Wilfried Zaha struck a brace as Crystal Palace heaped more pressure on Leicester City boss Claude Puel with an emphatic 4-1 victory at the King Power Stadium.
The Eagles snatched a fortunate lead five minutes prior to the interval when Michy Batshuayi marked his first Premier League start for the club with an instinctive finish to redirect James McArthur's long range effort beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
Leicester deservedly levelled when Jonny Evans expertly swept home Harvey Barnes' pass just past the hour, but they were caught cold on the break shortly after when Zaha was left unmarked to volley in McArthur's cross.
Luka Milivojevic gave the visitors breathing space when he stroked home a spot kick nine minutes from time after Evans was adjudged to have fouled Jeffrey Schlupp.
And Zaha sealed the victory when he raced through on the counter attack deep into stoppage time to cap his return from suspension in style.
The result sees Palace move up to 13th place in the table and six points clear of the drop zone on a day when Roy Hodgson was celebrating becoming the oldest manager in Premier League history.
In contrast, Leicester's recent woes deepened despite dominating for long periods. The 12th-placed Foxes have now lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, leaving fans to vent more frustration the way of Puel at the full time whistle.
Next up, Leicester host Brighton on Tuesday while Palace host Manchester United 24 hours later.
Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace is challenged by Rachid Ghezzal of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at The King Power Stadium on February 23, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom.
Image credit: Getty Images
TALKING POINT
A tale of two managers. It's looking rather bleak for Puel. His Foxes side have not won since New Year's Day and the boos were not surprising come the end of this match. The Frenchman has struggled to win over the crowd throughout his time at Leicester and on this evidence you sense his tenure may not last much longer.
In the opposite dugout, Hodgson was all smiles as his side made it four games unbeaten for the first time this season. He certainly won't be feeling his age after this. He has some real talent at his disposal at Palace and will be delighted to mark his big day with the win to bolster their survival hopes.
Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace celebrate after scoring his 2nd goal with his team mate Scott Dann during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at The King Power Stadium on February 23, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom.
Image credit: Getty Images
MAN OF THE MATCH
Wilfried Zaha. (Crystal Palace). The forward was ruthlessly efficient as he came back from his ban in style, coolly volleying home the all-important second before putting the icing on the cake in injury time.
Luka Milivojevic of Crystal Palace celebrate together with his team mate Wilfried Zaha after scoring his 1st and his team's 3rd goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at The King Power Stadium on February 23, 2019 i
Image credit: Getty Images
PLAYER RATINGS
LEICESTER: Schmeichel 5, Pereira 6, Maguire 6, Evans 7, Fuchs 7, Ndidi 6, Tielemans 7, Ghezzal 6, Maddison 7, Barnes 7, Vardy 6. Subs: Gray 6, Iheanacho 5, Okazaki 5.
PALACE: Guaita 7, Ward 7, Tomkins 8, Sakho 7, Van Aanholt 7, Milivojevic 8, McArthur 8, Schlupp 8, Townsend 7, Zaha 8, Batshuayi 8. Subs:Dann 7, Kouyate 7, Ayew 7.
KEY MOMENTS
40' - GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Crystal Palace. McArthur's speculative 30-yard drive is redirected into the net via a sharp, instinctive touch from Batshuayi.
64' - GOAL! Leicester 1-1 Crystal Palace. Evans swivels brilliantly to sweep a first-time shot into the net from Barnes' cut back from the right of the area.
70' - GOAL! Leicester 1-2 Crystal Palace. The Eagles are back in front! Zaha is left all alone at the far post to guide a volley into the net from McArthur's pinpoint cross.
81' - GOAL! Leicester 1-3 Crystal Palace. Milivojevic sends Schmeichel the wrong way with a composed spot kick after Evans was penalised for bringing down Schlupp.
90+3' - GOAL! Leicester 1-4 Crystal Palace. Zaha snares his second of the game as he takes Ayew's pass in his stride and rifles a shot past Schmeichel at his near post.
KEY STATS
- Leicester have conceded the first goal in 19 Premier League games this season; more than any other team.
- Batshuayi scored in the Premier League for the first time since October 2017 (for Chelsea v Watford), 490 days ago.
- Zaha has scored in three consecutive league appearances for the first time in his career.
- The Foxes have equalled their club Premier League record of four successive home defeats, first set back December 1999 to January 2000 at Filbert Street.
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