QPR 0 City 1
Report by Colin Hall
A 41st minute strike from Jamie Vardy – the striker's first goal outside Leicester since the opening day of the season – proved enough to secure the points against promotion rivals Queens Park Rangers in an incident-packed encounter at Loftus Road.
The day would have been momentous regardless of the result, as it had been chosen by the club's owners to make the announcement that City's historic debts, reported as totalling over £100 million, had now been cleared.
This action, worth the financial equivalent of a Champions League victory, deserves the appreciation of the Foxes fanbase, and provides a welcome contrast to the current adverse publicity involving other club owners from the Far East.
But only Premier League football can sustain the new-found financial stability in the long-term. And Saturday's result on the field may be an important step towards achieving this.
City, fielding the same starting line-up as for the previous league game, faced a fierce early onslaught, with Schmeichel forced into action to deny both Phillips and Kranjcar.
However the visitors found an unusual source of respite as play was held up by the intervention of a squirrel. Stewards seemed remarkably relaxed by this particular pitch invader, who was allowed to roam for several minutes before returning from where it came.
The hosts, dominant in midfield during the first half, showed many of the qualities that had propelled them to the top of the league. But the breakthrough proved elusive for them, despite one melee which saw Schmeichel save from Austin and Phillips in quick succession, either side of a Moore goal-line clearance.
City would have been hugely relieved to reach the interval on level terms. Yet, incredibly, they did so in the lead. Nugent headed on a long Schmeichel goal-kick, and Vardy outpaced the home defence to find the net with an impressive angled drive – the first effort on target from the visitors in the match.
The action continued deep into “squirrel time” as Phillips wasted a glorious chance of an equaliser, lobbing over the bar when sent clear on Schmeichel. Home players Assou-Ekotto and Austin then squared up to each other as another chance went begging for them.
Having ridden their luck during a torrid opening half, City knew they had to show character and resilience in order to preserve the lead. The whole side, with Morgan and Moore particularly prominent, duly produced these qualities, and more, in abundance.
The iron grip that the home midfield had exerted on the game was gradually eased. Dyer and Knockaert, hitherto anonymous for long spells, began to see more of the ball and create chances on a more frequent basis, while subs Taylor-Fletcher and Wasilewski gave the team a greater physical presence.
As the game slipped away from them, the home players and fans looked to their stars for inspiration. Instead, though, they only found indiscipline. Barton was fortunate to remain on the field as a flailing arm caught Taylor-Fletcher in the face, but his reprieve only lasted a matter of seconds before another moment of petulance earned him a second yellow card.
However, there were still anxious moments for the Foxes to endure. A clash between Wasilewski and home sub Benayoun had home fans baying for a penalty which many refs would have been happy to give, while Austin was thwarted again by Schmeichel at the death.
But City held on for the victory the second-half performance just about deserved, and which was celebrated noisily by the travelling hordes. It was the side's first victory in London since New Year's Day 2012 and ended a run of four winless games that had threatened to derail the Foxes' promotion challenge.
The result, arguably the most significant of the season to date, demonstrates that City's competitive instincts are as strong as any in the Championship. However, they have to be displayed on a regular basis for the remainder of the season, particularly away from Filbert Way
Should this happen, then the dearest Christmas wish of most Foxes – an end to the decade-long exile from the top flight – may yet be on the way to being realised in 2014.
QPR: Green; Simpson, Dunne, Hill (c), Assou-Ekotto; Phillips, Carroll (Benayoun 69), Barton, Kranjcar, O’Neil (Hoilett 46); Austin. Subs not used: Murphy; Traore, Onuoha, Jenas, Henry,
Leicester: Schmeichel, De Laet (Wasilewski 81), Morgan (c), Moore, Konchesky; Knockaert, Drinkwater, James, Dyer; Vardy (Taylor-Fletcher 68), Nugent (Schlupp 78).Subs not used: Hammond; King, Miquel, Logan
Goal: Vardy 41
Referee: Mr. P. Tierney Attendance: 17,713 (City support 1,713)
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