Perez strike pulls Newcastle clear of relegation zone
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Updated 12/04/2019 at 21:37 GMT
King Power Stadium, Premier League - Leicester City 0 Newcastle United 1 (Perez 32)
Ayoze Perez of Newcastle United celebrates with teammates following his goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on April 12, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom
Image credit: Getty Images
Newcastle all but secured their Premier League status for another season after Ayoze Perez's fine header clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win at Leicester on Friday night.
Cardiff City, who currently occupy the final relegation spot yet to be terminally filled, will need to win four of their remaining six games for Rafa Benitez's side to be caught.
The Magpies were spurred on by 3,000 travelling supporters at the King Power Stadium, and after Salomon Rondon had already struck the bar with a free-kick, Perez headed them in front, meeting Matt Ritchie's cross to glance his effort beyond Kasper Schmeichel after 32 minutes.
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Ayoze Perez heads Newcastle in front after 32 minutes
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The result moves Newcastle up to 13th ahead of the remaining weekend Premier League fixtures, while Leicester stay seventh, but missed the chance to tighten their grip on a potential European spot, with Watford, Everton and Wolves all now in a position to leapfrog them over the next three days.
When Brendan Rodgers replaced Claude Puel at Leicester in February, only two places and four points separated these two sides, but they have headed in opposite directions since then, with Leicester entering the match with the hope of making it five successive Premier League wins for the first time since April 2017.
The hosts showed early glimpses of attacking threat down the left as Ben Chilwell's cross was flicked towards goal by Jamie Vardy, forcing Martin Dubravka into a second-minute save, before Chilwell combined with James Maddison to force the Slovakian into a better stop to his left.
Newcastle had just 27 per cent possession in the opening period, but Leicester showed that while a talented squad is being assembled, their inventiveness can be shackled by a disciplined four-man defence and rigid three-man midfield.
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Jamie Vardy glances an effort at goal for Leicester
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The visitors edged in front with a brilliantly worked goal. Rondon had already seen his 30-yard free-kick cannon back off the crossbar when Miguel Almiron's run was halted down the left, but when the ball broke loose for Ritchie, Ricardo Pereira sold himself too cheaply, allowing the Scot to cross for Perez to move in front of Wes Morgan and glance home his eighth goal of the season.
Almiron was a livewire throughout and the Paraguayan had the opportunity to immediately double Newcastle's lead, forcing Schmeichel into a save low to his right as the visitors ended the opening period strongly.
After Almiron had gone close again with another shot that was blazed over, Perez should have killed off the contest with 13 minutes remaining when he escaped Chilwell down the right and forced Schmeichel into a smart save from close range.
Perez ought to have been made to pay three minutes later when Youri Tielemans found Vardy behind the Newcastle defence, but he could only lift his shot over the bar on a night where Leicester's cutting edge deserted them.
TALKING POINT
Tielemans escapes red... The 21-year-old was a very lucky boy to escape being sent off on the stroke of half-time as he took a frustrating opening 45 minutes out on Ki Sung-yueng, catching the South Korea international on the inside of his ankle with his studs.
The Belgian, on loan from Monaco, went into the game in stunning form having either scored or assisted a goal in five of his last six Premier League appearances, scoring twice and assisting three.
But his latest outing ought to have ended with him being dismissed and facing a three-match ban for violent conduct. Thankfully, Ki was able to continue.
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Youri Teilemans was fortunate to escape a red card in the first half
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MAN OF THE MATCH
Ayoze Perez (Newcastle) - The Spanish forward produced a tireless display, and his clever movement and energy worked wonderfully in tandem with Almiron and Rondon to stretch Leicester's defence on the counter-attack.
When Newcastle have been good, it is usually because Perez is on song. Indeed, the 25-year-old has been directly involved in four of Newcastle's last six Premier League goals (three goals and one assist), scoring three of their last five.
Curiously, Perez’s opener for Newcastle was his seventh Premier League goal of the season, but the first to come away from home, but he will now be able to play freely, without the pressure of relegation hanging over his shoulder.
PLAYER RATINGS
Leicester XI: Schmiechel 6, Ricardo 6, Morgan 6, Maguire 6, Chilwell 6, Ndidi 5, Tielemans 6, Gray 5, Maddison 5, Barnes 6, Vardy 6.
Subs: Mendy 5, Albrighton 5, Iheanacho 5.
Newcastle XI: Dubravka 7, Manquillo 6, Lascelles 7, Schar 7, Dummett 7, Ritchie 7, Ki 6, Hayden 7, Almiron 8, Perez 7, Rondon 7.
Subs: Diame 6, Atsu 6.
KEY MOMENTS
16 - OFF THE BAR! Perez is brought down by Morgan to present Newcastle with a free-kick, but it's a fair distance out. Salomon Rondon isn't fazed, as he steps up and bends a superb free-kick over the assembled wall. The Venezuelan's venomous shot has beaten Schmiechel all ends up to his right, but the ball cannons back out off the crossbar!
22 - SAVE! Leicester have enjoyed 73 per cent possession in these opening 20 minutes, and they nearly convert their dominance of the ball into a lead as Maddison and Chilwell combine well down the left before it's the full-back who flashes a shot low to Dubravka's left. He manages to palm the shot to safety before Ritchie completes the clearance!
32 - GOAL! Newcastle are in front! What a wonderful ball from Matt Ritchie, and Ayoze Perez gets across Wes Morgan and glances his header into the far corner beyond Schmeichel. It's a brilliant, brilliant header.
77' - CHANCE! Glorious chance for Perez to kill the game off for Newcastle as he somehow wriggles free down the right, but Schmeichel is quickly off his line to smother his shot from an acute angle! The Spaniard escaped Chilwell with a lovely drag, but he just didn't have the final bit of composure to finish.
80' - CHANCE! This is Leicester's best opportunity of the night as Tielemans threads a gorgeous ball into the path of Vardy, and without looking up he shoots towards goal but he can only scoop his effort over Dubravka's crossbar!
90' - NO PENALTY! Ricardo's cross sees Manquillo have a little tug at Tielemans at the far post. That was a stupid thing to do and referee Chris Kavanagh could easily have given a penalty for that!
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A dejected James Maddison of Leicester City after sending a free kick over the bar during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on April 12, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom.
Image credit: Getty Images
KEY STATS
- Newcastle have won back-to-back league visits to Leicester in the top-flight for the first time since September 1959 under manager Charlie Mitten.
- This was Leicester City’s eighth home league defeat of the campaign, their most in a Premier League season at the King Power Stadium since it opened in 2002. Only in 1994-95 (10) and 2001-02 (9) have they lost more home Premier League games in a single season.
- Newcastle have now picked up 16 points away from home in the Premier League this season (P17 W3 D7 L7), as many as they earned in the whole of the 2017-18 campaign on the road.
- Leicester City completed 649 passes in this match, their highest total in a Premier League game since 2003-04 (when Opta began recording this data); indeed, three of their four highest successful pass tallies in this time in the division have been recorded in their six fixtures under Brendan Rodgers.
- Since his debut for Newcastle at the start of the 2016-17 Championship season, Matt Ritchie has assisted 17 league goals for the club, at least four more than any other player in that time.
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