Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Leicester City 3.
West BromWest Bromwich Albion2LeicesterLeicester City3
- Leicester win for only the second time in 22 at Hawthorns
- West Brom now seven points off drop
- Leicester within three points of safety
- WBA fans pay tribute to former striker Jeff Astle
Bottom club Leicester gave their hopes of escaping relegation a big fillip as Jamie Vardy scored a late winner at West Brom.
Leicester, three points off safety, conceded first as Darren Fletcher escaped his man to head in.
David Nugent poked home to level but the Foxes fell behind again as Craig Gardner's deflected volley bobbled in.
But the visitors' hard work after the break paid off as Robert Huth nodded in and Vardy scored a 90th-minute winner.
Hard work and enterprising play, without an end product, has been the hallmark of Leicester's play this season.
But with five of their remaining seven games at home and trips to relegation rivals Burnley and Sunderland completing their fixture list, Nigel Pearson's side will hope to ride the momentum of this stirring win all the way to safety.
The match ended with the away fans chanting their confidence in their side staying up, and their West Brom counterparts - on a day they celebrated the life of former striker Jeff Astle - will now have their own concerns about their Premier League future.
| Foxes getting frisky |
|---|
| Leicester have scored eight goals in their last three games, the same total they managed in the 10 games before that. |
A wretched display in a 4-1 defeat to QPR last time out at the Hawthorns had left the Baggies eight points clear of the drop in the same week it emerged that chairman Jeremy Peace could sell the club early this summer.
Manager Tony Pulis's demands for a more focused display were heeded in the first half, but after allowing the match to escape from them in the second, relegation is a distant, but real possibility.
By the time the Birmingham Road end of the ground held up cards to create a mosaic in Astle's honour in the ninth minute - a reference to his shirt number - his modern-day counterparts had already taken the lead.
Fletcher's deft near-post glance earned him his first West Brom goal as goalline technology proved Esteban Cambiasso had failed to clear before the ball crossed the line.
The hosts were briefly pegged back when Nugent held off a clutch of defenders to guide home from Leonardo Ulloa's flick-on, but Craig Gardner's deflected volley found a way past Kasper Schmeichel and survived Leicester's appeals for a throw-in in the build-up and an offside flag against Craig Dawson to put them back in front.
As Ulloa blazed over from six yards just before the break and his team toiled in vain on the other side of the interval, it seemed Pearson was in for another afternoon ruing what might have been.
But Huth brought a game of six-yard box head tennis to a close, nodding in from Marcin Wasilewski's knock-down to give his side hope.
West Brom had seemed set to see the game out safely amid Leicester pressure before Vardy robbed Gareth McAuley on halfway, swerved outside Joleon Lescott and hit a hard, low shot inside Boaz Myhill's far post to spark wild celebrations.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis:
"Were we ever out of the relegation fight? We need the points as I said all along.
"I thought we played really well in the first half but the three goals were disappointing.
"Their first goal was lower-league stuff, the ball was pumped forward and they won the first header.
"In the second half there were two or three incidents where we picked the wrong pass or gave the ball away which gave Leicester the impetus."
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson:
"It was an exceptional goal from Jamie Vardy but we can't get carried away. It's great to get back-to-back wins but we still have an awful lot to do.
"We have had some occasions of late, especially in away games, where we don't feel we have had things go our way. It's nice to make things go our way.
"The players were frustrated with themselves in the first half. We didn't quite get going. We gave a side who looked to be a little nervy themselves a little cushion."
Line-ups
West Brom
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Myhill
- 2Dawson
- 5McAuley
- 6Lescott
- 3Brunt
- 8GardnerBooked at 49minsSubstituted forOlssonat 73'minutes
- 11FletcherBooked at 61mins
- 4Yacob
- 7MorrisonSubstituted forSessegnonat 85'minutes
- 9Berahino
- 10IdeyeSubstituted forAnichebeat 60'minutes
Substitutes
- 12Wisdom
- 13Rose
- 14Olsson
- 15Baird
- 16McManaman
- 17Anichebe
- 18Sessegnon
Leicester
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 1Schmeichel
- 2de LaetSubstituted forWasilewskiat 45'minutes
- 14HuthBooked at 75mins
- 5Morgan
- 15Schlupp
- 11AlbrightonBooked at 54mins
- 8JamesSubstituted forKingat 60'minutes
- 19Cambiasso
- 9Vardy
- 35Nugent
- 23UlloaSubstituted forMahrezat 64'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Konchesky
- 4Drinkwater
- 10King
- 26Mahrez
- 27Wasilewski
- 32Schwarzer
- 40Kramaric
- Referee:
- Martin Atkinson
- Attendance:
- 26,768
Match Stats
Home TeamWest BromAway TeamLeicester
- Possession
- Home46%
- Away54%
- Shots
- Home8
- Away12
- Shots on Target
- Home5
- Away4
- Corners
- Home4
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home15
- Away14
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Leicester City 3.
Post update
Attempt missed. Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Saido Berahino.
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Attempt saved. Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
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Foul by Marcin Wasilewski (Leicester City).
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Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal!
Goal! West Bromwich Albion 2, Leicester City 3. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Esteban Cambiasso following a fast break.
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Foul by Jamie Vardy (Leicester City).
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Gareth McAuley (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Jamie Vardy (Leicester City).
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Stéphane Sessegnon (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt blocked. Jeffrey Schlupp (Leicester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Esteban Cambiasso.
Substitution
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Stéphane Sessegnon replaces James Morrison.
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Offside, Leicester City. Wes Morgan tries a through ball, but Jamie Vardy is caught offside.
Goal!
Goal! West Bromwich Albion 2, Leicester City 2. Robert Huth (Leicester City) header from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Marcin Wasilewski with a headed pass following a corner.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Gareth McAuley.
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Attempt missed. Wes Morgan (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Esteban Cambiasso with a cross.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Craig Dawson.
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Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Wes Morgan.
Booking
Robert Huth (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
