Shinji Okazaki fires Leicester’s only goal as the league leaders extend their lead at the summit to five points. The Foxes register a sixth clean sheet in seven at the King Power as Rafa Benitez tastes defeat in his first match in charge of the Magpies.
Okazaki Wins it for Foxes
Leicester City restored their five-point lead at the summit of the Premier League by way of a 1-0 home win over Newcastle United.
Shinji Okazaki opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a pinpoint overhead kick, breaking his run of seven outings without a goal.
The Japanese marksman was teed up by Jamie Vardy, who notched his second assist in four starts. In spite of his creative contribution, the league’s joint-top scorer lays claim to a solitary goal in his previous six starts, denoting a downturn in form. Although the Foxes’ schedule (cry, SOU, sun) continues to throw up a host of promising fixtures, Romelu Lukaku’s purple patch (three goals and one assist in four) and imminent double Gameweeks could tempt a portion of Vardy’s 55% ownership to contemplate the switch.
Riyad Mahrez came up short for the 7% of voters that handed him the captain’s armband. Nonetheless, the Algerian midfielder ranked joint-third among his counterparts for attempts (three) this Gameweek and netted in two of his last three away starts, which bodes well for a road clash against a Crystal Palace outfit that’s shipped the joint-most goals (23) since Gameweek 20.
Having silenced Newcastle, Leicester now boast six clean sheets in their last seven home outings. Considering that Christian Fuchs possesses a better points per game (ppg) average (4.5) than the likes of Danny Simpson (3.9) and Robert Huth (3.8), the Austrian full-back represents the prime route into the East Midlanders’ defence.
Benitez’ charges fall to defeat
Rafa Benitez was unable to inaugurate his reign in the North East with a positive result, yet Newcastle displayed shoots of improvement at the King Power Stadium.
Ultimately, the Magpies failed to score for the fifth time in seven away match-ups, illustrating their paucity of offensive spark beyond St James’ Park – indeed, the Tynesiders have tallied four fewer goals (seven) than any team on the road.
As for their defensive output, Newcastle will draw encouragement from the fact that they limited the hosts to just 10 attempts and one shot on target, given that they surrendered nine goals in their previous trio of matches. That being said, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which we’re attracted to a rearguard that’s conceded the joint-second-most goals (54) this term.
The Toon now embark on an agreeable pair of fixtures (SUN, nor) that will go some way to determining their chances of survival. If they can discover some semblance of attacking verve, Georginio Wijnaldum – who places joint-third for goals (nine) among midfielders – could emerge as a left-field differential. In saying that, the Dutchman managed just one attempt on goal last night, with Aleksandar Mitrovic (four shots, all in the box) and Moussa Sissoko (three close-range efforts) boasting the main threat for the visitors.
