Swansea 0 City 3
Report by Colin Hall
Riyad Mahrez joined a select group of Leicester City players to score a Premier League hat-trick as his side swept aside Swansea City 3-0 at a blustery Liberty Stadium to return to the top of the league.
Only Ian Marshall and Stan Collymore had previously achieved the feat, and Mahrez's treble was the first in the top flight away from Leicester since Gary Lineker (wonder what happened to him?) notched three goals at Notts County in January 1984.
Although there may have been some contention about both of the Algeria international's first two strikes, there could be none at all about the margin of victory, which reflected the visitors' domination of the game from start to finish and sent a powerful message to title rivals and media sceptics alike.
Manager Claudio Ranieri made just one change to the starting eleven, with Leonardo Ulloa replacing Shinji Okazaki in attack. Meanwhile home boss Garry Monk sprang some surprises with his line-up, as some regulars were demoted to the bench.
With Manchester City succumbing to defeat at Stoke in the lunchtime fixture, the incentive for the Foxes was clear. They took the initiative from the start, pressurising home defenders into mistakes.
The breakthrough was not long delayed, as Marc Albrighton's first corner of the game narrowly cleared Ulloa's head at the near post before being bundled home by Mahrez. Replays suggested the final touch may have come from the winger's hand, but whether contact could be deemed intentional was far from clear.
As the Swans were left reeling from this early blow, Jamie Vardy squandered a glorious chance to extend the Foxes' advantage. He dispossessed Bartley in midfield to go clear on goal, only to send his effort straight at Fabianski.
But as the Foxes' onslaught on the home goal continued, a second goal soon followed. N'Golo Kante, once again a constant menace to the opposition, sent Mahrez through to beat the offside trap for a clinical finish.
If there was an element of fortune about this goal – replays showed Mahrez a yard ahead of the last defender – we should also recall there have been occasions on the road this season, notably at Bournemouth and Southampton, where the linesmen's calls have not gone in our favour.
The visitors retained control for the rest of the half with Mahrez being denied by Fabianski and Ulloa curling an effort wide when he should at least have hit the target.
During the interval, excitement among the travelling contingent at the prospect of a return to the league summit was mixed with trepidation that there may be a price to pay for wasting clear-cut opportunities. As we've seen so often already this season, a two-goal lead is far from secure.
Such nerves were not exactly dispelled shortly after the resumption when Ki headed a Sigurdsson free-kick against the bar. However, the home side were unable to capitalise on that chance and Leicester quickly regained their composure.
Midway through the half an excellent Foxes move sealed the destiny of the points and the match ball. A powerful surge by Kante caused mayhem in the Swans' defence and allowed Vardy to tee up an unmarked Mahrez for his 11th league goal of the season.
As many disgruntled home fans headed for the exits. the only questions that remained were whether Kasper Schmeichel could record his third clean sheet of the season (he did, though Sigurdsson and Gomis caused him scares late on) and if Vardy could find the net for the 12th successive league game.
Sadly, the City marksman was wayward with two efforts in the closing stages, although there were a number of penalty claims which referee Oliver may have been sympathetic towards on another day.
Nevertheless, the final whistle brought jubilant scenes in another packed away end as yet another bogey was laid to rest. The Foxes had never previously scored, let alone won, at this venue, but – as at Newcastle in the previous away game – they outfought and outclassed the hosts in challenging conditions.
Dare we dream of a Champions League place, or perhaps even of the Premier title? It is probably far too early in the season for that, but we are certainly a central part of the most open race in years, and in a far more comfortable position than this time last year.
All we can do is take things game by game, and give the best Leicester side in generations every piece of support it deserves.
Swansea: Fabianski; Naughton, Bartley, Williams, Taylor; Britton (Barrow 63), Ki (Cork 78), Sigurdsson; Routledge (Montero 46), Ayew, Gomis. Subs not used: Emnes, Nordfeldt, Rangel, Fernandez
Booked: Ki, Britton
Leicester: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez (Schlupp 90), Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton; Ulloa (King 87), Vardy. Subs not used: Okazaki, Wasilewski, Benalouane, Schwarzer, Inler.
Goals: Mahrez (5,22,68)
Booked: Kante, Simpson, Albrighton
Attendance: 20,836 Referee: Michael Oliver
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation