Another week, another dramatic victory for tiny Leicester City! The Premier League’s unlikely leaders are marching on like fearless warriors, their 2-1 win over Chelsea on Monday sending yet another that they are the real deal. With almost half the season gone, the remarkable prospect of Leicester actually lifting the trophy is starting to become a real possibility. Can you imagine how that would make the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham feel given how much they’ve spent chasing the same dream without success? Until recently, Leicester’s impressive early run was largely considered a “feel good” story to be enjoyed while it lasted, but so consistently impressive have they been that they can no longer be considered a novelty.
Goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez proved the difference against Chelsea with Mahrez turning in yet another man-of-the-match performance. While Vardy’s goal-scoring feats have grabbed headlines this season, but let’s not forget the contribution of Mahrez who is now being compared to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Currently third on the EPL goal scorers list with 11 – just four shy of ladder leader Vardy – Mahrez is also ranked second for goal assists (7 assists) behind Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil (12) and second for “big chances” created (12), again behind only Ozil (16). And as for his dribbling skills, Mahrez is the league’s best with 54 completed dribbles so far.
The biggest concern for manager Claudio Ranieri right now is how they are going to hold on to the emerging superstar beyond this season, but if he is eventually poached by a “big club” Leicester can expect a huge pay day as a reward. On the other hand, Blues manager Josè Mourinho appears to have run out of ideas and said he felt “betrayed” by his with no signs of it improving in the short term. The fact that they have somehow been able to top their Champions League group has surely saved Mourinho from the chopping block given how quickly owner Roman Abramovich has sacked under-performing managers in the past – Mourinho included!
Leicester’s cause has again been helped by the failures of their top four rivals. Liverpool needed a late equalizer to salvage a 2-2 draw against a very physical West Brom side, while Tottenham Hotspur was stunned by a resurgent Newcastle United. Manchester City scored a dramatic added time winner against Swansea but Manchester United had no such luck as they fell to newly promoted Bournemouth.
