The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Leicester

  • EPL: Okoli’s goal earns Leicester 2-2 draw against Brighton

    EPL: Okoli’s goal earns Leicester 2-2 draw against Brighton

    Caleb Okoli scored the equaliser as relegation-threatened Leicester City ended their eight-game losing streak and hurt Brighton’s ambitions of qualifying for Europe with a hard-earned draw.

    Okoli, starting in place of the injured Wout Faes, powered a diving header from Bilal El Khannouss’ free-kick past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to rescue a rare point for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side.

    The Foxes had scored their first league goal since 26 January when Stephy Mavididi equalised in the first half to cancel out Joao Pedro’s penalty that had given Brighton a deserved lead after a dominant start.

    But the visitors remain second from bottom of the Premier League and 14 points from safety with six games remaining.

    Brazilian forward Pedro had opened the scoring from 12 yards just past the half-hour mark after Simon Adingra’s shot struck the arm of Leicester centre-back Conor Coady inside the box.

    But seconds after Adingra brushed the top of the crossbar for the Seagulls, Mavididi capitalised on Lewis Dunk’s defensive mistake and beat Verbruggen to end the Foxes’ run of 885 minutes without a goal in the top flight.

    Matt O’Riley was then denied by the woodwork again but Leicester ended the half strongly and Verbruggen had to tip away a header from Kasey McAteer.

    Read Also: EPL: Aston Villa beat Southampton 3- 0 at St. Mary’s Stadium

    But it was Brighton who regained the lead early in the second half after a pull of O’Riley’s shirt by Luke Thomas in the box and Pedro slotted his spot-kick into the top corner, giving Mads Hermansen no chance to save.

    However, the Foxes continued to probe for a way back and after Patson Daka was denied by goalkeeper Verbruggen, Okoli turned home El Khannouss’ free-kick.

    Leicester were denied all three points by the woodwork that kept out El Khannouss’ curling effort.

    Brighton are now winless in three matches and sit ninth, seven points adrift of the top four.

  • EPL: Jackson, Fernandez down Leicester in dominant display

    EPL: Jackson, Fernandez down Leicester in dominant display

    Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez goals secured a dominant away victory for Chelsea at Leicester.

    Jackson, 23, scored his fifth goal in four consecutive away games as he outbattled defender Wout Faes to win a long punt up field, which he finished well after Fernandez played him into position in the 15th minute.

    Fernandez then headed in from close range on the rebound, after goalkeeper Mads Hermansen saved Jackson’s initial effort, to seal the win.

    Jordan Ayew dispatched a late penalty for Leicester in the 95th minute after Romeo Lavia fouled Bobby de Cordova-Reid in the box.

    The Blues were dominant on a cold, wet afternoon at the King Power stadium, with over 66% possession throughout the 90 minutes.

    It was a torrid return to Premier League football for Leicester, who lost star midfielder Harry Winks through an ankle injury in the 11th minute.

    Read Also: EPL: Jackson double helps Chelsea brush aside West Ham

    They didn’t muster a shot on goal until the 39th minute, when Kasey McAteer almost found the bottom corner on the break, then Wilfred Ndidi missed a great chance just before half-time.

    But Chelsea were commanding. Noni Madueke had a goal ruled out for offside and squandered chances through Moises Caicedo and Joao Felix, who earned his first Premier League start since his last spell with the club in May 2023.

    Cole Palmer also saw a close range shot cleared off the line by his own man Madueke in unfortunate circumstances shortly after half-time.

    Chelsea move up to third in the Premier League table on 22 points before the rest of the weekend’s games, with Leicester remaining 16th on 10 points.

    BBC

  • What to know about Leicester, Nottingham Forest clash

    What to know about Leicester, Nottingham Forest clash

    The only Premier League match today takes us to the King Power Stadium where Leicester will take on Nottingham Forest who sit in 8th position on the premier league table.

    Here are a few things to get yourself appraised with before the match:

    1. Leicester have won their last two Premier League home games against Nottingham Forest (December 1998 and October 2022), having won neither of their first two in the competition (D1 L1).

    2. Nottingham Forest won 2-0 against Leicester in their last league meeting (January 2023), last winning consecutive league games against the Foxes in March 2005/December 2009.

    3. There have been at least four goals scored in all four of Leicester’s Premier League home games against Nottingham Forest – a 4-2 win for Forest in March 1995, a 2-2 draw in December 1996, and 3-1 and 4-0 wins for Leicester in December 1998 and October 2022 respectively.

