Leicester City beats Liverpool 3-1 four days after Ranieri sacking

Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool: Jamie Vardy brace and Danny Drinkwater stunner seals Foxes' first league win of 2017 four days after Claudio Ranieri's sacking

Jamie Vardy overhit his cross and Riyad Mahrez chased it all the way to the corner in a way that seemed strangely unfamiliar. 

Christian Fuchs arrived at pace and the pair exchanged quick, urgent passes. Fuchs centred, perfectly, and there was Vardy to head Leicester's third.

'Leicester City,' sang the fans, 'we know what we are.' Indeed we do; but the players would get very upset if we said it. For this was a performance that bore as much resemblance to what we have seen from these players as Leicester 2015-16 does to the campaign so far. 

Bar this game. For here were Leicester back to their best. Claudio's away, and now the mice will play. Leicester defeated Liverpool by an even greater margin than in this fixture last year — 3-1 instead of 2-0 — and it could have been more. 

Vardy looked one of the best goalscorers in the Premier League again, the defence were forceful and tight, even Mahrez put in a shift. Kasper Schmeichel made several good saves — from Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana — and Coutinho pulled one back for Liverpool after 68 minutes, but there was only going to be one winner here.

As they were last year, Leicester are simply better at Liverpool's greatest strength. The pace and effort Jurgen Klopp seeks in his own men pales beside Leicester on a good day. They were ferocious again, closing the red shirts down, harrying, hustling. 

Liverpool could not handle them, could not cope with the absence of time, the speed with which everything had to be done. Klopp's team have not lost a game this season with more than a week to prepare, and they had a fortnight to ready themselves for this.

But they weren't ready for Leicester – not for a team that now appears revitalised having rid themselves of the coach who engineered the greatest campaign in English football history. 

In the 65th minute – Claudio Ranieri's age – the fans sang his name, but who knows if he was even watching. If he was, it may have been with pursed lips. Here were his boys, back to their best, but considering what had gone before, it was hardly edifying. 

The fact is, Leicester played the first half like champions. Champion chisellers.

There was nothing in this display to convince us that Ranieri had been anything but the victim of a dressing-room coup.

This was a different Leicester. Not a new Leicester, because we have seen it before, but a Leicester that had not been sighted since May last year and the title run-in.

They snapped into Liverpool with a ferocity and desire that has simply been missing. They played it fast, played it furious, played with the intensity Klopp seeks from his men. And just as they had in this fixture last season, that relentlessness just blew Liverpool away.

It is just over a year since these teams met at the King Power Stadium, a Leicester win that confirmed their seriousness as title contenders and served as a prelude to the win Ranieri was proudest of all season — away at Manchester City. 

It is hard to believe the coach that masterminded the greatest title-winning season of them all is gone less than a year later, but here we are. There were handmade signs, a hired hearse outside with a blue-and-white floral display reading RIP FOOTBALL, but once the action began Ranieri's name was not mentioned again.

The locals were too busy cheering on the team who had suddenly reappeared and attempting to ingratiate themselves with caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare. 'Shakey, give us a wave,' they sang — and naturally he obliged.

Others had a darker take. 'Leicester has Shakespeare in charge tonight,' tweeted Gary Lineker. 'In the words of his Claudio, "Done to death by slanderous tongues was the hero that here lies".' 

Much Ado About Nothing, act five, scene three, if you're interested. The fans were not. This was a night to get behind the team, they had decided, as long as the team were worth getting behind.

And it was. The moment Vardy left a mark on Sadio Mane with less than a minute gone, we knew. Liverpool were playing a different team to the one that surrendered so meekly at Swansea. 

So it proved. Liverpool had been on one of those mid-winter warm-weather training trips that worked so well for Stoke at the weekend, but Leicester looked twice as fast. Maybe taking the first six months of the season off is as beneficial as a week in La Manga.

Leicester exposed Liverpool just as they had a year ago. Quick ball in to Vardy, long throws into the box by Fuchs. The first of those after five minutes found Robert Huth, whose header was kept out by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Just two minutes later, a repeat projectile was half-cleared and fired back in by Vardy, the ball bouncing up off the turf and steered on by Shinji Okazaki's head. Again Mignolet saved.

Huth was causing plenty of problems from set-pieces and in the 15th minute he headed a Marc Albrighton header over. The pressure was building, though, and Lucas Leiva in particular was struggling to cope with Vardy.

After 20 minutes, Schmeichel hit a simple long ball down the middle which Vardy plucked out of the air as if his boots were coated in adhesive. He took it down, took it past Lucas, but failed to get a true connection on his shot, which Mignolet saved. Nathaniel Clyne dived full length to head the loose ball out for a corner. 

Liverpool could not hold, though, and with 28 minutes gone, Leicester scored their first league goal in nearly 11 hours of football. 

