Leicester, the current frontrunners in the EFL Championship, traveled to South Wales on Saturday as heavy favorites. They boasted a flawless record away from home, winning all of their previous games except one. However, standing in their way was Swansea, a team in top form with four consecutive wins and determined to ruin another party for Jamie Vardy and his teammates.
The starting line-up for Swansea consisted of Rushworth, Key, Tymon, Darling, Humphries, Grimes (the captain), Patino, Cullen, Paterson, Lowe, and Yates. Meanwhile, Leicester fielded Hermansen, Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin, Ndidi, Winks, Dewsbury-Hall, Fatawu, Vardy, and Mavididi.
At the start of the match, the away side dominated the exchanges, creating the first goal-scoring opportunity. Wilfred Ndidi made a steal in midfield and initiated a clever move involving Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Eventually, Harry Winks unleashed a bending shot that narrowly missed the Swansea goal.
However, as the game progressed, Swansea grew into the match and proved to be a worthy opponent. With confidence in possession, midfielders Matt Grimes and Charlie Patino combined well, almost finding a perfectly timed run from forward Jerry Yates. Yet, Leicester’s goalkeeper Mads Hermansen was alert and interrupted the attack.
Building on this promising spell, Swansea took a surprising lead midway through the first half. Captain Matt Grimes scored a remarkable goal, his third of the season. Following a corner, Leicester failed to clear the ball effectively, allowing it to reach the edge of the penalty area. With exquisite technique, Grimes connected with a left-foot volley that flew past Hermansen and found the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
Conceding the goal spurred Leicester into action, and they began to play with a more direct urgency. Stephy Mavididi created space on the right flank and delivered a low cross that eluded everyone in the box, giving Swansea the chance to clear their lines.
Carl Rushworth, Swansea’s goalkeeper, faced a barrage of crosses as Leicester pressed high up the pitch. Dewsbury-Hall came close with a cross-shot, which narrowly missed the target. Harry Winks also attempted a shot on the turn, but it landed straight into Rushworth’s hands from the edge of the box. Although Leicester appeared more likely to score, they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, Leicester leveled the scoreline. A corner from the left found the head of Belgian defender Wout Faes, but deflected onto a Swansea player. With Rushworth down on the ground, Jannik Vestergaard was quick to react, tapping the ball into an open net.
Swansea responded positively and nearly regained their lead before the break. Liam Cullen unleashed a thunderous left-foot strike from 25 yards out, which deflected off the woodwork. The resulting corner also posed a threat to Leicester, with Harry Darling’s header exposing their vulnerability on set-pieces, although it failed to hit the target.
Leicester dictated the play in the early stages of the second half, pushing Swansea deep into their own half. Mavididi came close to capitalizing on neat build-up play by Ndidi and Vardy, but dragged his shot wide from a promising position on the left.
The visitors maintained control of the game, and they finally took the lead for the first time. Abdul Fatawu unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner, leaving Rushworth with no chance. Dewsbury-Hall’s precise cross had found the Ghanaian international winger at the back post.
With Leicester in full control, it seemed only a matter of time before they scored a crucial third goal. Swansea had Rushworth to thank when he denied Vardy, who broke through on goal, while Ndidi squandered a golden opportunity moments later.
However, Swansea weathered the storm and came close to equalizing in the final fifteen minutes. Jamie Paterson’s effort was desperately blocked by Leicester defender Wout Faes. Jamaican forward Jamal Lowe also tested Mads Hermansen with a curling shot towards the bottom corner, igniting hope of a comeback among the crowd.
Unfortunately for Swansea, their hopes were dashed five minutes before the final whistle. Leicester caught them on the counter-attack, and substitute Kelechi Iheanacho calmly slotted the ball past Rushworth, taking advantage of the Swans’ committed players in the opposition half.
Leicester City now looks ahead to hosting Sunderland in their midweek fixture, while Swansea will continue their campaign in the Championship.
