Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Leicester City. Premier League.
MolineuxAttendance31,425.
Match report and free highlights as goals from Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Jamie Vardy move Leicester out of the relegation zone with a 4-0 win over Wolves at Molineux; only goal difference keeps Wolves off bottom
Sunday 23 October 2022 17:41, UK
Leicester are off the bottom of the Premier League and out of the relegation zone after thrashing woeful Wolves 4-0 at Molineux.
Youri Tielemans' stunning strike put the Foxes ahead early and when Harvey Barnes added a second soon after, Brendan Rodgers' side were on their way to their first away win of the Premier League season.
The returning James Maddison made it three and there was even time for Jamie Vardy to come off the bench and make it four with his first goal of the campaign. Remarkably, they were Leicester's only four shots in the first 85 minutes. Wolves had 21 without scoring.
The problem cost Bruno Lage his job and interim head coach Steve Davis seems unable to solve it. If he cannot, it may cost Wolves their Premier League status. They drop to 19th. Leicester are up to 16th.
Wolves began the game brightly and finished the first half having had 13 of the game's 15 shots. The difference was that Leicester scored with both of those. The strike from Tielemans was a bolt from the blue after a free-kick was headed out to him.
The Belgian has the technique to make good contact but it was the accuracy that did it for Jose Sa, the ball arrowing into the top corner of the Wolves net. The home side's confidence is fragile given their form and that one moment transformed the mood at Molineux.
Leicester's best football of the match brought the second goal, a quick one-two between Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opening up the Wolves defence with the help of Jonny Otto's slip. Two up against a team that has not scored two in a game all season.
Wolves pushed in the second half while looking utterly impotent in front of goal. Leicester were content to play on the counter-attack. When they did have a shot, it brought the third goal, Maddison beating Sa low to his left from just inside the penalty box.
If Leicester needed one more thing to go right it was a goal for Vardy, the veteran favourite yet to find the net this season. That goal came soon after he was introduced, turning Timothy Castagne's low cross home from close range to make it four.
A third consecutive clean sheet will add to the feeling that Leicester are a club over their recent travails and capable of moving further away from the danger zone. For Wolves, having confirmed Davis as interim head coach into the new year, the problems deepen.
"I don't think we defended very well when it mattered. The first goal we could not do much about. The three other goals we conceded were counter-attacks. We probably had more shots today than we have had for some time. But we did not quite get the balance right.
"Games are won in both boxes. You can have five chances and score four like they did or you can have 21 and not score. I saw lots of possession, because they enjoy playing with the ball, but I didn't see a lot of tackles, a lot of second balls. It is a time for big characters."
On the supporters' frustration, Davis empathised. "It's frustrating, isn't it," he added. "Losing 4-0 at home is horrible. Very disappointed for them. I feel it myself. But we will stick together and that's what we need to do."
He also acknowledged that Wolves are in a relegation scrap. "I think we are in a battle. It is very early in season but it has to change. We can't be saying this after the World Cup. We have to get out of the bottom three and give the fans some hope."
"It was a very good win for us, we started slowly, too negative with our passing. But I think what we have seen is the resilience of the team, [a willingness to] stand up and be counted. From Youri's first goal we were outstanding.
"Absolutely delighted, outstanding performance in a pressure game. We showed real moments of quality, all four goals were fantastic play. It is our fourth clean sheet in five games, that is where it starts. Fundamentally, you have to defend well.
"It is a very honest group that had a difficult start and it's been a challenge. But we are defending better, showing that resilience and when we have the ball the quality is there."
Wolves travel to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), while Leicester host champions Manchester City on the same day (kick-off 12.30pm).
