- Leicester 3 points clear at top
- Vardy, Ulloa, Drinkwater score
- Shawcross injured for Stoke
Leicester City went top of the Premier League on Saturday after a convincing win over Stoke City at the King Power Stadium.
A first half strike from Danny Drinkwater put the Foxes 1-0 up, while Jamie Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa each struck in the second half to put some gloss on the scoreline.
With the victory the Foxes are top of the table on 46 points, three clear of Arsenal, while Stoke remain on 33 points.
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Early on Leicester looked dangerous with Shinji Okazaki smashing a shot over the bar, plus Mahrez going close with an acrobatic effort and Vardy’s shot saved by Jack Butland.
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Stoke’s skipper Ryan Shawcross had to be replaced after 30 minutes after suffering an injury, and that clearly impacted the Potters’ backline with Leicester launching plenty of attacks and looking dangerous every time they surged forward.
Before the break the first goal arrived with Drinkwater drilling in Leicester’s opener in the 42nd minute. It was the first PL goal of his career and also Leicester’s first goal from outside the box this season.
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Stoke pushed hard at the start of the second half with Joselu’s header saved by Kasper Schmeichel in the 60th minute but soon the Potters were 2-0 behind.
In the 67th minute Vardy scored his first goal in seven games with a superb finish after Drinkwater’s ball over the top saw the England international race clear to net his 16th of the season. Relief for Vardy and Leicester after Stoke had pushed hard to get back into the game.
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Leicester turned on the class late in the game and Mahrez pulled off a stunning nutmeg to set up Ulloa and the sub made no mistake to make it 3-0. Game over, and the Foxes are back on top.