every one has threatened to rip the net out!
• Watford haven’t come back to win a Premier League game when they’ve trailed at half time in 54 attempts – Riyad Mahrez’s second for Leicester after 58 minutes underlined why this would be failed attempt number 55.
• It wouldn’t be a Leicester home game without last season’s title rivals Spurs getting a mention. “Tottenham Hotspur, you sh*t it again,” Foxes fans taunted one year on from Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Chelsea, which really kicked off Jamie Vardy’s party.

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

Leicester City: Schmeichel 8, Simpson 7, Benalouane 7, Huth 6, Fuchs 7, Mahrez 8, Drinkwater 6, Ndidi 7, Albrighton 7, Okazaki 6, Vardy 8, King 6, Slimani 6, Gray 6

Subs not used: Chilwell, Musa, Amartey, Zieler

Watford: Gomes 6, Kabasele 6, Prödl 6, Mariappa 5, Amrabat 6, Cleverley 6, Doucouré 6, Capoue 5, Janmaat 6, Okaka 6, Niang 6, Deeney 6, Zuñiga 5, Pereira 6

Subs not used: Success, Behrami, Pantilimon, Eleftheriou

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