    4. After winning none of their first six Premier League games this season (D3 L3), Leicester have since won both of their last two. The Foxes last won three successive matches in the competition in January 2021 under Brendan Rodgers.

    5. Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last six away games in the Premier League (W4 D2); their longest run without an away defeat in the top-flight since February-October 1995 (12 games).

    How To Watch

    Here are a few ways to watch the match wherever you are in the world.

    United Kingdom      –       Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky GO

    United States     –             USA, Universo, Fubo, Sling Blue, DirecTV Stream

    Australia            –             Optus Sport

    Canada              –              fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada

    India     –                           Star Sports Select 1, Disney+ Hotstar VIP

    Republic of Ireland    –    Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky GO

    Spain                 –                DAZN

    Italy                    –             Sky Sports Uno, Sky Go Italia

    Netherlands       –             Viaplay

    South Africa       –            SuperSport

    Nigeria       –                     SuperSport

    Venue:
    King Power Stadium

    Kick Off Time:

    8:00pm

    Prediction

    Following their previous meetings, the game should produce goals, your best bet will be over 1.5goals  

    Predicted Line-Up

    Leicester predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Winks, Ndidi; Buonanotte, Ayew, Fatawu; Vardy.

    Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Leicester (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Ward-Prowse; Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.

    Current form (all competitions)

    Leicester

    Southampton 2-3 Leicester – 19/10/24

    Leicester 1-0 Bournemouth – 05/10/24

    Arsenal 4-2 Leicester – 28/09/24

    Walsall 0-0 (0-3p) Leicester – 24/09/24

    Leicester 1-1 Everton – 21/09/24

    Nottingham Forest

    Nottingham Forest 1-0 Crystal Palace – 21/01/24

    Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest – 06/10/24

    Nottingham Forest 0-1 Fulham – 28/09/24

    Brighton 2-2 Nottingham Forest – 22/09/24

    Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest – 14/09/24

  • Aribo scores in home loss to Leicester

    Aribo scores in home loss to Leicester

    Nigerian player Joe Aribo has scored his first Premier League goal this season against Leicester City.

    The midfielder hit the target in the 28th minute for Southampton to give them a 2-0 lead.

    However, visitors Leicester City fought back to win 3-2 at the death.

    Aribo side-footed home a clever Kyle Walker-Peters cut-back to double the Saints’ advantage against the wobbling Foxes.

    Cameron Archer handed Southampton the lead in the 8th minute of the encounter before Aribo struck the second for the hosts twenty minutes later.

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    It is, however, the Super Eagles midfielder’s first Premier League goal in 25 months.

    The last time the 28-year-old former Rangers ace found the net in the competition was back in October 2022, when he netted the Saints’ only goal in a 2-1 home defeat to Everton.

    However, despite Southampton leading by two-nil at halftime, Leicester City, who paraded Wilfred Ndidi from start to finish, fought back brilliantly to claim a 3-2 victory.

  • EPL: Leicester comeback to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary’s Stadium

    EPL: Leicester comeback to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary’s Stadium

    Leicester City staged a stunning comeback from two goals down as Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time winner gave them a dramatic victory against Southampton in a Premier League thriller at St Mary’s Stadium.

    The Foxes looked down and out, feeling the wrath of their travelling supporters as goals from Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo gave the Saints a thoroughly deserved half-time advantage inside 28 minutes.

    Archer steered home a simple finish from Ryan Manning’s left-wing cross after eight minutes, before Aribo applied a similar strike as Kyle Walker-Peters sent in the delivery.

    Read Also: EPL: Brighton beat Newcastle 1-0 at St James’ Park

    Southampton were dominant but Leicester showed great resilience and were inspired by a brilliant individual display from substitute Abdul Fatawu after he was introduced on the hour.

    He had already started to pose a threat even before Facundo Buonanotte turned in his cross from close range, signalling a sensational Leicester revival.

    Fatawu had turned the game on its head and he was a central figure again when Leicester drew level 16 minutes from time, first shooting against the bar, then forcing a fine save from Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with a header seconds later.

    In the resulting melee, Ryan Fraser dragged back Jamie Vardy as he tried to pounce on the rebound, the veteran striker scoring the resulting penalty with the Saints substitute shown a red card.

    And, in a frantic finale, Ayew delighted Leicester fans and left the home support to turn on their team with that strike seven minutes into stoppage time.

