Matchday Live Talking Points: Quality, Composure & Leicester's Christmas Record
- Matchday Live’s Paul Dickov, Matt Elliott and Gerry Taggart review Leicester City’s 2-1 away success over Newcastle United
- The former Foxes trio were on duty for LCFC TV and LCFC Radio on Sunday afternoon
- James Maddison and Youri Tielemans earned City three hard-earned Premier League points at St. James' Park
- Leicester are third in the Premier League table after recording a 10th win of the campaign
Following a hard fought 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at St. James' Park, with goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, a trio of former Foxes were on hand to dissect the day's action alongside presenter Dan Bates.
Paul Dickov, Matt Elliott and Gerry Taggart discussed Leicester's performance in the north east, their 10th success in the league so far this term, maintaining an excellent away record in the process.
The whole festive fixture list was also analysed, with City now sitting third in the Premier League standings, thanks to a run of four games unbeaten.
The best team won
Matt Elliott said: "You expected the quality moments to come from the visitors and that proved to be the case. Maddison provided the first after a great little breakaway with [Harvey] Barnes and [Jamie] Vardy. You expected some sort of reaction from Newcastle but the game looked done and dusted as soon as the second goal went in for Leicester. Youri Tielemans slotting it away beautifully and that looked like game, set and match and that everything was done and dusted. Newcastle came back well in fairness and there may be calls for them to play that way more regularly throughout the course of the game in the future because it was too little too late ultimately for them. They found some spirit and resolve from somewhere, mainly down to Andy Carroll, and it was a little bit of a scramble on occasions, but overall I think it was the right result."
Getting it right at both ends
Gerry Taggart said: "You find that over the course of a season, not everything goes according to plan. Newcastle fought, upset Leicester's rhythm and the way they like to play, which happens, especially on the road, so you've got to give them credit for that. It was a bit of a bitty game, stop-start, there was a lot of possession turnover and it boiled down to two moments of fantastic counter-attacking football. Sometimes in a game of football that's all you need. Then it's all about staying solid, it's all about being composed when you're under pressure, that's why you have Jonny Evans in the centre of that defence. At times, he just oozed sheer class and in the end, you let the big guns go up the other end and create havoc and that's what they did on two occasions."
City's quality came to the fore
Paul Dickov said: "I just think it was a fantastic result. It was a scrappy game and you've got to give Newcastle a little bit of credit for that, but when you keep your team nice and solid, the quality you've got in the team shines through. You've always got the confidence you're going to score the goals. It got a little bit edgy towards the end, Andy Carroll came on and caused a few problems but that's what he does. But it was a comfortable victory in the end and a well-deserved victory as well."
A record to be pleased with
Matt Elliott said: "Leicester were the better side from the off, even though it was a semi-tepid affair in the first 45. Leicester will be absolutely delighted with their record over the festive period - won two, drawn two. Crystal Palace was a little bit frustrating, it could have been even better, but there's not much to complain about and having played a game extra but being one point behind the leaders, Liverpool, there's not too much to grumble about."
Composure in front of goal
Paul Dickov said: "The two goals they scored were Leicester at their counter-attacking best. The first one especially, it was the two centre halves which actually started it off, [Wesley] Fofana cut it out and then went on the overlap on the left-hand side, Jonny Evans played it up to Harvey Barnes, who showed his blistering pace and got it into Vardy in the box and he showed great composure to lay it back to Maddison and a fantastic finish. Then a great bit of composure from Marc Albrighton to pull it back for Tielemans and what a finish that was. These two finishes were against a goalkeeper that has been Man of the Match in five out of the last six games."
Clinical Leicester City
Gerry Taggart said: "Good, quick, incisive football. If there were opportunities for them to play that way in the first half, there wasn't the quality on the final ball, so it all came together when the occasions presented themselves to Leicester. That will be the most pleasing thing for Brendan [Rodgers]. In a game that was a little bit scrappy, you're always going to get those opportunities - there are not going to be many of them, but they are going to come along because of the way the game was played. It's all about maximising those opportunities and that's what we've seen in the second half. It could have been more for Leicester because the game did open up for them, there were one or two offside close calls, Harvey Barnes hit one off the 'keepers head, which was very unfortunate, but for periods of that game, Newcastle were a match for Leicester."