Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi was on the scorers’ sheet as Leicester City’s impressive start to the season under Brendan Rodgers continued with a 5-0 thumping win which left woeful Newcastle anchored in the relegation zone.
Ndidi collected the ball in the box with his back to goal, spins and scuffs a low finish into the net for Leicester’s fifth goal against Newcastle.
Ricardo Pereira’s outstanding low finish set Leicester on their way before Newcastle were reduced to 10 men shortly before half-time after Isaac Hayden’s terrible challenge on Dennis Praet.
Leicester made the extra man advantage count with three goals in 10 second-half minutes.
Jamie Vardy beat Martin Dubravka at his near post to double the lead and, after Paul Dummett had deflected Praet’s cross into his own net to make it 3-0, headed the fourth.
Leicester move back up to third in the table, where they started the weekend, after a fourth win in five league and cup games.
Rodgers’ side are two points off second placed Manchester City and seven behind leaders Liverpool, who they visit next Saturday.
Rodgers will have a spring in his step when he makes his first return to Anfield since being sacked by Liverpool in 2015.
This was Leicester’s 10th – and almost certainly easiest – top-flight win in 18 games since they appointed Rodgers as boss in February.
Rejuvenated and full of energy, they have been transformed by the former Celtic manager who took over a team drained of confidence and starved of wins seven months ago.
Only Manchester City and Liverpool have accumulated more points than Leicester in the Premier League since Rodgers’ appointment and Newcastle can count themselves fortunate not to have been on the end of an even heavier thrashing.
Leicester produced a clinical performance and scored from all five of their shots on target.
Portugal defender Pereira’s second goal in as many top-flight games set the tone for an utterly dominant performance – the former Porto player starting the move inside his own half before finishing after a neat one-two with former Newcastle player Ayoze Perez.
After Hayden’s red card, Leicester swarmed their opponents yet Dubravka should have kept out Vardy’s first goal.
Dummett’s own goal added to Newcastle’s woes yet Leicester were not done as unmarked Vardy made it 4-0 with a close-range header before Ndidi hit his side’s fifth.
Newcastle started the weekend in 17th spot but end it rooted in the bottom three after a performance devoid of fight and character.
Source: THISDAY