    BBC Sports

  • Leicester close to signing Crystal Palace’s Ayew

    Leicester close to signing Crystal Palace’s Ayew

    Leicester are close to signing Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew for an initial £5m.

    The Foxes want to bring in at least two offensive players and Ayew, 32, is poised to move to the King Power Stadium in a deal rising to £8m.

    Promoted Leicester struggled for attacking options in Monday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Tottenham, with Jamie Vardy starting – and scoring the equaliser – despite boss Steve Cooper ruling him out through injury just three days before.

    Read Also: Leicester sign midfielder Skipp from Tottenham

    Cooper, who takes Leicester to Fulham on Saturday, has made no secret of his desire to add more forward options to his squad and Ayew offers crucial Premier League experience.

    He has made 212 appearances for Palace, scoring 23 goals, since initially joining on loan from Swansea in 2018. Ayew was a second-half substitute in Palace’s 2-1 defeat at Brentford on Sunday.

    He previously played for Aston Villa, joining them in 2015, before moving to Swansea two years later.

    Ayew will join Oliver Skipp as a new signing at the King Power Stadium, with the midfielder arriving from Tottenham for £20m on Monday.

    BBCSports

  • Leicester sign midfielder Skipp from Tottenham

    Leicester sign midfielder Skipp from Tottenham

    Leicester have signed midfielder Oliver Skipp from Tottenham on a five-year deal for a fee in excess of £20m.

    The 23-year-old, who came through Spurs’ academy, made 77 Premier League appearances for the club, including 21 last season.

    He will not feature when Leicester and Tottenham open their 2024-25 Premier League campaigns against each other on Monday at 20:00 BST.

    “I’m really excited to sign. I’ve got the feeling that it’s a good group of people and a good group of players.” Skipp said.

    “I’m sure that we’ve got a squad capable of challenging in every game. You look around the squad and there’s lots of exciting players who have played in the Premier League and I’m really excited to see what this group can achieve.”

    Read Also: Iheanacho pens heartfelt farewell to Leicester City

    Skipp, who will link up with former Spurs team-mate Harry Winks, is Leicester’s fifth summer signing after returning to the top flight.

    Leicester said the former England Under-21 international would be available to make his debut on Saturday when they travel to Fulham.

    BBC

  • Okoli flies out to sign for Leicester

    Okoli flies out to sign for Leicester

    Caleb Okoli has flown out to England to sign for promoted Leicester City.

    The Atalanta central defender is set to sign in a deal worth around 15 Million Euros that will include add-ons.

    He joins ‘The Foxes’ at a time Super Eagles stars Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho have left.

    Last season, Okoli, 22, played on loan at Frosinone in Serie A.

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    He made 37 appearances in all competitions.

    Okoli has 14 caps as an Italy U21 international but he is still eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

  • EPL: Cooper appointed Leicester manager

    EPL: Cooper appointed Leicester manager

    Leicester City have appointed former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper as their new manager on a three-year deal.

    Cooper, 44, has been out of work since leaving Forest in December 2023.

    The Foxes have been searching for a new manager since Enzo Maresca departed for Chelsea at the start of June.

    Maresca joined Leicester at the start of last season, guiding the club to first place in the Championship and an immediate return to the Premier League after their relegation in 2022-23.

    Read Also: Vardy signs new one-year deal with Leicester

    “I am really excited and proud to be appointed Leicester City’s first-team manager,” said Cooper.

    “This is a fantastic club with a rich history and passionate supporters. I am excited to work with such a talented squad and I’m looking forward to the challenge of achieving our shared ambitions in the Premier League.”

    BBC

  • Vardy signs new one-year deal with Leicester

    Vardy signs new one-year deal with Leicester

    Vardy has signed a new one-year contract at Leicester, recently promoted back to the Premier League, the club  has announced.

    The 37-year-old striker, who joined the Foxes in 2012, scored 20 goals in 37 appearances during their 2023⁄24 Championship-winning campaign.

    Vardy, who has won the Premier League and FA Cup during his time at the King Power Stadium, is third on the club’s all-time goalscoring list, with 190 goals in 464 games.

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     “To get the numbers that I did (last season), I’m delighted with it, but there’s still more to come,” said the former England international. “I look after myself. I’ve always said that age is just a number. My legs feel fine so that’s why I carry on until my legs say, ‘That’s it, game over’. There will be a day when that comes, but that’s not right now.”

    Leicester are searching for a new manager after Enzo Maresca, who guided the club to the Championship title in his first season in charge, left to join Chelsea earlier this week.