Leicester City have beaten Newcastle United 1-0 at the King Power Stadium to keep their title hopes on track.
Few gave Newcastle any chance of upsetting the league leaders, but they started surprisingly well and had the lion’s share of play in the first 15 minutes.
Eventually the Foxes upped the tempo and they got the decisive goal on 25 minutes.
The Newcastle defence struggled to deal with an aerial ball, and Japanese international Shinji Okazaki was on hand to give his side the lead with a superb bicycle kick.
After Rafa Benitez’s first half time address as Newcastle manager, they came out more in the second half and wasted a glorious chance when Sissoko decided to square the ball to a team mate instead of shooting himself.
The Magpies had a few more half chances but ultimately the champions-elect held on for what could be a huge three points.
READ MORE: How Twitter reacted to Leicester City’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United
Rafa can keep Toon up
Despite it being another match which Newcastle registered a blank, there were positive signs from the Magpies which suggest new manager Rafa Benitez can master an unlikely survival. The players seemed to show more hunger, there looked to be more tactical organisation, and at the end of the day they lost to the league leaders by just a single goal. The test will now be the huge Tyne-Wear Derby this Sunday against Sunderland. Victory over their rivals will lift them out of the bottom three and fans should be encouraged after tonight’s showing.
The dream lives on for Leicester
It was far from vintage from the leaders, but scrappy wins like this are the ones you remember if you win the league. The victory sees Leicester go five points clear of Tottenham with just eight matches remaining. One of the greatest underdog stories in sporting history is unfolding, and all they need to do is keep picking up three points and they will enter the history books. The pressure on the players will only increase as the season draws to a close, but you get the feeling that Claudio Ranieri and his players have the mental strength to cope with any challenge that comes their way.
Does Seydou Doumbia have fitness issues?
There was a big buzz when Newcastle signed Seydou Doumbia in late January. The 29-year-old striker with Champions League experience was expected to play a big role in the club’s fight for survival, however we are yet to see a great deal of the Ivorian. Initially the word was that he was struggling for match fitness, but with more than a month passing since he signed, he can never seem to get more than 10 minutes of playing time. It is certainly a strange case given his credentials, but if Benitez can get Doumbia fit and firing, it would be a huge boost for the Magpies’ survival prospects.
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