Maddison eases Leicester to win to deepen Nottingham Forest’s woes
Maddison eases Leicester to win to deepen Nottingham Forest’s woes: Leicester City moved off the bottom of the standings and piled the pressure on Steve Cooper after a 4-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.
James Maddison was outstanding, but the talk of his prolonged exclusion from the England national team was starting to wear thin.
Maddison set up Leicester’s first win of the season, and the Foxes have now moved into second position, replacing Forest, who have lost five straight games for the first time since 2004 and have given up 18 goals stretch.
With goals from Maddison (2), Harvey Barnes, and substitute Patson Daka (who used a superb flip to finish off a fizzed pass from Maddison), Leicester switched places with Forest. Oles began to appear as the home crowd boasted of the lopsided victory as the game concluded.
It was meaningful that the Forest faithful in attendance gave Cooper their unwavering support, singing his name loudly with 20 minutes left. However, it remains to be seen if owner Evangelos Marinakis still holds in the same regard a manager who led them back to the Premier League after a 23-year absence.
Facts
There was no hiding the significance of the game for either squad, or for their respective coaches. Brendan Rodgers admitted the pressure was on but said his team will flourish in the charged environment. The results were, to put it mildly, impressive.
The best of the goals was a free kick taken by Maddison towards the top of the penalty area. After a free-kick was granted after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was fouled by Cheikhou Kouyaté, one of three Forest players substituted at halftime. Still, the attack was sparked by Maddison’s casual flicked pass infield to Youri Tielemans.
Moments before kickoff, the home crowd relived the unforgettable moment of Wes Morgan collecting the Premier League trophy in 2016 thanks to an emotional pre-match video on the big screens.
With 35 minutes played, the vibe was similar to that unprecedented season as Leicester cruised to a 3-0 lead. However, Leicester cannot begin to think about trophies any time soon.
As Leicester searched for a fourth goal, Jamie Vardy stuck his tongue out in amusement. As Leicester rejoiced, a small group of Forest players began their own investigation, remonstrating with one another over the unsettling surrender.
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The home team got things off strongly and, after weathering a storm of early Forest corners, got to work punishing their East Midlands opponents.
Half the stadium thought Dewsbury-Hall had scored in five minutes after Maddison twice wrung Renan Lodi, who appeared exposed at left-back, inside-out and scooped a cross towards the back post.
Meanwhile, Vardy, Leicester’s lone lineup change, headed wide unmarked from a clever free-kick routine and snatched at another chance. Leicester, who recruited a dedicated set-piece coach last month, appeared eager to demonstrate their preparation; Vardy nearly converted on another set-piece opportunity.
On 22 minutes, Forest should have grabbed the lead when Taiwo Awoniyi, after being sent through on goal by Morgan Gibbs-White, instead clipped the post, and three minutes later, Dean Henderson was picking the ball out of his net.
Maddison took a touch before curling an effort towards goal, and Scott McKenna’s deflection allowed the ball to go in off the post after Jesse Lingard’s woeful clearing.
Less than two minutes after making the field his playground, Maddison assisted Leicester in extending their lead by sending a sublime diagonal pass in search of Vardy from within his half. Vardy found Barnes, and after dribbling past Neco Williams, he smashed the ball with authority into the far corner.
Residents
Even Leicester’s chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who was sitting in the directors’ box, praised Barnes’s goal. It would have been nice to watch highlights of the goal on the screen in front of the owner’s seat. The stadium was packed, and Maddison residents were dancing.
After Maddison curled in a third, Forest was open, and Cooper shuffled back to his position in the visiting dugout with his head bowed. Several Forest spectators walked out to the concourses.
Cooper tried to keep up with Leicester by playing a 4-2-3-1 formation. Still, his strategy fell apart at halftime, and he ended up taking off Kouyaté, Lewis O’Brien, and Williams and bringing on Serge Aurier for his Forest debut in place of Williams.
Awoniyi
Leicester was having a wonderful evening. An outspoken, dynamic performance energized fans, but they had to endure some tense moments.
After the break, Forest nearly scored, thanks to Danny Ward’s hesitation. By playing a long ball upfield, McKenna set free Awoniyi as Ward debated whether or not to rush out of goal.
The Forest striker Awoniyi could not beat the Leicester goalkeeper, and for once, Brennan Johnson was too slow to tuck in the rebound after Ward went up to him.
After the final buzzer, Cooper walked up to the spectators and held up his hand. It appeared to be an apology, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it turned out to be a goodbye.