Newcastle vs Leicester: Five things we learned from the Foxes' victory at St James' Park
Leicester struck late to consign Newcastle to their fifth defeat in six games
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Your support makes all the difference.Mahrez a class act
After being voted the Premier League’s best player in Leicester’s fairy-tale 2015-16 campaign, the Algerian – like his team – struggled to find his best form last term.
In the last few weeks he’s been back to his best and his goal here, an equaliser from 25 yards after a driving run, was his fifth in 11 games.
If Mahrez continues in this vein of form, Leicester might struggle to keep hold of him when the winter transfer window opens next month.
Long shots an issue for Darlow
Karl Darlow was called a “brilliant goalkeeper” by Eden Hazard after Newcastle’s defeat by Chelsea last weekend but he didn’t live up to that tag here.
He was flat-footed for Mahrez’s long-range opener – a shot that any Premier League goalie would’ve been disappointed to concede – and the offside flag saved him when he parried Marc Albrighton’s 20-yard effort into the path of Jamie Vardy.
In the interest of fairness, it’s important to note that Darlow did make a good close-range stop to prevent Mahrez from putting Leicester 3-1 up before Dwight Gayle’s equaliser.
Gray repaying Puel’s faith
Demarai Gray wasn’t given too many starts by either Claudio Ranieri or Craig Shakespeare but he’s started all but one of Leicester’s Premier League games since Claude Puel’s arrival.
He almost scored with a stunning, curled effort that went just wide of Darlow’s upright before Mahrez’s equaliser and he did eventually get his goal in the second half, hammering the visitors into a 2-1 lead from Albrighton’s knockdown.
Gayle unlucky to be on the losing side
Dwight Gayle must’ve thought he’d salvaged his side a point when he equalised in the 73rd minute but it wasn’t to be as Ayoze Perez’s late own-goal cost Newcastle a valuable point.
The former Crystal Palace man’s intelligent run and pass led to the Magpies’ opener and he came agonisingly close to giving the hosts the lead when his shot went narrowly wide of Kasper Schmeichel’s far post just minutes after his equaliser.
He’s scored three times and notched an assist in his last four appearances but has ended up on the losing side on each occasion – something he’ll be hoping to put right heading into a busy period of the season.
Newcastle suffering a crisis of confidence
The Magpies came into this match on the back of a run of one draw and five losses from their last six Premier League matches and, after a quick start, the team’s fragilities began to show.
Leicester dominated a huge chunk of the first half and with some better finishing might have led at the break.
The visitors did eventually run out deserved winners after Perez’s late own-goal.
With Arsenal and Manchester City to come in their next four games, Toon boss Rafa Benitez will be counting down the days until the opening of the January transfer window.
This Newcastle team just doesn’t have enough quality about it.
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