Anthony Knockeart scored a superb free-kick which proved to be the winner
Adam Redfern reporting live from the King Power Stadium
Leicester City are on the brink of returning to the Premier League after edging a tight game 2-1 against Sheffield Wednesday at the King Power Stadium on Friday night.
Anthony Knockaert’s superb free-kick clinched the victory which sees The Foxes go 10 points clear of second placed Burnley in the Sky Bet Championship.
Michael Antonio scored the visitors solitary goal which cancelled out Riyad Mahrez’s 10th minute opener.
Nigel Pearson’s side could be confirmed as a Premier League side next season should fellow promotion hopefuls Derby County and Queens Park Rangers fail to pick up points in their respective fixtures this afternoon. If not, Leicester can clinch it on Tuesday night should they beat Brighton and Hove Albion at home.
The last meeting between these two sides saw Sheffield Wednesday run out 2-1 winners. Leicester then went on to lose their next fixture away at Brighton and Hove Albion before beginning their current 20 game unbeaten streak which has helped guide them to the Championship summit.
Leicester ensured they were in a perfect position for the Championship finale with victory against Burnley last weekend, which succumbed the Lancashire side to their first defeat at Turf Moor in a calendar year.
The King Power Stadium had proven to be a happy hunting ground for The Owls in the past having been victorious in three of their last four meetings in the East Midlands. They would also be high in confidence after winning three of their last five in the league, despite a 4-1 thrashing against Watford last weekend. But, having failed to win in their last three fixtures on the road, they would be up against it at the home of the champions elect, who had lost just one at home all season.
Nigel Pearson was struck a hammer blow in the week when Jamie Vardy was ruled out for the next few weeks at least with a groin injury. The former Fleetwood Town man had scored 9 in his last 13 starts, but limped off in last weekend’s win at Turf Moor. Chris Wood took his place alongside David Nugent in the Foxes attack.
Neat interplay in the opening exchanges between Mahrez and Nugent created a fine opportunity for Knockaert to give Leicester the lead, but he volleyed wide of the target.
Then as The Owls pushed forward in hope of a shock opener, Leicester showcased their fine counter-attacking play and when Wood picked out Mahrez on the edge of the box, the Frenchman coolly slotted the ball home past Chris Kirkland for his third of the season.
The Foxes enjoyed the majority of possession following the opener and they could have doubled their lead soon after when Nugent shaped an effort agonisingly wide of Kirkland’s right upright.
Leicester have often been criticised this season of being too complacent and when Knockaert lost the ball on the halfway line, Lewis Buxton picked out Michail Antonio on the left. Allowed time and space, the winger who was returning from a lengthy spell on the touchline with an ankle ligament injury, powered an effort passed Kasper Schmeichel to grab an unlikely equaliser. Schmeichel got his hand to the effort and would be disappointed not to have kept it out.
With half-time approaching, Leicester looked to reclaim their lead, but failed to do so and with Wednesday beginning to gain some dominance in the game; an interesting second half would be in store.
The second half was looking to be a non-event with both sides struggling to gain any sustained possession spells. But, as the hour mark approached it was the visitors who looked the brighter with Caolan Lavery testing Ritchie De Laet much like Antonio had in the first-half. Leon Best on numerous occasions also gave Marcin Wasilewski and Wes Morgan a torrid time with his strength and pace.
However, a goal failed to come for the visitors and Mahrez who has cemented his place in the Leicester side of late continued to pose a threat to the visitors on the break. When he drove at the Wednesday defence, substitute Miguel Llera brought him down on the edge of the area to give Leicester a free-kick in a dangerous position.
Knockaert has already proven what he can do from a similar range this season and he duly dispatched the set piece with an arrowed left-footed effort into the top corner, regaining Leicester’s lead and sending the Foxes faithful into dreamland.
Leicester completed a professional performance to close out the win despite a late flurry from Wednesday almost giving them an equaliser. Leicester’s resilient defence stood strong and Atdhe Nuhiu also forced a vital save out of Schmeichel to keep the Foxes ahead.
Finally the referee blew the whistle on another fantastic night for Leicester City at the King Power Stadium and come Tuesday, the party may well just have begun.
Speaking after the game, Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson said: “My job is to get this club promoted. Whether it’s tomorrow, whether it’s Tuesday, the next week, the week after, it’s irrelevant really. It’s about getting promotion.
“I want us to win every game that we can and I want us to be champions, but we’ll have to fight very hard to do that.
“We’ll get promoted as and when we deserve it.”
Sheffield Wednesday manager Stuart Gray said: “We got done on a quality finish and that’s why Leicester will be champions. They win more games and they score more goals and they’ve got quality right throughout the team.
“We were a bit disappointed to go a goal down but credit to my players, they grew into the game and I thought at half-time we deserved to go in on level terms.”
For more reaction tune in to the Saturday Sports Show this afternoon from 2pm on 107.5 Demon FM or online at www.demonfm.co.uk. For all your Foxes news follow us on Twitter @DemonSport.
Leicester City: Schmeichel; De Laet; Morgan; Wasilewski; Schlupp; Knockaert (Dyer 89’); James; Drinkwater; Mahrez (Hammond 78’); Nugent; Wood (Taylor-Fletcher 58’). Subs not used: King; Moore; Phillips; Logan.
Sheffield Wednesday: Kirkland; Buxton; Onyewu (Llera 45’); Loovrens (Coke 56’); Mattock; Antonio; Lee; Palmer; Lavery (Nuhiu 70’); Maguire; Best. Subs not used: Johnson; Helan; Martinez; Afobe.
Attendance: 26, 103 (1, 119 away)
