Leicester City 2-1 Wolves: Foxes move out of bottom three with crucial win
- Published
- comments
Timothy Castagne's goal moves Leicester out of the relegation zone on goal difference
Leicester boosted their Premier League survival chances after fighting back to beat Wolves in Dean Smith's first home game in charge.
Timothy Castagne's goal 15 minutes from time secured the three points for the Foxes which lifts them out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Wolves had gone in front after 13 minutes when Youri Tielemens was caught in possession inside his own half, allowing Matheus Cunha to drive forward and finish from the edge of the box.
The goal shook Leicester, who had started brightly, but they were offered a way back into the game when Jamie Vardy went around Jose Sa and was brought down by the Wolves goalkeeper.
Kelechi Iheanacho coolly dispatched the penalty and Leicester regained the upper hand before half-time.
It was a more even contest after the break but the home side always looked the more likely and found the decisive goal thanks to some nice interplay down the left to free Victor Kristiansen and the full-back's cut-back was smartly finished by Castagne.
Julen Lopetegui's Wolves came close to an equaliser when Ruben Neves' free-kick was tipped over the bar by Leicester keeper Daniel Iversen but the Foxes held on for a precious win.
Leicester are up to 17th after ending a run of nine game without a win, while Wolves stay 13th, six points clear of the drop zone.
Leicester give fans something to shout about
The noise from the home fans at the King Power at full-time was proof Smith had delivered on his promise before the game to give them something to shout about.
It was a different sort of noise half an hour into the game as the crowd voiced their frustrations at a nervy showing from the hosts, who were without James Maddison due to a sickness bug.
There had been few signs of such tension in the opening five minutes as Leicester moved the ball quickly and should have gone in front when Vardy, released down the left channel by Iheanacho, opted to pass with only Sa to beat and Tete's shot was blocked by Toti.
Wolves soon settled, though, and Leicester, perhaps spooked as much by the nature of it as much as the goal itself, appeared to lose all confidence.
But a swift counter-attack and Sa's inadvertent trip of Vardy changed the game - even if it did likely result in the striker's half-time substitution.
Iheanacho made no mistake from the spot and suddenly Leicester's belief returned.
Kelechi Iheanacho brought Leicester level from the penalty spot with his fifth Premier League goal of the season
They were nearly in front at half-time but Sa clawed Iheanacho's curling effort away and recovered quickly to thwart Patson Daka on the follow-up.
Sa had to be alert to save from Daka again in the second half before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall blazed the rebound over.
There was a sharpness to some of Leicester's play that had deserted them for much of the opening 45 minutes and that was in evidence with the winning goal as Daka and Boubakary Soumare combined to set Kristiansen away to set up Castagne.
With six games to go and their top-flight status on the line, results are far more important than performances but Leicester's showing from the equaliser onwards will give Smith hope his team can keep the supporters shouting all their way to safety in the coming weeks.
Wolves miss opportunity to leave relegation battle behind them
Back-to-back wins had given Wolves a reasonable cushion over the sides in the bottom three and a third victory on the bounce would have put them on the brink of safety.
For much of the first half, they looked on track to do just that as they swarmed all over Leicester following Cunha's opener.
The smart pressing that created the goal was repeated countless times but despite winning the ball back in promising areas, Wolves were unable to force a second goal and kill the game off.
After centre-back Craig Dawson lashed two left-footed efforts just wide, Cunha came closest to doing so when he received a clever pass from Matheus Nunes, only for Wout Faes to get across to make a vital block.
Sa's clumsy challenge allowed Leicester the opportunity to level and shifted the momentum in the game, and although Wolves still provided a threat on the break, they were unable to fashion any clear-cut chances.
Although Lopetegui insists his side have a lot of work still to do, Wolves remain well-placed to secure their place in the Premier League next season in the next few weeks.
But this will feel like a missed opportunity to get a whole lot closer to achieving that aim.
Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
