Leicester set for first title shot at Old Trafford

Published May 1, 2016
NEWCASTLE: Andros Townsend (R) of Newcastle United scores the winner from a free kick during the English Premier League match against Crystal Palace at St James Park on Saturday.—Reuters
NEWCASTLE: Andros Townsend (R) of Newcastle United scores the winner from a free kick during the English Premier League match against Crystal Palace at St James Park on Saturday.—Reuters

LONDON: The Premier League trophy arrived in Leicester on Friday for a promotional tour. It will surely be back next month with Leicester City etched into the solid silver for the first time.

The leaders can wrap up their improbable pursuit of the biggest prize in English football on Sunday with a victory at Manchester United.

Claudio Ranieri’s side have the eyes of the world on them as they head to Old Trafford knowing a victory against United would see the 5,000-1 outsiders crowned champions for the first time in their 132-year history.

And delivering the title at the home of the record 20-time English champions would be the Hollywood ending craved by Ranieri.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s history and we know this,” Ranieri said on Friday. “It is important to finish the story like an American movie. Always in the final it is OK, a happy ending.

“It’s a good opportunity but for this reason we have to be focused. Let me be calm, wait, we have time.”

But their first shot at sporting immortality comes with leading scorer Jamie Vardy banished to the stands after the England international was this week handed an additional one-game ban for angrily confronting referee Jonathan Moss following his dismissal for diving against West Ham United earlier this month.

Although Vardy’s presence wasn’t missed as Leicester crushed lowly Swansea City 4-0 in the first match of his ban last weekend, the trip to United could be a trickier proposition.

Leicester last won at Old Trafford in 1998, each of their last six visits have ended in defeat and they take on a United outfit who are chasing a top-four berth with their spirits lifted by reaching the FA Cup final.

However, few teams epitomise against-the-odds success better than Ranieri’s men and, with Vardy’s replacement Leonardo Ulloa having scored twice against Swansea.

The trip to Old Trafford is the first of three opportunities to claim the required victory as Leicester have a seven-point lead over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Even if they fail to beat United, the title can be clinched by Monday if Tottenham fail to win at Chelsea.

Chelsea, who are preparing to hand the Premier Lea­gue trophy over to Leicester, have not lost at home to Tottenham in any competition since February 1990.

With England midfielder Dele Alli now ruled out for the rest of the season following his three-match suspension for punching West Bromwich Albion’s Claudio Yacob last Monday, even Tottenham striker Harry Kane concedes Leicester look out of reach.

“It makes it a lot, lot harder now we haven’t won. It’s not in our hands, it’s in Leicester’s hands,” Kane said. “It’s not impossible but it looks unlikely the way their season has gone so far.”

TOWNSEND LIFTS NEWCASTLE

On Saturday, Andros Townsend scored a stunning free-kick as Newcastle United edged Crystal Palace 1-0 and escaped the relegation zone at the expense of northeast rivals Sunderland.

Townsend netted with a sensational shot in the 58th minute and with Karl Darlow saving a penalty from ex-Newcastle player Yohan Cabaye, Rafael Benitez’s team claimed a potentially vital win.

Jermain Defoe scored a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a 1-1 draw at Stoke City for Sunderland and although Sam Allardyce’s side were left a point behind Newcastle in the bottom three, they retain a game in hand.

Both teams could yet end up in the relegation places at the end of the day, however, if Norwich City can contrive to win at Arsenal in the late kick-off.

A pivotal day at St James’ Park began with a minute’s applause to mark the verdicts of the new inquests into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which found police responsible for the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.

Newcastle’s fans broke into a spontaneous rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, the Liverpool club anthem, but singing quickly gave way to nail-biting as the home side struggled to make a breakthrough.

Townsend eventually made the breakthrough, the one-time England winger sending a free-kick from wide on the right whistling into the top-left corner.

Twelve minutes later, Cabaye had a chance to equalise, but the France international saw his penalty brilliantly turned away by Darlow.

Sunderland could not follow Newcastle’s lead, but Defoe’s unerring 94th-minute penalty prevented them from suffering a damaging defeat.

Stoke went ahead in the 50th minute through Marko Arnautovic, who was then forced off by injury, and Defoe earned his side a precious point by dispatching a spot-kick awarded for a foul on him by Geoff Cameron.

Elsewhere, West Ham United captain Mark Noble scored twice for the second game in succession as his side won 3-0 at West Bromwich Albion to replace Manchester United in fifth place.

And under-pressure Ever­ton manager Roberto Mart­inez enjoyed some respite as his side won for the first time in eight league matches, prevailing 2-1 at home to Bournemouth.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2016

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