Crystal Palace condemned Leicester City to a sixth straight Premier League defeat with a 2-0 win at King Power Stadium.
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Two second-half goals were enough for Palace, who rode some early pressure from Leicester before pulling clear, with Jamie Vardy notably going close in the opening exchanges.
However, Jean-Philippe Mateta was the more clinical of the two strikers, neatly rounding Jakub Stolarczyk to give Palace the lead seven minutes into the second half.
Marc Guehi extended the Eagles’ Premier League unbeaten streak to four matches with 12 minutes to play, volleying in the winner after Boubakary Soumare had struck the bar at the other end.
The defeat leaves Leicester in 19th, two points from safety, while Palace leapfrog Manchester United into 14th.
How the match unfolded
Vardy was typically at the centre of the action early on with two efforts on goal in the first two minutes, the second whistling just beyond a post. He came close again shortly after, going through on goal, but Dean Henderson denied him.
Palace grew into the game as the half went on – Mateta volleying over after Daniel Munoz closed down Victor Kristiansen’s clearance, while Will Hughes drilled over from distance.
The visitors came flying out of the blocks after the break though, with Mateta latching onto Ismaila Sarr’s wonderful pass before rounding Stolarczyk, who was left scrambling, to fire into an empty net.
Leicester threatened an equaliser, with Soumare’s rifled effort from the edge of the box beating Henderson, only to smack the crossbar.
Guehi then put the match beyond doubt late on, meeting Eberechi Eze’s scooped set-piece to volley it into the roof of the net.
Foxes fizzle out
Leicester laid the foundations for a much-improved performance within the first two minutes, Facundo Buonanotte winning the ball back deep in Palace’s half and teeing up Vardy, whose shot was blocked.
The hosts did beat QPR 6-2 in the FA Cup on Saturday and seemed to be playing with confidence again. Vardy twice went close again as his side played with the type of gusto not always evident at home this season.
Despite having more chances in the first half, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side could not take advantage and they paid the price for that after the break.
The defensive frailties that have set them back were on show again after half-time, Sarr managing to thread a ball through for Mateta to take one of the few clear chances the visitors created.
Soumare will feel unlucky that he was denied by the bar, while Stephy Mavididi headed wide, but a sixth straight loss can largely be blamed on failing to capitalise on those early chances.
Sturdy Eagles soar
Palace may not have played the swashbuckling football they are capable of in this win, but they proved they are such a solid team that it does not matter.
Oliver Glasner’s side have now only lost one of their last 10 Premier League matches, against title-chasing Arsenal, as they climbed eight points clear of the relegation zone.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
21 | -5 | 24 |
| 15 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
20 | -5 | 23 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
20 | -11 | 17 |
| 17 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
20 | -15 | 16 |
| 18 |
Wolves
WOL
|
21 | -17 | 16 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
21 | -23 | 14 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
20 | -32 | 6 |
Palace have beaten the current bottom three – Ipswich Town, Southampton and now Leicester – on that run, as well as a memorable victory away at rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
Those results suggest a comfortable mid-table finish is likely, but this win warrants particular credit considering the defensive reshuffle Glasner had to oversee in the build-up.
On-loan defender Trevoh Chalobah was recalled by Chelsea hours before kick-off but a back three of Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Guehi managed to keep Leicester at bay.
At the other end, Sarr stood out in attack, the forward continuing to grow in confidence on his return to English football by setting up Mateta’s goal with an intelligent through-ball, before forcing Stolarczyk into a stoppage-time save that would have put the icing on the cake.
Match reports
Leicester report | Crystal Palace report
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Leicester have lost each of their last six Premier League matches in succession, their longest run in the competition since September 2022. The Foxes last endured a longer top-flight losing streak between March and April 2001 (eight defeats).
Crystal Palace have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League fixtures (W4 D5), with their current six-match unbeaten run on the road (W3 D3) the club’s longest in the top flight since February 1992.
All six of Marc Guehi’s Premier League goals have come from set-piece situations (3x corners, 3x free-kicks), whilst five of his six overall have come away from home.
