REPORT | LEICESTER CITY 4 ARGYLE 0
Leicester City 4
Mavididi pen 14, 52
Daka 49
Ndidi 55
Argyle 0
Leicester City underlined their status as title favourites with a ruthless spell of finishing to inflict a tough defeat on the Pilgrims.
A penalty from Stephy Mavididi set the Foxes on their way but the general nature of the first half was very encouraging for Argyle, who enjoyed decent possession and twice went close to an equaliser.
Unfortunately, the game was gone when Leicester struck a quickfire triple early in the second period. Patson Daka doubled the lead, Mavididi notched his second and another from Wilfred Ndidi ended the contest.
Argyle boss Steven Schumacher made six changes from the last-minute victory over Stoke City. Adam Randell was rewarded with a start after scoring that dramatic winner, alongside the returning Julio Pleguezuelo, Joe Edwards, Callum Wright, Mickel Miller and Matt Butcher.
The Greens enjoyed some decent early possession at the league-leading Foxes, Miller whipping over a cross that was cleared by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before Leicester began turning the screw with Ndidi nodding over from a clever assist by Mavididi.
The hosts were then gifted a golden opportunity when Daka was felled by Pleguezuelo in the box. Michael Cooper dived the right way but Mavididi’s penalty had enough juice behind it to nestle in the bottom corner.
Leicester had a chance to quickly double their lead, Ndidi breaching the Pilgrim defence but Cooper was promptly off his line to thwart the danger. The quick feet of Abdul Fatawu conjured the next opening and Argyle were grateful to see his fizzing drive fly wide of the post.
The Greens responded with successive corners, followed by Randell picking up on a loose pass from the Foxes. He slipped the ball into the path of Morgan Whittaker but the final shot was too high to trouble Mads Hermansen.
Wright then had a shot blocked and Mustapha Bundu forced the first meaningful save from Hermansen after a neat pass by Whittaker. Argyle were now the side asking serious questions and the half ended with Wright again bringing out the best of Leicester custodian Hermansen.
Despite trailing at the break, Argyle had more than matched their high-flying hosts and restarted with a Finn Azaz strike flying over the bar, but the game stretched away from the Pilgrims with a second goal on 49 minutes.
The move started with a launch from Hermansen and Fatawu used his searing pace to get in behind the Argyle defence before feeding a pass to Daka for an easy finish. Sadly, two became three from the next attack, Mavididi spinning cleverly away from his marker and slotting the ball beyond a stranded Cooper.
A third goal in the space of six painful minutes was harsh on the Greens but there was no arguing with the clinical nature of Leicester’s finishing, Ndidi drilling an emphatic strike in off the post.
Miller and Bundu were replaced by Ryan Hardie and Brendan Galloway and Argyle did muster some attacking impetus after the home blitz of goals, Azaz stretching the Leicester defence and Jan Vestergaard snuffed out the danger with a well-timed challenge.
Luke Cundle and Bali Mumba were introduced for Azaz and Whittaker, and Cundle quickly stung the palms of Hermansen. Leicester replied with a powerful run from Hamza Choudhry and Lewis Gibson had to throw himself in front of the shot for a brave block.
Jordan Houghton for Randell was the final Argyle change but that’s all she wrote, and the Greens will regroup for a midweek trip to Queens Park Rangers.
Leicester City: 30 Mads Hermansen, 2 James Justin, 3 Wout Faes, 8 Harry Winks, 10 Stephy Mavididi (11 Marc Albrighton 62), 17 Hamza Choudhry (capt), 18 Abdul Fatawu, 20 Patson Daka (28 Tom Cannon 62), 22 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (7 Cesare Casadei 69), 23 Jan Vestergaard (45 Ben Nelson 81), 25 Wilfred Ndidi (26 Dennis Praet 69). Substitutes (not used): 41 Jakub Stolarczyk (gk), 4 Conor Coady, 15 Harry Soutter, 39 Tawanda Maswanhise.
Booked:
Argyle: 1 Michael Cooper, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 7 Matt Butcher, 8 Joe Edwards (capt), 10 Morgan Whittaker (2 Bali Mumba 66), 11 Callum Wright, 14 Mickel Miller (22 Brendan Galloway 57), 15 Mustapha Bundu (9 Ryan Hardie 57), 17 Lewis Gibson, 18 Finn Azaz (28 Luke Cundle 66), 20 Adam Randell (4 Jordan Houghton 77). Substitutes (not used): 21 Conor Hazard (gk), 6 Dan Scarr, 23 Ben Waine, 29 Kaine Kesler-Hayden.
Booked: Gibson 42, Miller 44, Galloway 67
Referee: Sunny Singh Gill
Attendance