Jamie Vardy and Jordan Ayew scored as Leicester City ended their nine-game losing run at home in the Premier League, beating fellow relegated side Southampton 2-0. (Match Blog | More Football News)
Leicester had also gone nine home league matches without a goal – the longest run in English top-flight history – with fans at the King Power Stadium having nothing to celebrate since a 2-2 draw with Brighton on December 8.
But Vardy ended their drought in the 17th minute with his 199th goal for the Foxes, who he will leave at the end of the campaign.
Bilal El Khannouss played a give-and-go with Luke Thomas before crossing for Vardy, who finished emphatically into the roof of the net.
The contest was then halted for over 10 minutes as referee David Webb – overseeing his first Premier League game – was injured in a bizarre collision with Ayew and replaced by Sam Barrott, with Vardy stopping the match by blowing the stricken official's whistle.
But on the stroke of 12 minutes of stoppage time, Ayew was involved in a more positive manner, drilling into the bottom-left corner on the rebound after his free-kick hit the wall.
The closest Southampton came to a response was when Mateus Fernandes had a close-range finish disallowed for offside, with this defeat ensuring they will finish bottom, becoming just the second club to do so three times in the Premier League, after Sunderland.
Leicester move onto 21 points from 35 games, though they are still second-bottom, one point behind Ipswich Town following their 2-2 draw with Everton.
Data debrief: Vardy nears landmark, Leicester drought ends
Vardy's goal was his 199th in all competitions for Leicester, with the Foxes' greatest-ever player determined to reach his double-century before departing at the end of 2024-25.
His opener – an emphatic left-footed finish that beat Aaron Ramsdale at his near post – was an important one for Leicester as they avoided an unwanted place in the record books.
The Foxes could have become just the second team in English league history (top four tiers)바카라 웹사이트to go 10 consecutive home games without a goal, after Wolves in 1984-85.
While Ruud van Nistelrooy's men avoided replicating that streak, Southampton are still tied with Derby County's class of 2007-08 for the worst points tally in a Premier League season. And with Manchester City, Everton and Arsenal the Saints' final three opponents, that task appears a difficult one.
Interim manager Simon Rusk can, however, claim to be Southampton's most successful boss this season.바카라 웹사이트
Despite failing to win any of his five matches at the helm (two draws, three defeats), he has averaged more points per game (0.4) than Russell Martin (0.31) or Ivan Juric (0.29).
