James Maddison was on target while Harvey Barnes impressed as well, as Leicester City beat Legia Warsaw 3-1 in the UEFA Europa League at home on Thursday.
Having come into the game sitting bottom of Group C, Leicester City needed all three points against Legia Warsaw to aid their push for qualification to the next round. And despite their recent struggles, the Foxes started positively on Thursday and were in the lead just 11 minutes in, with Patson Daka firing them in front, much to the home crowd’s pleasure.
Ten minutes later, Leicester City were two goals to the good as James Maddison struck a curling effort past the Legia Warsaw goalkeeper. However, the visitors fought hard to find a way back and were gifted an opportunity when Wilfred Ndidi gave away a penalty for handball. Kasper Schmeichel brilliantly saved Mahir Emreli’s spot-kick, but Filip Mladenovic pounced on the rebound to make it 2-1.
Just past the half-hour mark, though, Leicester City were able to restore their two-goal cushion, with Ndidi making amends for the penalty by heading home from Maddison’s corner-kick to make it 3-1. Following a relentless first half, the pace of the game somewhat settled down after the break as Brendan Rodgers’ men saw out the contest without any hiccups to ensure three points in the bag.
The victory meant Leicester jumped from bottom to the top of Group C but are still not assured of a place in the knockout stages. However, Rodgers & co. will take a lot of confidence from Thursday’s display and here are our player ratings for the Leicester stars after a resounding win at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester City Player Ratings
Kasper Schmeichel: 6/10
The Leicester City skipper did well to deny Emreli’s penalty but couldn’t parry it away from danger, allowing Mladenovic to pounce on the rebound. He made a few decent saves over the course of the game without really being troubled, apart from a moment of miscommunication with one of his defenders.
Timothy Castagne: 6/10
The Belgian wasn’t involved much in the attacking sense during the frantic first half but kept his discipline defensively, popping up with crucial interventions. It was more of the same after the break as well, with Castagne making a vital clearance to thwart a headed effort at goal.
Caglar Soyuncu: 6/10
He played a part in Legia Warsaw winning the penalty as it was his header that hit Ndidi’s arm. But apart from that mishap, Soyuncu was sound defensively, even bailing out Daniel Amartey with a crucial clearance while showing his ball-carrying abilities with great regularity.
Daniel Amartey: 6/10
The Ghanaian was a late inclusion into the lineup due to the injury to Jonny Evans, which is why he was a bit scratchy. Amartey had one iffy moment when a lack of clear understanding between him and Schmeichel almost allowed Legia Warsaw a chance, but Soyuncu came to his rescue. He was pretty solid for most parts, though, ensuring that Leicester saw the game out without any late drama.
Luke Thomas: 7/10
The young left-back was a bright spark on the field for Leicester. His driving runs forward, and combination play with Harvey Barnes made the Foxes dangerous on the left side, with most of the positives that the hosts conjured coming from their flank. At the same time, Thomas was responsible defensively and made several interventions to thwart his opponents, although he was booked for a cheap foul.
Boubakary Soumare: 6/10
A so-so display from the summer signing who had a few positive moments throughout his time on the pitch without really standing out. Soumare kept it neat and tidy with his passing, made forward runs and wasn’t shy of getting stuck into challenges.
Wilfred Ndidi: 7/10
The Nigerian was not always at his best on Thursday night, as there were occasions when Legia Warsaw got the better of him in the midfield battle. Then he gave away the penalty for handball to allow the opponents a way back into the game. However, Ndidi himself closed the doors on the visitors with a fine header to restore Leicester’s two-goal lead and kill any hopes of a comeback.
James Maddison: 8/10
James Maddison has scored at the King Power for the first time since he scored a free-kick against Liverpool in February.
Back on the scoresheet. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/5W7Veg6o0d
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 25, 2021
The Player to Watch in our match preview, Leicester City needed Maddison to step up after a difficult season so far, and that is what he exactly did. The Englishman looked in his elements, playing some good-looking forward passes in attempts to pick apart the Legia defence and doubled the Foxes’ lead with a sumptuous strike. He then got the assist for Ndidi’s goal with a well-delivered corner. He was taken off after the hour mark.
Ademola Lookman: 6/10
The 24-year-old forward looked a threat, with his directness was often let down by his touch or the final delivery. However, he did get the assist for Maddison’s goal with a fine pass. There is raw potential there, but he needs a lot of polishing to become a key player for the Foxes.
Patson Daka: 7.5/10
A good, solid all-round performance from the Zambian international. Daka kept the Legia defence occupied with his movement and running while his hold-up play was also impressive, with one such moment leading to his strike for the opening goal. He tried to press the opposition defenders from the top as well.
Neat feet from Harvey Barnes before Patson Daka scores his fifth #UEL goal! ? pic.twitter.com/WesLIzG875
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 25, 2021
Harvey Barnes: 8/10
A livewire throughout the game, Barnes was the Foxes’ biggest attacking threat on Thursday night. The 23-year-old caused the visitors all sorts of problems with his pace, direct running and movement, creating several openings for his teammates. He set Daka up for the opening goal and could have scored a goal himself. Finished with two key passes – a joint game-high.
SUBSTITUTES
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 6/10
The youngster replaced Soumare a little after the hour mark and did his bit to ensure Leicester saw off the game comfortably. He made some nice passes and got in some good tackles to keep the visitors at bay.
Ayoze Perez: 6/10
He came on for Maddison in the 63rd minute and was busy trying to engineer openings in the final third without much effect.
Marc Albrighton: N/A
Sent on for Lookman with five minutes left. Booked.
Kelechi Iheanacho: N/A
Late substitute for Daka.
