Leicester 1-4 Crystal Palace: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Pressure Grows on Claude Puel After Loss
Crystal Palace ran out 4-1 winners against Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening, heaping the pressure on Foxes boss Claude Puel.
A fortunate goal from Michy Batshuayi gave Palace the lead, before Jonny Evans levelled things up on the hour mark. However, the Eagles secured all three points following a tremendous second half performance, with a brace from Wilfried Zaha and a penalty from Luka Milivojevic.
With Leicester without a win in the league since the first day of 2019, the pressure remains firmly on Foxes boss Claude Puel, while Hodgson marked the day he became the oldest manager to take charge of a Premier League match with a match.
Check out 90min's breakdown of the game below.
LEICESTER
Key Talking Point
Claude Puel's side headed into the fixture in terrible form, having not won in the league since New Year's Day.
Admittedly, the Foxes had a run of testing games against Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham, but Saturday's fixture against Crystal Palace was one Puel would have targeted to ease some of the mounting speculation regarding his own future.
James Williamson - AMA/GettyImages
Despite their poor form, they have put in some decent displays against some of the Premier League's elite, with little reward.
This game looked to mirror previous performances as the Foxes utterly dominated the opening period, only to be sucker punched by a deflected Batshuayi strike to find themselves behind at the break.
During the second period, despite grabbing an equaliser, Leicester couldn't make good on their dominance and conceded two sloppy goals. The defending for Zaha's goal was extremely poor, leaving Puel's future at the club well and truly in the dark.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Schmeichel (5); Pereira (6), Evans (7), Maguire (6), Fuchs (5); Ndidi (6), Tielemans (7), Maddison (6); Ghezzal (5), Vardy (6), Barnes (7*).
Substitutes: Gray (6), Iheanacho (5), Okazaki (N/A).
STAR MAN - Barnes was a constant threat down the left hand side and caused Joel Ward a number of problems.
Leicester and England may have unearthed another young talent, with the 21-year-old showing some delightful touches and tricks throughout the evening. Also claimed the assist for Evans' equaliser, albeit not an intentional one, after scuffing his shot into the defender's path.
Crystal Palace
Key Talking Point
Palace headed into the fixture sitting just three points above the drop zone after a run of poor form during the back end of 2018.
Recent performances suggested that Hodgson had turned his side's form around, with the 4-1 demolition of Leicester simply reaffirming the argument. It was a superb second half display which considerably eases any immediate fears of relegation.
Clive Mason/GettyImages
Once more, the importance of Wilfried Zaha to the Palace side was evident to see. Having just 34% of the possession his pace on the counter-attack is vital.
If he remains fit until the end of the season, the Eagles should have far too much quality to be dragged into a dogfight come the final few weeks of the season.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Guaita (7); Ward (5), Tomkins (8), Sakho (6), Van Aanholt (6); Milivojevic (6), McArthur (8*), Schlupp (6); Townsend (6), Batshuayi (7), Zaha (8).
Substitutes: Dann (6),Kouyate (6), Ayew (N/A).
STAR MAN - It was another terrific display from the Eagles' understated midfielder. So much of his good work goes unnoticed, but he was rewarded with two assists for his efforts on Saturday.
His tireless work-rate just shows why Roy Hodgson has started the Scotsman in every Premier League game this season.
Looking Ahead
The Foxes are next in action on Tuesday night when they welcome Chris Hughton's Brighton to the King Power Stadium.
The Eagles will have an extra day's recovery, playing on Wednesday, but they face the daunting task of a trip to Old Trafford to take on a resurgent Manchester United.
