5 Crucial Matches that Shaped Leicester City’s title run

Published 05/03/2016, 4:52 AM EDT

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Leicester City are surely living the dream this season. The Foxes have surprised all this season and have secured the title following Tottenham’s collapse at Stamford Bridge. At the start of the season, when Leicester City had 5000-1 odds of winning the league, who would have thought this would happen? Well, it certainly has happened though. Leicester City have showcased their own brand of football and thus have outclassed the Chelsea, Arsenal and other English heavyweights. They have done what Champions are supposed do throughout the season, hardly failing to pick up points when required the most.

Here’s a look at 5 such instances which were instrumental in getting the Foxes to the position that they are in today:

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Leicester City vs Chelsea, 15th December 2015:

This fixture, which would have been predicted by both football pundits and fans as a walk in the park for the defending champions, was surprisingly the other way around. While Chelsea were hovering near the relegation zone, Leicester City were still in the top 4. The odds were, unusually, tilted in favour of the Foxes in this match and they had a point to prove: that they could give the elite clubs a run for their money. Moreover, this match provided an opportunity to Claudio Ranieri to show his former club, that their owner, Roman Abramovich, was egregiously mistaken when he had sacked Ranieri by claiming that the current Leicester boss did not have it in him to win the league in 2004. And Leicester City did not disappoint as they outclassed the Blues in a 2-1 win, in which  a brilliant Mahrez scored one and set up another. This commanding display sent Leicester to the top of the EPL table.

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Tottenham Hotspurs vs Leicester City, 14th January 2016:

Due to Leicester City’s prolific campaign and Pochettino’s young team having proved themselves as an exciting prospect in English top-flight football, winning this match was vital for both of the teams to maintain themselves in the race for Champions League football next season. It turned out to be a pretty tight encounter as both teams looked set for what would have been an entertaining 0-0 draw. Leicester City, however, managed to snatch a victory right at the death, as their impressive counter-attacking play throughout the game finally bore fruit resulting in a corner, which was subsequently converted by center-back Huth with a powerful header in the 83rd minute.

Leicester City vs Liverpool, 3rd February 2016:

After the 5-2 loss against Arsenal at the start of the season, Leicester City had done remarkably well to shorten the number of their doubters by being at the top of the table at the beginning of February. Leicester needed a victory in this match to shrink their doubters to negligible numbers and they did it in emphatic fashion. Liverpool were dominated by the Foxes in every department of the game as the sensational Vardy came to the party and scored a brace. The match ended in a 2-0 win for Leicester City, which would have done their confidence a world of good as they were lined up to face Manchester City immediately after this fixture.  One thing was sure though: Leicester did not need to prove themselves to anyone, anymore.

Manchester City vs Leicester City, 6th February 2016:

This was perhaps the most crucial game for Leicester City this season as they had faced a formidable challenge in the form of 3 back to back games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. With the Liverpool done and dusted, Leicester had to now lock horns with the mighty Manchester City, who were breathing down their necks in 2nd place. Seemingly inspired by the saying “Cometh the hour, Cometh the man”,  Leicester City pulled out their best performance this season.

Robert Huth stunned the Etihad into silence by scoring in the 3rd minute. The exceptional Riyad Mahrez doubled the lead just after half-time after having assisted the first goal. Huth heaped further misery on Pellegrini’s side by wrapping up the game as early as the 60th minute with a header, making it 3-0. Aguero managed a consolation goal, but Leicester couldn’t care less. They were in dreamland as the scoreline at the final whistle read 3-1.

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Leicester City vs West Ham United, 17th April 2016:

As the league entered its final stages with only few games to go and an excellent Spurs side giving serious competition for the title, the underdog club from Leicester had to do what takes the very best out of even the most accomplished teams: SURVIVE.  And in such a high-pressure situation, Leicester City had to face West Ham, a team that has been a revelation themselves this season. Jamie Vardy opened the scoring in the 18th minute in a quiet first-half. The second-half, however, was a complete opposite. Vardy allegedly took a dive in the penalty-box which prompted the referee to send him off. West Ham pounced on this advantage as Andy Carroll and Aaron Cresswell scored in the 84th and 86th minutes respectively, to give a 2-1 lead to the Hammers.

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The celebrations for West Ham were short-lived though.  With the match on the brink of end of extra-time, Leicester won a penalty and Jose Leonardo Ulloa scored to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat as the fixture ended 2-2. This match showed Leicester’s refusal to accept defeat even under the most trying of circumstances as they secured a well-deserved and much-needed point against a tough opponent. It was one of those matches where the nerves could have set in, but it was a perfect example of how they refused to give up.

Leicester City registered its name in Premier League history books after Eden Hazard scored the equalizer against Spurs last night. And it’s a truly deserving crown for a team that has constantly showed the hallmarks of being the best club in England.

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Written by:

Rajat Mohile

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