Leicester City vs Middlesbrough. Sky Bet Championship.
The King Power StadiumAttendance31,487.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Middlesbrough at the King Power Stadium on Saturday | Finn Azaz and Sam Silvera score in Boro win at league leaders.
Saturday 17 February 2024 18:58, UK
Middlesbrough claimed their first win at the King Power Stadium with a 2-1 victory over Championship leaders Leicester.
After the Foxes missed two big chances to take the lead, Finn Azaz opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a clever finish from Lewis O'Brien's square pass before Samuel Silvera's emphatic strike after 37 minutes extended Boro's advantage.
Substitute Jamie Vardy halved the deficit in the 85th minute, producing an excellent finish into the bottom left corner, but Boro held on to end a four-game winless run and complete the double over Leicester.
The Foxes, who lost at home for the first time since November, are now nine points in front of second-placed Leeds - their next opponents on Friday.
The home side spurned a golden opportunity to take the lead after five minutes when Jannik Vestergaard headed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's cross from the right into the side netting from five yards.
Leicester missed another gilt-edged chance soon after as Patson Daka somehow miscued his close-range header, sending the ball across the face of goal.
Moments later, Abdul Fatawu cut in from the right and saw his goalbound effort blocked behind by Matt Clarke.
Boro took full advantage of those missed opportunities to break the deadlock when Silvera released O'Brien in behind and the midfielder squared the ball across the box to Azaz who coolly lifted into the top left corner.
Foxes defender Ricardo Pereira then made a crucial interception as he cut out O'Brien's square ball after Boro caught Leicester on the counter attack from their own corner.
However, the visitors doubled their lead after Stephy Mavididi played a short pass to James Justin from a throw-in and Riley McGree pounced to slip in Silvera who smashed the ball into the left corner of the goal.
Leicester searched for a way back into the game before the break as Fatawu's shot from 20 yards dipped narrowly over the crossbar before Dewsbury-Hall saw his effort deflect over the top.
Boro could have extended their lead early in the second half when Azaz lifted a pass through to McGree and Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen hesitated coming off his line only for the midfielder to carry the ball out of play.
McGree then curled a free-kick inches wide of the post from 25 yards after Wout Faes bodychecked Azaz to break up a promising Boro attack.
Leicester should have reduced the deficit when Kasey McAteer played a ball across the box to fellow substitute Vardy only for the veteran striker to blaze his shot over the bar from close range before Vestergaard repeated the feat moments later.
However, Vardy made amends for his earlier miss five minutes from time when he produced a clinical finish into the bottom left corner after racing onto Tom Cannon's ball in behind the Boro defence.
The Foxes were unable to find a leveller as Boro put their bodies on the line to win away at Leicester for the first time since September 2001 and bring an end to the home side's four-game winning run.
Leicester's Enzo Maresca:
"It was just one of those days you have to drop points, we created many chances before their goal, we pushed until the end and tried until the end and that's the most important thing.
"Even playing a different way we created a lot of chances, we tried to adjust and adapt, we lost a little bit of balance after we conceded the first goal and we conceded some counter attacks which we need to avoid.
"We missed the last pass, even with these things that we need to improve, we had many chances that we missed, we were close, it's part of our season, we can't think we're going to win every game.
"We have 13 games, we need to win some more games to reach our target, it's not easy, you can drop points every game in the Championship, from now on all the games are important, we didn't drop in terms of commitment, it was a lack of quality in the last third."
Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick:
"The spirit and the will to win was there, tactically the boys understood it, the boys were so eager to carry it out, it's not easy as we've taken a few hits lately, the spirit was incredible.
"I'm just happy the boys had something go their way for a change, they deserve it because they're an unbelievable group to work with, it doesn't surprise me.
"The players are happy without being overly happy which is good, they're eager to bring on what's next, there was almost a feeling we could have scored one or two more and made it a little bit easier, they had chances towards the end, but there's a good sense that that is still not enough, we want some more.
"We played very similar to how we played at home against them, they put five across their top line, it was just different personnel and the boys did their specific jobs unbelievably well and I was really pleased they took that on board."
