Foxes miss chance after United tie
Print Edition
LEICESTER City missed its first chance to clinch the Premier League title, drawing 1-1 at Manchester United yesterday to move within two points of the most unlikely championship in English soccer.
Second-place Tottenham, Hotspur which is eight points behind Leicester, must beat Chelsea away today to keep alive the title race.
Leicester fought back after going behind to Anthony Martial’s eighth-minute goal, with captain Wes Morgan heading in a free kick to equalize in the 17th. Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater was sent off in the 86th for a second yellow card.
A win would have sealed the title for Leicester, a modest team from central England that narrowly escaped relegation last season and entered bankruptcy protection only seven years ago while in the third tier. Leicester’s remaining games are against Everton at home and Chelsea away.
United’s failure to win kept the team fifth and dented its ambitions of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. But this game was all about Leicester and whether Claudio Ranieri’s team — a 5,000-1 shot with British bookmakers before the season — could achieve the seemingly impossible, a feat that would rank among the biggest underdog stories in sports.
The team known as the Foxes are still heavy favorites — their vocal, flag-waving travelling contingent chanted “We’re going to win the league” over and over after the final whistle — but Spurs still have hope ahead of their match at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester players had barely got out of their own half by the time they conceded. Antonio Valencia cut inside from the right and sent over a cross that fell at the feet of Martial, who sidefooted powerfully past Kasper Schmeichel at the far post.
Ranieri’s team has been confounding the doubters all season and hit back with its first genuine chance of the game.
Morgan was just too strong for Marcos Rojo as he barged his way into the six-yard box to meet Drinkwater’s inswinging free kick with a header past goalkeeper David de Gea.
“We shall not be moved,” cried the Leicester fans, who were in full throttle at Old Trafford.
United was lucky to finish the first half with 11 men after the referee missed Marouane Fellaini lashing out at Robert Huth, first with his forearm and then with his elbow. Fellaini could get a retrospective ban.
The second half was more even, with Leicester looking more dangerous on the counterattack and from open play. But De Gea wasn’t seriously tested aside from long-range efforts and United came closest to scoring when Chris Smalling glanced a header against the post.
Drinkwater, yellow-carded in the first half, was shown the red card for pulling back Memphis Depay as the substitute raced into the area. Drinkwater will miss the home match against Everton.
United rose one place in the table to fifth but is four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, which occupies the final Champions League qualifying place, with three games left.
Earlier, Liverpool’s much-changed team was beaten 1-3 at Swansea City, with Andre Ayew scoring two goals.
Liverpool rested some players ahead of the second leg of its Europa League semifinal against Villarreal and paid the price, with one of the fringe players brought in — Brad Smith — getting sent off in the 76th at 3-1.
Ayew headed in the opening goal from a 20th-minute corner and Jack Cork made it 2-0 with a curling shot from the edge of the area. Christian Benteke scored a header from a corner in the 65th before Ayew sealed the win two minutes later.
Swansea secured its Premier League status for another season.
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