Foxes Crowned Championship Champions On Final Day
Sammie Szmodics' second-half brace for Blackburn Rovers inflicted a rare 2-0 home defeat on City on the final day, but that did not not dampen spirits when Enzo Maresca's men were presented with the EFL trophy at full-time. No team in history has won more than City's eight second-tier titles. They have won a joint Club record 31 games in 2023/24, too, sealing Leicester's second best-ever points tally in the process. Simply, it has been a historic season for Maresca's side, who will be joined in the top flight by Ipswich Town. From the pain of last May, 12 months has transformed the relationship between the Foxes players and the Blue Army, celebrating together as Jamie Vardy, Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira lifted the historic trophy.
Beforehand, a giant tifo, created by Union FS, spanned the entire East and South Stands on Filbert Way – paying homage to the remarkable achievements of Vardy so far in City’s colours. It read: ‘190 thank yous will never be enough’ – a reference to the 37-year-old’s astonishing goals tally for the Club, making him Leicester’s third all-time top scorer. Vardy has won the Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield and now two Championship titles during his 12 years in the East Midlands. A sea of blue and white greeted the champions at kick-off, the Blue Army ready to party at the conclusion of a gruelling, record-breaking second-tier campaign. Rovers, still nervously looking over their shoulders at the bottom of the table at the start of the day, afforded the champions with a guard of honour as they emerged from the tunnel. It’s been a roller-coaster for the fans, initially anticipating a procession to the title after a quite remarkable start under Maresca, before roaring them over the line once one of the most thrilling promotion races in living memory reached its final run-in. Last Friday’s events in south west London – as Leeds United were defeated by Queens Park Rangers – confirmed their Premier League return, while a 3-0 rout at Preston North End clinched the title with a game to spare, sparking emotional, joyous celebrations in Lancashire.
It was John Eustace’s Rovers who threatened most early doors, with Sam Gallagher slamming a low hit into the side netting. Callum Brittain, meanwhile, also saw three successive shots in 15 seconds be blocked, before Wilfred Ndidi stole the ball from under his feet. Vardy did go close for City in a goalless first half, dinking the ball the wrong side of the post after an error from Hayden Carter. Abdul Fatawu also attempted his trademark cut inside and shot, although Aynsley Pears made a decent stop. Blackburn went into the day knowing only an unlikely series of events would end in their relegation, but to their horror, those events were transpiring. At one stage, just after the break, a Leicester goal would have put them in the bottom three. Into the second half, in the 55th minute, the Foxes faithful – without a care in the world – were on their feet for the introduction of Marc Albrighton, making his 313th appearance for the Club. Vardy raced over to give his decade-long team-mate the Captain’s armband. Albrighton’s first act was to meg Ben Chrisene and whip a delicious cross into the box. The nightmare was getting worse for Blackburn, on the other hand, with Birmingham going in front at St. Andrew’s Stadium. They needed their man for the big occasion and Szmodics duly delivered with his 32nd goal of the season in the 68th minute to send the away fans wild. Pears made an outstanding stop to deny Harry Winks a late leveller while Szmodics doubled his tally on the day in the fourth minute of six added on to guarantee Blackburn's Championship status and relegate Birmingham.
Full-time was met with another fan-led display, this time celebrating the extraordinary career of Albrighton at the Club. Now in his 10th year as a Fox, the former Aston Villa winger has nearly won the lot with Leicester City, putting his own stamp on an incredible era in Foxes history. Now the festivities could really begin, with the Blue Army going through their hymn sheet, which now includes some brand new numbers. ABBA’s Voulez-Vous – reworked to toast Fatawu’s impact in Leicester – has become an instant classic on the terraces and a soundtrack to this promotion-winning, title-clinching campaign. Wonderwall, by Oasis, too was belted out in tribute to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the Club’s Player and Players’ Player of the Season this term. The moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived, with the EFL Championship trophy being presented to Vardy – Leicester’s Captain on the day. Vardy shared the crowning glory with Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira, three of the senior figures in the group. Relegation last season was not in the script for the Foxes. It took time to get used to a new normal, but more than anyone else, Leicester regrouped and stared the challenge straight in the eyes. Delivering performances of real quality throughout the season, and digging deep when the time required, Maresca’s men were up for the fight – ending 2023/24 far and away the best team in the league.
With ticker tape and streamers soaring into the blue skies, City fans could bask in another glorious season – one of several already in this young century. Since the turn of the millennium, the Foxes are part of a five-team club to have won every major honour available in English football (Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield). City’s eighth second-tier success, on the other hand, means nobody has won this league more times since its creation 132 years ago. There's now a Premier League return to plan for. If City's last top-flight stay is anything to go by, it's going to be some ride.