THE story of Leicester from April 2015 to present day is nothing short of phenomenal.
Sitting dead last in the Premier League and staring an immediate return to the Championship square in the face on April 18, 2015 not a single person could have predicted this...
The then Nigel Pearson-led Foxes won an incredible SEVEN of their last nine games in the 2014-15 season to evade the clutches of the dreaded drop zone.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
 |
| Mahrez and Vardy of Leicester City Football Club |
Since then Claudio Ranieri’s men have defied all critics and hurdled all obstacles thrown their way as they now sit just two points away from the most famous of all Premier League crowns.
But just how did it come to this? SunSport brings you the timeline of one of the most outrageous 12 months in footballing history...
Let’s start from the beginning...
As late as April 18, 2015, Leicester were bottom of the Premier League and given no chance of escaping relegation.
Yet their stunning run of games — winning seven, drawing one and losing just one, against soon-to-be champions Chelsea — saw them not only avoid the drop but also lay the foundations for what would soon become one of the greatest and most unexpected sequence in Premier League history.
The Foxes picked up where they left off under the new management of Ranieri, winning their opening game 4-2 at home to Sunderland, with Vardy netting after just 11 minutes.
And the wins just kept coming, with Leicester grinding out the results when it mattered most, the most incredible of which came against Aston Villa.
Trailing 2-0 with less than 20 minutes to go, the Foxes netted three times — twice in the last ten minutes — for a remarkable victory.
That win moved them up to second after just five games — before going top in November following a 3-0 win over Newcastle — with a nation left stuttering: “It won’t last.”
And that credo would soon become the fuel that would power the Fearless Foxes’ entire campaign — thriving in the role of plucky underdogs.
Of course through it all, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez played the role of unlikely stars as the deadly duo — bought for a combined £1.4million — dominated the top flight.
In fact, English forward Vardy went on to make Premier League history when he netted against Manchester United in November.
His powerful strike beyond David De Gea meant he had now netted in 11 consecutive top flight games, breaking the record of ten set by former Red Devil Ruud van Nistelrooy over a decade prior.
Ranieri’s most important wins of the season were still to come however, with a 2-1 victory over reigning champions Chelsea in December firing a real warning to the rest of the league.
By Christmas, the Foxes were perched top of the Prem — having been 20th just 12 months prior.
But the best was yet to come, as Leicester travelled to the Etihad to take on Manchester City in a match being billed as their biggest of an already enthralling season.
This was without doubt THE game to silence the ‘it can’t last’ brigade as Robert Huth netted twice in a stunning 3-1 win over Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
Suddenly the intrepid Foxes went from the outsiders to firm favourites — and the pressure began to show.
The free-flowing, goal-scoring antics began to be replaced by a turgid defence.
Yet they played — and continued to win — like champions, grinding out a string of 1-0 wins to stretch their lead at the head of the table to seven points.
Then came one of the most incredible games of the season — and not just Leicester’s season.
1-0 up at home to West Ham, star man Vardy was sent off and the Foxes were forced to play out over half an hour with ten men.
Yet Ranieri’s men clung on for 28 minutes... Until Andy Carroll did the unthinkable and equalised from the spot.
Before Kasper Schmeichel even had the chance to draw breath, the Hammers were 2-1 after Aaron Cresswell’s strike thundered into the back of the net.
Suddenly, the Fearless Foxes were stunned, shaky, dare I say it, scared...
That was until the 95th minute, when they earned a last-gasp penalty.
Up stepped Leonardo Ulloa. The stadium hushed, only the sound of 32,000 hearts beating in unison.
Nerves jangling, fingernails bitten down to a nub, eyes poking through sweaty palms, the striker strode forward, placed the ball... And slotted it into the bottom corner.
Cue absolute ecstasy in the King Power Stadium.
Make no mistake, with confidence beginning to wane, Ulloa’s cool, calm and collected spot-kick re-ignited Leicester’s belief that this would be their year.
They proved that in emphatic style just one week later when they thumped Swansea 4-0 to move within ONE win of clinching the Premier League crown.
And despite only mustering a draw away to Manchester United, they must now know that this is their title, their year, their incredible story...
Who would have called that just 12 months ago?
Copied from The Sun
Up next.... the analysis of the champions
No comments:
Post a Comment