Jamie Vardy scores one penalty and misses another as high-flying Leicester see off Wolves

Leicester City 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Jamie Vardy’s first-half penalty was enough to maintain the Foxes’ Premier League momentum

When this round is over, it might be worth thoroughly sanitising top spot in the Premier League given it has been through so many hands. After Southampton and Tottenham had their time, Leicester City ensured they were the third to have the honour with a 1-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The clustered nature of the league as a whole, and the fact we are only eight games in at the start of November, means you can hold fire on grand statements of a hotly contested league and a potential dark horse. But as the hosts secured a sixth win of the season, by virtue of an eighth Jamie Vardy goal, replicating the extraordinary feat of 2015/16 cannot be far from Leicester fans’ minds.

For now, this was a professional display against a robust Wolves who, while shorn of former flashes, have been tough to breakdown. Their 10 points in the previous four matches suggested it would be tough for Leicester, who had lost their last two home games. But they offered little worthwhile threat and will reflect on a relatively meek showing, even though they have grounds for disgruntlement at the penalty awarded against them which, ultimately, decided the match.

As with most other examples of a handball rule many regard as too extreme, this was one to the letter of that law but not so much for the glory of the game. That Max Kilman could have prevented his hand from making contact with a rasping cross from Dennis Praet made just a few yards away from him is wishful at best. And referee Anthony Taylor viewing slow-motion replays of the incident when he consulted the VAR monitor seemed to strip the incident of its context.

Nevertheless, a mistake is still a foul, and Vardy made none in converting his fifth spot-kick of the season for an eighth goal in seven. His mistake would come 23 minutes later, however.

This time, a more clear-cut decision came when James Justin was fouled by Wolves left-back Rayan Ait Nouri. Vardy’s uncharacteristically tentative attempt, down the middle but with not enough venom or direction to avoid the knees of Rui Patricio, put an end to Leicester’s flawless penalty record this campaign. Still, seven out of eight ain’t bad.

This was billed as a meeting of two masterful tacticians. Brendan Rodgers and Nuno Espirito Santo playing off their respective systems and attacking talent. The ingredients were there for the kind of ding-dong bout that seems to be 2020/21’s default.

That’s not exactly how it played out, certainly not in the first-half which relied on the two penalties for spice, despite Leicester’s greater engagement both with the ball and in the final third. The one converted, beyond giving Leicester a 15th-minute lead, beyond being added to the litany of evidence against the current iteration of the handball rule, did at least ensure what was a fair result.

The miss combined with the half-time break elicited a reaction in Wolves, who have generally saved their best work for the second period. It is how they managed to changing four losing positions at half-time into wins last season, more than any other side.

In search of a similar turnaround, they shifted the ball around quicker, while collectively stepping up to ensure their defensive line was up to halfway when in possession to squeeze Leicester in their own territory. And, of course, they brought on Adama Traore on the hour mark. His impact, as ever, was immediate.

Yet Wolves’ best chance at an equaliser was limited to a curling Ruben Neves effort with 13 minutes to play, from just outside the box, which Kasper Schmeichel did well to tip over the bar, partly because of his inactivity up to that point. Evidently, it was all too little too late.

Leicester, with less inclination to push on, actually produced the best chance before the end. Justin’s sprint forward - this time on the left - caught Wolves short at the back. But Harvey Barnes, on for James Maddison, saw his shot deflected over the bar by Kilman who was desperate to prevent a second goal having been somewhat powerless to stop the first.

That the five minutes of added time came and went was more a critique of Wolves' lack of creativity rather than Leicester rigidity. It is now just one defeat in 25 home against for Leicester in this fixture. Long and short-term, the result, if not the entertainment, was to be expected.