Leicester returned to the top of the Sky Bet Championship with an impressive 4-1 win at Blackburn.
In the first ever meeting between two former Premier League winners in the second tier, it was Enzo Maresca’s pace-setters who prevailed.
Wout Faes gave the Foxes an early lead and although they were soon pegged back through Rovers’ top scorer Sammie Szmodics, Jamie Vardy restored the lead before half-time with a powerful finish for his fourth of the season.
Their passing style eventually wore down Blackburn and they made the game safe with two goals in the final 10 minutes, with Kelechi Iheanacho converting an 82nd-minute penalty before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s clever finish six minutes later capped a superb afternoon for the visitors who have won eight of their nine league games.
Rovers dropped to 18th after a fourth defeat in five.
Leicester were quickly into their stride and went ahead in the fourth minute when Abdul Fatawu swung a cross to the far post and Faes outjumped his marker to power a header into the bottom-right corner.
But Blackburn’s high press caught them cold five minutes later when Mads Hermansen’s pass was intercepted by Lewis Travis and the ball found Szmodics who stepped inside Ricardo Pereira before slamming his sixth of the season into the bottom corner.
Leicester struggled to find any rhythm, but Vardy was close to spectacularly regaining the lead when he controlled and let fly with a ferocious shot that clipped the top of the bar.
He made no mistake with a ruthless 28th-minute finish though, as he brilliantly controlled Wilfred Ndidi’s first-time cross from the right before hammering a left-foot strike into the roof of the net.
Although Rovers continued to look a threat, Leicester almost struck a third on the break but Dewsbury-Hall found the side-netting just before the break.
After a positive start to the second half, Blackburn nearly conceded a third when Vardy rounded the goalkeeper and squared to Ndidi but Harry Pickering heroically blocked his shot.
The hosts’ best chance came with 14 minutes to go when Tyrhys Dolan was set free down the left and his pass found Travis whose powerful low drive was brilliantly saved by Hermansen before Jannik Vestergaard blocked Szmodics’ rebound.
It proved crucial as Hayden Carter’s tug on Vestergaard’s shirt in the box gave the Foxes a chance to put the game to bed in the 82nd minute and Iheanacho made no mistake from the spot, slotting his penalty into the left corner with ease.
Dewsbury-Hall added a sumptuous fourth with two minutes remaining, latching onto Yunus Akgun’s pass before beautifully lifting over substitute goalkeeper Leo Wahlstedt from a narrow angle.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Jackson , Delap & Joao Pedro next season 34-year-old Aaron Ramsey is signing for Pumas in Liga MX, per @davidornstein Five years ago Leo Messi joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the only active players to reach 700 goals. They're still going:Ronaldo: 938 goals Messi: 866 goals Just CR7 THINGS! Lamine Yamal will start the 2025-26 season as an Adult! Champions Lea...
Man Utd are reportedly targeting a recently relegated Premier League player to strengthen Ruben Amorim's midfield.Manchester United have held discussions over a shock swoop for Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi, according to reports. Ruben Amorim may view the recently-relegated star as a cut-price solution in his pursuit of midfield reinforcements this summer.United have focused their early...
Chelsea could reportedly hijack Tottenham's pursuit of a Premier League forward.Chelsea are reportedly looking to hijack Tottenham's pursuit of Mohammed Kudus Chelsea could reportedly hijack Tottenham's pursuit of Mohammed Kudus by negotiating a swap deal for the West Ham winger. The west Londoners have been among the Premier League's busiest clubs in the summer window, having already made a numbe...
Lionel Messi could consider leaving Inter Miami to play in a more competitive league ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America. Messi and Co. faced humiliation in the Club World Cup round of 16 stage after suffering a 4-0 loss to Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine's current deal expires at the end of 2025 and he has reportedly put fresh contract talks on hold.Messi coul...
Chelsea not ruling out swoop for West Ham star KudusAccording to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are set to compete with their Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to secure a transfer for West Ham star Mohammed Kudus. The Blues have already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and are now closing in on signing Joao Pedro from Brighton and Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. Earlier this month, the Ha...
Charly Musonda Chelsea Premier LeagueFormer Chelsea rising star Charly Musonda Jr has retired aged 28 after an injury-hit career for one of Belgium's former brightest prospects.Musonda retires aged 28WHAT HAPPENED?Musonda has now decided to put an end to a difficult career, announcing his decision himself on the Rising Ballers podcast as reported by Belgian outlet La DH Les Sports. Musonda had bee...
FBL-EUR-C1-REAL MADRID-PRESSERDani Carvajal is ready to play in any position under new Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso as the veteran Spanish full-back eyes a return to the Los Blancos squad after remaining sidelined with an ACL injury since last October. Carvajal rejoined Madrid training earlier this month and is now hopeful of getting game time under Alonso in the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.WHAT HAP...
Bryan MbeumoIt is still possible that Bryan Mbeumo remains at Brentford this summer, claims the club's director amidst strong Manchester United links.WHAT HAPPENED?Bees director of football Phil Giles has insisted the club are waiting for the right offer for their talisman and could keep him next season if this does not come in from United or Tottenham Hotspur - despite the fact that Mbeumo only h...
FBL-ESP-LIGA-REAL MADRID-ALONSOComplete guide to Los Blancos' pre-season preparations, including friendlies and training camps, ahead of the 2025-26 season.Elimination from the 2024-25 Champions League must have hit Real Madrid hard, but Los Blancos already have big events to look forward to ahead of the 2025-26 season.Under Carlo Ancelotti's most recent managerial spell at the club, Real suffered...
Luis-DiazBayern Munich are ready compete with Barcelona to secure a transfer for Liverpool winger Luis Diaz this summer. The Bundesliga giants are looking for a quality left-wing option and have put the Colombian in their shortlist. The German champions, though, are yet to initiate formal transfer talks with the Reds as they are still evaluating their options. WHAT HAPPENED?According to Sky Sports...
- 1 Raphinha happy to see Barcelona miss out on FIFA Club World Cup
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Liverpool willing to make swap proposal to Palace for Guehi
- 4 Chelsea transfer at 'final stages'
- 5 Club World Cup 2025: Benfica v Chelsea predictions, best bets and odds
- 6 Man Utd close in on Bryan Mbeumo! Red Devils agree £60m+ fee with Brentford as Premier League rivals iron out final transfer details
- 7 Mystery blonde who had night out with Kieran Trippier
- 8 Man United close in on Bryan Mbeumo
- 9 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 10 Sporting CP president Varandas: Gyokeres knows price he can leave for