Recap
Leicester City fell to Wolves by a score of 3-0 on Sunday morning at the King Power. First-half goals from Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes, and Matheus Cunha were more than enough to ensure the visitors took the spoils in a game that the Foxes surely felt was winnable.
That was a disaster. There’s no other way to put it. The defending in the first 45 minutes was unacceptable. Wolves didn’t play badly and they deserved the points, but this defeat had more to do with City at the basics than an overwhelming performance by the visitors. I don’t know what else there is to say. That’s it. That’s the recap.
3 Takeaways
Danny Ward has now played 135 minutes in the Premier League for City this year and surrendered six goals.
Substitute right-back Hamza Choudhury was probably our Man of the Match. Make of that what you will.
On the off chance you were wondering if Mads Hermansen, Wilfred Ndidi, and Ricardo Pereira were important to our defence, I think that you have your answer.
Who could possibly have seen this performance coming? Oh...right.
The defeat leaves the Foxes on 14 points from 17 matches. We’re currently 17th on the table, just two points ahead of Wolves and Ipswich Town. Our pace would see us end the season on 31 points which qualifies as “precarious.” We travel to Anfield to face top-of-the-table Liverpool on Boxing Day and then host Manchester City one week from today. This could get ugly.
Leicester City: Danny Ward, James Justin (Hamza Choudhury 51’), Conor Coady, Jannik Vestergaard (Wout Faes 46’), Victor Kristiansen, Boubakary Soumare, Oliver Skipp (Harry Winks 46’), Bilal El Khannouss (Bobby De Cordova-Reid 51’), Stephy Mavididi, Jordan Ayew (Facundo Buonanotte 84’), Jamie Vardy (C)
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Jose Sa, Santiago Bueno, Toti Gomes, Nelson Semedo, Andre, Joao Gomes, Rodrigo Gomes, Matt Doherty, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Matheus Cunha, Goncalo Guedes
Key Moments and Notes
1’- It’s a grey day on Filbert Way. Is this a true six-pointer? Absolutely.
8’- Oh, you’d have bet on Vardy to score there. A long ball from El Khannouss finds Vardy just outside the area. Sa came for it, but the Leicester talisman got there first. The keeper was fortunate that Vardy’s touch couldn’t take the ball over him because that was a certain goal otherwise.
12’- Soumare surrenders a free kick on the Leicester left level with the penalty spot. It comes to nothing, more due to poor execution than great defending.
19’- GOAL! Where did that come from? A ball from midfield sails over Vestergaard, who’s marking Strand Larsen, and it finds Guedes alone behind the defender. Coady is late covering and Ward is caught flat-footed, The Wolves man hits it acrobatically and finds the back of the net.
Leicester City FC v Wolverhampton Wanderers FC - Premier League OK, fine. It was well-taken, but it still never should have reached him.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
24’- Justin cuts inside and shoots from 27 yards with his left peg. It wasn’t a great decision.
25’- Close! Skipp takes a free kick quickly and finds Mavididi in space. The winger wasn’t actually looking for it, allowing the defence to get back. The former Arsenal man cuts inside and tries to curl it into the corner. Sa spills it, but gathers before a blue shirt can tuck it home.
36’- GOAL! Shambolic defending leads to Wolves doubling their lead. Justin chooses to let a ball to the back post go when he could have played it. As a result, it falls to Rodrigo Gomes whose first touch takes the ball past Ward.
It got worse, Marc...
42’- Close! Mavididi tries to find Vardy in the box. He gets it wrong, but the ball comes off the defender and finds Vardy, anyway. He has his back to the target, takes a touch, and shoots. He beats Sa but it’s cleared off the line by Toti Gomes.
44’- GOAL! It’s too easy for Wolves. A simple ball Guedes from the wing finds Cunha deep in the box. He fires from a tight angle and beats Ward. Kristiansen and Soumare were beaten far too easily. 3-0 to the visitors.
46’- Van Nistelrooy makes two changes at the break, hauling off Skipp and Vestergaard for Harry Winks and Wout Faes.
48’- The commentators point out that Wolves scored from all three shots on goal in the first half and accumulated an xG of just 1.14. Ouch.
53’- Two more changes for the Foxes: Hamza Choudhury and Bobby De Cordova-Reid come on for Justin and El Khannouss.
57’- Close! A long ball finds Vardy just ahead of Sa. This time he tries to round the keeper, but his touch is heavy and he leaves himself too tight an angle.
69’- Wolves are looking comfortable in possession with their supporters enthusiastically shouting “ole!” with every pass. Oof.
There are no Leicester highlight photos, so here are two of my cats, Aymeric (top) and Calvin (bottom)
76’- Winks fires in a peach of a cross and Coady just needs to stick his leg out to poke it into the net. He does not stick out his leg to poke it into the back of the net.
79’- The City supporters are pouring out of the stands. Hard to blame them.
84’- Facundo Buonanotte comes on for Jordan Ayew.
85’- A shot by Joao Gomes is saved by Ward. That’s his first save of the afternoon.
92’- Stuff is happening. Leicester have a couple chances, but no one cares at this point.
94’- That’s it. 3-0 to Wolves.