Leicester City 1-0 Burnley
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Demarai Gray celebrated at the final whistle with a newly blonde Riyad Mahrez
An early goal from Demarai Gray was enough to give Leicester victory against Burnley at the King Power Stadium.
Gray got on the end of a Riyad Mahrez cross for the opener and hit the post with another effort in the second half.
Burnley's Robbie Brady was taken off on a stretcher before the break following a nasty clash with Harry Maguire in the box.
Chris Wood almost pounced on a mistake from Kasper Schmeichel in one of several half-chances for Burnley.
But Leicester held on for their second successive win, leaving them ninth in the Premier League table.
Burnley started the match in sixth place, just three points off Arsenal in fourth, after winning four of their previous five games.
But Sean Dyche's side couldn't continue their recent good form and have dropped to seventh after suffering only their second away defeat of the season.
You have to take one for the team - Gray
Gray hurt himself as he crashed into the post to score Leicester's winner
Claude Puel made just one change to the starting line-up as Demarai Gray came in for Shinji Okazaki - and it paid off.
Gray's early first-half goal proved to be the match winner and his influence was second to none before he came off to a standing ovation with five minutes left to play.
The competition for a place in the starting line-up is clearly paying dividends as Gray showed desire and commitment to score, crashing into the far post and hurting himself in the process.
Eager to show Puel he was right to select him ahead of Okazaki, Gray said he had to "take one for the team".
"The manager always likes to rotate the team and when I play I just have to do my best and I was happy to contribute," Gray told BBC Match of the Day.
"I struck the post too and as a team we had many chances to see the game off in the second half but it wasn't to be, so we had to defend well."
Puel, who was "encouraged" by Gray's performance in an attacking role behind Jamie Vardy, would not give away any clues as to whether he had done enough to keep his place in the starting XI.
Puel added: "It is encouraging to see different players in different positions. He made good runs and created a lot of chances."
Leicester's victory means they have lost just one of their last 10 games in all competitions - and that was against Manchester City.
Brady injury blunts Burnley's threat
Brady was taken to hospital after his crunching tackle
The biggest concern for Burnley will be the extent of Brady's injury, after he was stretchered off in the first half.
He had gas, air and heavy strapping on his left leg as he was carried off following a nasty tackle on Maguire.
Brady has been one of Sean Dyche's most reliable players this season and after grabbing an assist and a goal against Bournemouth on Wednesday, it was a blow to see him come off within the opening half hour.
Prior to that lengthy halt in play, Burnley had been well on top, having had seven shots on goal in the opening 25 minutes.
They were shaken by his departure and Leicester were able to exert pressure of their own throughout the second half and went on to pick up their second victory in a week.
With 14 appearances for Burnley this season, Dyche admitted it was a "blow" to lose Brady and confirmed he had gone to hospital amid concerns of a "serious injury".
Man of the Match - Demarai Gray
Gray has found the net twice in 14 Premier League appearances this season, double the total the youngster had in 30 appearances last season.
'An important win' - reaction
Leicester manager Claude Puel: "On the pitch it was a difficult game, they are with confidence. We saw this in the first half.
"It was important to win this game. I think it's a good result and a good reward for the players and their hard work on the pitch.
"We need to continue to improve all of the time. We need to keep this positive attitude."
Leicester attitude fantastic - Puel
Burnley manager Sean Dyche: "They're in good form. It was a poor goal from our point of view. In the second half it becomes a bit more like a basketball match and they defend and counter.
"At the end we have a chance to nick one but [we did] not [get] the rub of the green. We like the fact we are keeping games tight, that's an important theme for me. I've said to the players: 'We're progressing.'"
On Brady: "We're waiting on news but we think it's more serious than not serious. We'll just have to wait and see."
Game became a basketball match - Dyche
Rare goalscoring blank for Burnley - the best of the stats
The Foxes are unbeaten in their last seven league home games against Burnley (W4 D3 L0), including wins in the last two games.
Puel has won three of his first four Premier League home games in charge of Leicester, with the Foxes winning successive home league games for the first time this season.
Leicester have lost just one of their last 10 games in all competitions (W5 D4 L1) - the loss was a 0-2 defeat against Manchester City.
This is just the second time in their last 11 Premier League away games that Burnley have failed to score, also drawing a blank at Man City in October.
After three successive PL wins and clean sheets, the Clarets have conceded a goal in each of their last three, losing twice and winning once.
What's next?
Burnley return to Turf Moor to take on Watford next Saturday (15:00 GMT) while Leicester travel to St James' Park for the late kick-off. (17:30 GMT)
More to follow.
- Published30 November 2017
