Leicester City’s lead at the top of the Championship – widely considered as unassailable for much of the season – now stands at just six points following a 3-1 defeat at nearest challengers Leeds United.
Although the destiny of the title remains in the hands of the Foxes with twelve games of the league campaign left, the nature of this setback signals the mentality issues which have cost City so dearly in recent seasons have resurfaced with a vengeance.
What is particularly troubling for large sections of the Blue Army is that Enzo Maresca currently appears unwilling, or unable, to take any action that may assist in dispelling these issues.
At Elland Road, Maresca once again found himself outwitted by an opposing manager – in this instance Daniel Farke, whose shrewd and proactive use of personnel available from his bench proved decisive in determining the outcome of this much-awaited contest.
As a consequence, the hosts, despite being outplayed for long spells, were able to conjure a grand finale which significantly enhanced their title ambitions and ensured another uncomfortable weekend for the City fanbase.
Maresca’s starting line-up reflected his faith in players who have generally performed creditably during the past six months and played key roles in the side’s dominance of the league so far.
However, suspicions have grown about the ability of several of those players – and the central defensive duo of Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard in particular – to cope with the challenges presented by stronger opposition.
The capitulation of the defence during the latter stages of this clash did nothing to dispel such anxieties. Indeed, it continued a worrying trend previously witnessed at Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry, as well as in the two encounters with fellow title contenders Ipswich.
When Maresca has a number of other defensive options available – including experienced Conor Coady and young prospect Callum Doyle, both signed on his watch – it beggars’ belief that he refuses to allow them the chance to do the jobs for which they were recruited.
With Vestergaard now facing a two-match ban following his tenth booking of the season, the need for change is one Maresca can no longer avoid.
Yet for the first 80 minutes of the game, the City boss’s team selection and tactics appeared to have been vindicated. The side sought an early goal to silence the potentially intimidating home crowd, and duly found one.
Patson Daka, retained as striker in the absence of the injured Jamie Vardy. forced home keeper Meslier into a fine save with a powerful long-range drive, then flicked on the resultant corner for Faes to find the net with a header at the far post.
The home side responded with the brutality that has so often disfigured their club over generations. Numerous late, off-the-ball challenges on visiting players went shamefully unpunished by referee Pawson, who inflamed the City contingent even further by booking captain Ricardo Pereira for a ball-winning challenge.
Nevertheless, City kept their discipline, refusing to succumb to such crude bullying. They kept Leeds pinned in their own half for long spells during the second half yet were not quite able to find the second goal which would almost certainly have sealed the game.
Stephy Mavididi twice came close, Daka had a goal disallowed for an offside call which TV replays revealed to have been inaccurate, then the striker side footed a golden chance wide after being set up by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
In reacting to City’s onslaught, Leeds reshuffled their pack extensively, bringing on three internationals with extensive Championship pedigree in an attempt to change the course of the match. Maresca’s response, bringing on rookies Tom Cannon and Kasey McAteer for the tiring Daka and Mavididi, proved to be less than adequate.
The turning point came when Vestergaard, so impressive hitherto, miscued a cross into the path of substitute Roberts, who beat Mads Hermansen from close range.
Suddenly, the visitors’ composure, which had been such a feature of the evening. deserted them, and Gray, moved further forward as part of his team’s potential reshuffle, soon put Leeds ahead.
Many Foxes bemoaned the nature of the strike, which took two deflections before passing Hermansen. But the reality is that it is far from being the only goal of this type City have conceded on their travels this season, especially in latter stages of matches. Defences of genuine quality would have been quicker to close down shots such as this one.
In stoppage time, Leeds added a further – and totally unmerited – gloss to the scoreline when Bamford deflected home a James free-kick in circumstances which again gave cause to question the visiting defence.
Instead of marking the home striker, McAteer was deployed behind the wall as a so-called “draught excluder” to deal with a threat James had neither the intention nor the ability to make.
The result capped a fractious evening for the travelling City hordes, some of whom again brought shame upon their fellow supporters, their club and their city when booing their own players for taking the knee before the game. With other fans, clearly under the influence of various substances, blocking gangways and harassing stewards during much of the game, this was not an experience which many of those in attendance are likely to recall fondly.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, both players and management must show character and resilience in the coming weeks in order to keep City’s title challenge on track.
Failure to do this would leave Maresca with a blight on his fledgling managerial career he may struggle to overcome, as well as cast a substantial shadow on City’s future.
Leeds (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo (Roberts 73); Gruev, Kamara; Gnonto (James 64), Piroe (Bamford 64), Summerville (Anthony 90 + 1); Rutter. Subs not used: Klaessen, Cresswell, Cooper, Shackleton, Joseph.
Goals: Roberts (80), Gray (83), Bamford (90 + 4)
Booked: Meslier, Rodon, Ampadu, Kamara, Roberts.
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Ricardo (c), Winks; Fatawu, Dewsbury-Hall, Mavididi (McAteer 78); Daka (Cannon 78). Subs not used: Stolarczyk, Coady, Nelson, Doyle, Akgun, Praet, Albrighton.
Goal: Faes (15)
Bookings: Ricardo, Vestergaard.
Referee: Craig Pawson Attendance: 36 954
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