A game of head tennis in the centre of the pitch went horribly wrong for Liverpool, Albrighton played the finest of through-passes first time and Vardy was on to it, as he would have been a year ago — if not a month — outstripping Liverpool's defence and finishing first time past Mignolet at the near post.

The Liverpool goalkeeper was forced to save again from Wilfred Ndidi after 34 minutes, but shortly before half-time, Leicester made it two. Albrighton's cross was half-cleared by James Milner, falling to Danny Drinkwater, who struck it first time from 25 yards out low into the corner. 

The King Power erupted and maybe somewhere in Rome, a very decent man reached for his remote control and, with a little sigh, changed the channel.

Ranieri sacked after 296 days of winning title for Leicester City

Claudio Ranieri sacked by Leicester 298 days after Premier League title win

Leicester City have sacked Claudio Ranieri just nine months after he led the club to their first Premier League title.

Ranieri guided Leicester to the most unlikely of title wins last season and went on to win FIFA's Coach of the Year for the achievement.

However, Ranieri and Leicester have struggled this season, with the club sitting just one point and one position above the relegation zone, having failed to score a single league goal in 2017.

Leicester are still in with a chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League following Wednesday's 2-1 round-of-16 first-leg defeat to Sevilla, but the club have opted to remove Ranieri ahead of Monday's Premier League clash against Liverpool.

A Leicester statement read: "Leicester City Football Club has tonight [Thursday] parted company with its first team manager, Claudio Ranieri.

"Claudio, appointed City manager in July 2015, led the Foxes to the greatest triumph in the club's 133-year history last season, as we were crowned champions of England for the first time. His status as the most successful Leicester City manager of all time is without question.

"However, domestic results in the current campaign have placed the club's Premier League status under threat, and the board reluctantly feels that a change of leadership, while admittedly painful, is necessary in the club's greatest interest."

Leicester were favourites to be relegated upon Ranieri's appointment, having been involved in a relegation fight the season before under Nigel Pearson.

Hutton scores as Aston Villa edged Leicester City

Premier League: Alan Hutton scores first Aston Villa goal to secure victory over Leicester City

Aston Villa won at home for only the second time this season as they came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1.

Leonardo Ulloa gave the visitors the lead after 13 minutes when he tapped in from close range after a mistake from Brad Guzan, but Villa were soon level as Ciaran Clark headed home Ashley Westwood’s free-kick a few minutes later.

Westwood was carried off on a stretcher before half-time after a challenge from Jamie Vardy but Villa secured victory when Alan Hutton fired a low shot past Kasper Schmeichel in the 71st minute.

Leicester ended the game with 10 men after Paul Konchesky was shown a straight red card following an altercation with Hutton.

The win moves Villa up to 11th in the Premier League table while Leicester remain bottom.

Both sides made two changes from their midweek matches, Charles N’Zogbia and Carlos Sanchez coming in for Villa and Danny Simpson and Liam Moore starting for Leicester.

The Foxes had struggled for goals on their travels this season – scoring just three in their previous seven matches – but they were given a helping hand for the opener by Guzan.

The Villa goalkeeper should have gathered Riyad Mahrez’s low shot in the 13th minute but looked to be wrong-footed and instead could only deflect it out for Ulloa to tap in.

Fortunately for the American it did not take his side long to respond as just four minutes later Westwood curled in a fine free-kick that Clark stooped to head home from eight yards out.

Buoyed by the goal, Villa looked the better side for the rest of the half as they worked the ball around well without creating too many chances.

Guzan was also largely untroubled at the other end but did narrowly avoid conceding a penalty when he came rushing out to try to beat Vardy to a ball over the top and just got there ahead of the forward.

The half ended on a sour note for Villa when Westwood had to be carried off on a stretcher after a tackle from Vardy.

Leicester were also forced into a change at the interval after Ulloa picked up a knock late in the half and was replaced by David Nugent.

Both sides went close during a bright start to the second half as Tom Cleverley and Jeffrey Schlupp failed to hit the target from promising positions.

Christian Benteke then spurned an excellent opportunity to give Villa the lead when he was played in by Kieran Richardso only to be foiled by Schmeichel who came diving out at his feet.

Schmeichel saved from Agbonlahor a few minutes later while at the other end Guzan also had to make a sharp stop to palm Nugent’s dipping half-volley over the bar.

A few minutes later Villa found the winning goal when Agbonlahor broke away down the left and passed inside for Benteke, who clipped a pass over the top for Hutton as he came charging up from right-back.

The defender had not scored for four years but showed good composure to take a touch and volley a low shot past Schmeichel.

It was the first time Villa had scored in the second half since April 5 but their efforts to add to their lead were thwarted by Schmeichel, who saved well from a Benteke header and then kept out another effort from the following corner.

