Leicester City vs Stoke match report: Foxes fairytale continues as Jamie Vardy returns to scoring ways

Leicester City 3 Stoke City 0

(Getty)

So the Leicester City bubble has not burst after all. Claudio Ranieri’s men kicked off this game on the back of a run of one win in seven, which featured FA Cup elimination by Tottenham Hotspur and not a single goal from record-breaker Jamie Vardy.

Ninety minutes later, though, they had presented the doubters with a pretty emphatic riposte – a three-goal victory that lifted them back to the top of the table and had the home fans singing “We’re gonna win the league”.

With 15 games to go, even if they fall short of that remarkable feat, the Champions League looks well within the grasp of a side who now hold a 10-point lead over fifth-placed Manchester United.

It was an afternoon when a subdued Stoke City were simply unable to live with the pace and energy of the home team. For the third goal, in the 87th minute, Riyad Mahrez had the confidence to pull off a party piece, picking up a pass from Vardy, exquisitely nutmegging Philipp Wollscheid in the box and crossing for substitute Ulloa to stab in.

Danny Drinkwater celebrates scoring for Leicester against Stoke (Getty Images)

“Fantastic” was Ranieri’s verdict on Mahrez’s show of skill – though there were other contenders for man of the match, such as the tireless striker Shinji Okazaki and midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who scored the first goal and set up the second for Vardy. “He is a hard worker and a good passer and a very good midfielder,” said Ranieri of the impressive Drinkwater.

It capped an impressive return to winning ways for Leicester at the King Power Stadium, where they had not scored in three matches – since they beat Chelsea more than a month ago. Moreover, it was the perfect confidence boost as they host Liverpool, then visit Manchester City and Arsenal for their next league games.

They made a slow start, with Jon Walters missing his kick when clear in front of Kasper Schmeichel, but soon took control. Vardy’s snapshot tested Jack Butland and Mahrez’s scissor-kick, from the resulting corner, flew wide.

It did not help Stoke that their captain, Ryan Shawcross, limped off inside half an hour. “His back locked up on him, and his hip. We are hopeful it is nothing too serious,” said his manager, Mark Hughes who hopes his skipper will be available for Tuesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Liverpool. With an eye on that tie, Hughes left Bojan on the bench and chose not to risk Marko Arnautovic, because of a hamstring problem.

Hughes admitted that “maybe subconsciously” his players’ minds were also on Tuesday, when they must overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit. It made for a forgettable 500th game as a manager for the Welshman, whose team fell behind after 42 minutes when Drinkwater claimed his first Premier League goal after a flurry of home corners.

Jamie Vardy watches the ball go in past jack Butland (Getty)

Although Wollscheid got his head to Marc Albrighton’s dead ball, the German was under pressure from Robert Huth and his clearance only reached Drinkwater who drove the ball in, via a deflection off Marc Wilson that left Butland flatfooted.

At the other end, Danny Simpson’s brilliant intervention stopped Mame Biram Diouf reaching a Xherdan Shaqiri cross, but only Joselu’s second-half header actually brought a save out of Schmeichel. Instead as the game became more open, Mahrez began embarking on those twinkle-toed runs and Leicester’s threat grew.

Drinkwater created the second goal with a terrific, spinning ball over the shoulder of Marc Wilson and into the space that Vardy loves to attack, He strode on to the ball, rounded Butland and finished for his 16th league goal of the season. Then came Mahrez’s party piece, Ulloa’s finish and a very happy Ranieri. “It was very important because now comes a very tough February with Liverpool, Arsenal and City. It is [an] unbelievable [schedule] but it is good and we are ready to fight. Now the players will have three days off so they can clear their minds, and we’ll start to work again. This league is very exciting for us.” It certainly is.