Riyad Mahrez’ wonder-goal sparked Leicester in to an insatiable second half comeback, as they blew away a spirited Blackpool 3-1 at the King Power Stadium this afternoon.

Despite the visitors taking the lead, the Foxes replied with an emphatic final thirty minutes, with goals from Mahrez, Wes Morgan and Kevin Phillips sparking the home side in to life.

David Goodwillie grabbed an unlikely opener for Blackpool on the 41st minute, after a long throw caused uncharacteristic confusion in the Leicester box, the man on loan from Blackburn was on hand to turn home from six yards, much to the delight of the 345-strong travelling Blackpool support.

But as the home-side continued to weigh down on the visitors goal, the Seasiders resilience was broken on the 60th minute. Mahrez scored his first goal for Leicester City in sensational style, thumping home a ferocious 25-yard strike that whistled in to the side netting.

On the 82nd minute, Wes Morgan climbed highest at the back-post to steer a powerful header in to the roof of the net to ensure before the comeback was complete when substitute Kevin Phillips claimed his customary goal off the bench on the 86th minute to ensure that Leicester remained 7 points clear at the top of the SkyBet Championship, opening up a 17 point gap between third place Derby.

The afternoon started with Leicester clicking instantly in to their table-topping stride with the interplay of the attacking quartet Jamie Vardy, David Nugent, Anthony Knockaert and Riyad Mahrez combining to provide a tantalising attacking foray from the outset.

And the home-side thought they found an early goal, as they so often do at the King Power, but the linesman dully ruled out Vardy’s effort on the 9th minute. A free flowing Foxes move was steered in to the path of Vardy via a nonchalant flick from Nugent, but after rounding the keeper and coolly slotting home, Vardy’s effort was rightly ruled out for offside.

Blackpool recovered well from the early reprieve from the linesman, and they came the closest in the opening exchanges, with winger Neal Bishop squandering a golden opportunity to give the visitors a surprise lead on the 16th minute. The experienced Bishop found himself unmarked at the back-post but failed to divert Andy Halliday’s wicked corner goal-bound.

Despite that near miss, Nigel Pearson’s men soon established a stronghold in the game, with the incessant tenacity of Vardy and Nugent proving a constant headache for the Seasiders rearguard as Leicester went on to trouble visiting keeper Matt Gilks with a flurry of long-distance strikes that the Scottish international did well to deny.

The Seasiders continued to struggle with the attacking prowess of Leicester, as Barry Ferguson’s tactics in relaying three recognised centre backs – Gary MacKenzie, Kirk Broadfoot and Craig Cathcart- worked adequately in getting men behind the ball but failed in restricting Leicester to a foray of chances as the Championship’s top goal scorers so often create at home.

The in-form Vardy came the closest again to breaking the deadlock for the home-side, after a sumptuous Ritchie De Laet cross found a darting Vardy at the near-post, but the Foxes front-man failed to convert, although the ripple of the net was enough to confuse large sections of the home faithful who thought Vardy had edged their side ahead.

Just minutes later, Vardy squandered another opportunity to put the home side ahead as Matty James found the in-form striker with a sumptuous ball in behind the Seasider’s back five, but as Vardy raced in on goal he wastefully skewed the shot across the keeper and wide of the far-post.

However, the Foxes paid the biggest price for not converting their first half chances, as on the 42nd minute Scotland International David Goodwillie nudged the visitors ahead against the run of play.

Jack Robinson launched a Delap-esque long throw in to the heart of the Leicester defence, and as Kasper Schmeichel failed to clear, mistiming his punch, the ball fell kindly for Goodwillie to fire home from six yards to give the visitors the lead at the interval.

If the visitors were lucky to snatch a goal going in to the first half, they were certainly unlucky not to claim another at the start of the second. Just five minutes after the restart, Goodwillie had the chance to double the away side’s lead but Halliday’s fizzing ball across the six-yard box whistled past the outstretched Scotsman as he failed to convert from six-yards.

Blackpool’s bright start to the second half seemingly sparked the home-side in to life. After a sustained spell of pressure on the Blackpool rearguard, it was a moment of pure brilliance that bought the home-side back in to the game.

January arrival Mahrez scored his first goal for Leicester, delightfully tucking the ball through David Perkins’ legs before unleashing a rasping 25-yard strike that arrowed away from Gilks and nestled perfectly inside the post.

The Frenchman’s wonder strike capped a magnificent individual performance, as he continued to showcase why he has so efficiently filled the void left by injured Lloyd Dyer down the right-flank for Leicester.

With their tails up and the King Power in full voice, the Foxes almost took the lead on the 65th minute, when Nugent’s powerful header was superbly denied by Gilks as it looked on course to nestle in the top corner.

Anthony Knockaert then came close for the home side, cutting inside from the right-flank before unleashing a thunderous effort across goal which was expertly parried away from danger again from Gilks, who showed why he is considered to be one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the entire Sky Bet Championship.

However Gilks could only keep Leicester at bay for so long- as the home-side inevitably took the lead in the 82nd minute.

Fine solo work again from the enigmatic Mahrez, created a yard of space for the Frenchman to clip a delightful cross to the back-post which was powerfully met by Wes Morgan at the back-post who thumped the header in to the roof of the net.

The second goal all but cast aside a beleaguered Blackpool, but the result was put beyond all doubt when substitute Phillips claimed his second goal in the colours of Leicester, punishing some sloppy Tangerine defending in the process.

After telepathic link-up play down the right-flank, De Laet fired a teasing ball across in to the box which fell to the feet of Phillips at the back-post who emphatically fired home a half-volley to put the result beyond all doubt.

There was still enough time, however, for the home-side to test Gilks further, with the Scot denying Phillips again with a stellar save from close range in the dying embers of the game.

The win keeps Leicester’s seven points clear at the top of the SkyBet Championship with a game in hand, while the 10th away defeat in 11 for Blackpool means they fall further in to the relegation trouble, currently residing in 18th position.

 

Leicester: Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan, Wasilewski, Schlupp, Knockaert (Hammond 89’), James, Drinkwater, Mahrez, Nugent (Phillips 79’) and Vardy (Taylor-Fletcher 69’)

Substitutes: Logan, Hammond, King, Moore, Taylor-Fletcher, Phillips, Wood

Blackpool: Gilks, McMahon, Robinson, Perkins, Cathcart, MacKenzie, Broadfoot, Bishop, Halliday (Osbourne 68’), Basham and Goodwillie (Fuller 64’).

Substitutes: Davies, Haroun, Osbourne, Fuller, Keogh, Martinez and Dobbie

Attendance: 27,669 (345 away)