Bournemouth won a huge relegation six-pointer at Leicester City on Saturday as the Cherries surge away from the bottom three.
Gary O’Neil’s side were more dangerous throughout and Philip Billing deservedly put them ahead in the first half after a James Maddison error.
The Foxes are in freefall as they’ve lost six of their last seven games and are managerless after they fired Brendan Rodgers last weekend.
Caretaker managers Mike Stowell and Adam Stadler have a huge job on their hands to get Leicester back on track as they await the appointment of a new boss.
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With the win Bournemouth move out of the bottom three and on to 30 points, while Leicester remain in the relegation zone on 25 points and are two points from safety.
Foxes in freefall and worse is to come
There are reports that Jesse Marsch is lined up to come in as Leicester boss but he may want to think about that. Leicester are in freefall and it is hard to see if they will win another game this season. They look totally devoid of confidence, their best players looked stunned they are in this situation and they keep losing tight games in demoralizing fashion. Bournemouth didn’t even have to play that well to win at Leicester and there is a real lack of fight and, most importantly, belief that they can get out of this situation. If Leicester do go down, it will be one of the biggest shocks of the Premier League season. Right now, it’s not a big if. The Foxes are in freefall.
Leicester players want new manager: ‘The club needs to decide’
Leicester defender Wout Faes speaking to BBC’s Match of the Day: “The game isn’t going to decide if we stay up or go down. It is a painful defeat. We’ve got no other option that sticking together and showing fight. The first half was very bad but we came back in the second half, but we weren’t able to put them under enough danger. The crowd stuck behind us and supported us. We need them. We’re going to do our best to stay up. The club needs to decide about a manager. We don’t know anything. I guess they are working on it. It is not going to be easy to stay up, but we need to stick together.”
Stars of the show; Leicester vs Bournemouth player ratings
Philip Billing: He was absolutely sensational, scored the goal and could have had a few more. What a midfield display.
Chris Mepham: So solid defensively and Bournemouth never really looked in danger of letting their lead slip.
What’s next?
Leicester head to Manchester City next Saturday, Apr. 15, while Bournemouth head to Tottenham on the same day.
How to watch Leicester vs Bournemouth live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET, SaturdayTV Channel: PeacockOnline: Stream via Peacock Premium
Leicester are trying to push for the equalizer but Bournemouth are looking pretty comfortable. Can they hold on?
Bournemouth are absolutely flying at the start of the second half. Leicester did have a half chance but Vardy’s ball across goal missed everyone.
HALF TIME: Leicester 0-1 Bournemouth - A deserved lead for the visitors who could have scored three or four in that first half. Leicester all over the place defensively. A huge mountain for the Foxes to climb.
GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Bournemouth - It had been coming. Billing finishes off after a poor defensive error from Leicester as Maddison plays it short. The Cherries deserve this lead.
CLOSE! Dominic Solanke should put Bournemouth 1-0 up. The ball drops to him in the box but he drags his shot wide.
SAVE! Philip Billing with a beauty of a low strike, which took a deflection, but Iversen saves well. Bournemouth pushing for the opener.
A few half chances for both sides but nobody has really taken control of this game yet. Very tense, as you would expect.
Key storylines & in-form players to watch
The Foxes really need a win this weekend as all of a sudden they have dropped deep into the relegation zone and time is running out. On paper this squad should be much higher up the table but in reality, they have been poor for much of this season and defensively they continue to make big mistakes. James Maddison and Harvey Barnes hold the key for them in attack and Leicester have to get that duo the ball as much as possible. Caretaker managers Mike Stowell and Adam Stadler are really up against it but a positive start in this game will get the crowd going, as the home fans appreciated the effort throughout their narrow defeat to Villa in midweek.
Bournemouth are playing with real confidence and have won two of their last four games as the Cherries have given themselves a chance to stay up. For most of this season everyone has said ‘well, Bournemouth will be one of the teams who go down.’ That may still be true but they’re putting up a much better fight of it and January arrivals Hamed Traore and Dango Ouattara have both made a big difference in attack.
Leicester team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: James Justin (achilles), Youri Tielemans (ankle), Jannik Vestergaard (undisclosed), Ryan Bertrand (knee), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (suspended)
Your Foxes, set for #LEIBOU 📝 💪
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 8, 2023
Let's get this, Lestah! pic.twitter.com/UrqwKLHYbO
Bournemouth team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Junior Stanislas (undisclosed), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Marcos Senesi (thigh)
📝 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 📝
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) April 8, 2023
🔺 Mepham starts
🔺 Rothwell also in
🔺 Moore back on bench
Our line up for #LEIBOU 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/KjGdlLuLI6