Leicester's task was made more difficult when Konchesky was shown a straight red card in the 80th minute following a clash with Hutton.

It was unclear whether the defender was dismissed for the challenge or the following altercation with Hutton, but Leicester could not stage a late comeback with 10 men as their run without a victory extended to 10 matches.

Leicester City shames Manchester United with a come from behind 5-3 win

Leicester 5-3 Manchester United: Foxes launch comeback to secure stunning victory as United surrender two-goal lead on Radamel Falcao's full debut

When you have just spent £150million in the transfer market and secured a player of the quality of Angel di Maria, then a forward who only four years ago was playing for Stocksbridge Park Steels really should not be making you look a mug.

But Louis van Gaal will have to accept that Jamie Vardy was chief among a spirited group of Leicester City players who embarrassed Manchester United’s manager and a side that remains some way off the level required to return to the summit of the English game.

Van Gaal did his best to take comfort in the fact that he had endured such an encounter before. At Barcelona, he said afterwards, he had once seen his team surrender a three-goal advantage to lose 4-3. 

Maybe so, but it was the manner in which United capitulated here in this astonishing Barclays Premier League contest that will concern their new manager. The fact that they twice conceded a two-goal advantage. The fact that they struggled with Leicester’s pace as much as their physical approach and finished the game with only 10 men. The fact that Daley Blind, having looked quite brilliant in that holding midfield role against QPR, seemed to be drowning in a sea of blue shirts.

There is an imbalance in United that still badly needs addressing because, for all the talent they possess in attack, their defence remains dangerously fragile.

Marcos Rojo will prove himself better than this. He really struggled against Vardy but a fine full back he nevertheless remains. However, on an afternoon that had a distinctly South American flavour, United paid for their failure to invest sufficiently in a back four no longer boasting Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Jonny Evans and Tyler Blackett are not at that level, even if Blackett might yet prove to be when he learns to avoid getting himself sent off. Chris Smalling, who came on as a first-half replacement for the injured Evans, is not of that calibre, either. In fairness, the midfield failed to provide them with sufficient protection, with Blind looking a poor substitute for Owen Hargreaves, never mind Roy Keane.

But Van Gaal rightly pointed to the responsibility they had as a team to ‘kill the game’ once they were 3-1 up. He was also right to highlight the fashion in which they lost possession in the build-up to some of Leicester’s goals.  But if much of Van Gaal’s focus has been working on the ‘brains’ of his players, such a brainless performance will leave him deeply worried. 

The first of two penalties they conceded was as stupid as it was unfair. Yes, Mark Clattenburg should have blown the whistle when Vardy shoved Rafael to the ground. But how foolish of Rafael to retaliate inside the 18-yard box. ‘It was still only 3-2,’ Van Gaal acknowledged honestly.

Lost in all this, of course, was the style with which United attacked in the first half. Not least in the form of Di Maria, who delivered another masterclass as well as a quite outrageous goal. If Wayne Rooney was alone in having special privileges prior to this match, Van Gaal might now concede that he needs to extend the guarantee of a first-team place to Di Maria.

His was United’s second goal. The first came after 13 minutes from Robin van Persie with a deflected header after Radamel Falcao had justified his selection ahead of Juan Mata with a brilliant left-foot cross.

Three minutes later, a capacity crowd witnessed something magical — Di Maria completing a delightful exchange of passes with Rooney with a chip over the advancing Kasper Schmeichel that few players in the world would be able to execute.  Almost as impressive, however, was the speed with which Leicester responded, Leonardo Ulloa scoring his fourth goal in as many games 70 seconds later when he met a Vardy cross with a thumping header that flew beyond David de Gea. 

Rojo should have done better with Vardy and Evans and Rafael should have got closer to Ulloa. Even so, it was a cracking finish.   If the loss of Evans to injury disrupted Van Gaal’s back four, United managed to extend their lead after the break when Ander Herrera produced a clever flick to divert Di Maria’s shot beyond the wrong-footed Schmeichel.

But within five minutes Rafael had conceded a penalty that was converted by the impressive David Nugent and two minutes after that Leicester were level. As well as scoring Leicester’s fourth goal, Vardy was the creator of the other four — even if he did nothing other than get in the way of a Dean Hammond shot that fell to Esteban Cambiasso, who marked his home debut by becoming the third Argentinian to score.

For United, however, it again amounted to poor defending and Rooney responded by berating his colleagues.  But worse followed in the 79th minute when a poor ball from Rojo enabled Ritchie de Laet to win possession off Mata and send the rapidly advancing Vardy clear with only De Gea to beat.  Another four minutes on,Val Gaal had to endure the sight of Blackett bringing down Vardy in the penalty area. A second goal for Ulloa followed; humiliation complete.