Bernard (Admin)

Match Report Leicester City (0) 0-1 (1) Fulham Premier League Match Day 18 22/23 at King Power Stadium Tuesday 3rd January 2023    KO: 19:45 Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire)

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic

More Aleksandar Mitrovic stories

His Wiki page

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic's first-half strike was enough for Fulham to beat Leicester 1-0 at the King Power Stadium and move up to seventh in the Premier League.

The sides went into the game in contrasting form, with Leicester losing two in a row following the Premier League's resumption, while Fulham had taken six points from six.

The opening exchanges went true to form, with the west Londoners dominating their hosts and taking the lead in the 17th minute when Mitrovic lashed the ball past Danny Ward from Willian's excellent lofted pass.

Leicester grew into the game after their dreadful start and dominated throughout the second half, but could not find a way past the impressive Bernd Leno, meaning they now find themselves just three points clear of the relegation zone in 13th.

Leicester looked like they had fully recovered from their wretched start to the season by recording six wins from their final seven matches before the World Cup, but that momentum has been well and truly snuffed out, with the Foxes having lost three straight in the Premier League.

Their tepid start could perhaps be explained by losing influential midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the warm-up, and Brendan Rodgers surely could not believe his luck when Boubakary Soumare had to replaced less than 10 minutes into the game.

Fulham had already spurned two good chances through Willian by that time though, and took a deserved lead when Mitrovic scored from the former Chelsea and Arsenal winger’s assist.

Match Stats	Leicester	Fulham
Goals	(0) 0	1 (1)
Scorers	-	Mitrovic 17
Goal attempts	15	11
On target	6	2
Shooting Accuracy	40%	18%
Possession	61%	39%
Passes	551	348
Passes Success	82%	76%
Crosses	24	15
Crosses Success	17%	27%
Corners	6	3
Tackles	17	13
Tackles Success	82%	62%
Saves	1	6
Fouls	12	11
Offsides	0	1
Yellows	2	6
Reds	0	0
source: SkySports

In truth, Fulham offered very little else from an attacking standpoint, with Marco Silva’s side seemingly happy to sit back and protect their lead as Leicester found their feet.

The hosts' shooting was wayward in the first half but they began to test Bernd Leno after the break, with the goalkeeper denying Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez as Leicester began to dominate.

Youri Tielemans also tried his luck on a number of occasions and came close to replicating his stunning strike against Everton earlier this season late on, but instead saw his rasping effort come back off the bar.

That was as close as Leicester came, and Fulham should have sealed victory when Harry Wilson broke clear in the closing stages, but the substitute could only dink his effort wide of the near post.

The only downside for Fulham was a late booking for Mitrovic, meaning the striker - who has 11 Premier League goals this season - will miss next Thursday's clash with rivals Chelsea through suspension.

Silva: Best way to start 2023
Fulham manager Marco Silva was pleased with the way his side held onto the three points at Leicester despite being pushed all the way by Southampton last Saturday, saying: "It’s the best way to start 2023. Proud of the players. I’m really pleased for them - they deserve all of the credit.

"After the game last Saturday [at home to Southampton] we came here with just two days between games. First half we started really well and we showed our quality from the first minute. We should have scored earlier in the game but the way in which Mitro finished was top quality.

"The second half was completely different. You have to be really resilient to come here and win. I know what they are capable of with their quality. They pushed us back but we stuck together."

Mitrovic's goal means he has already equalled his record in a Premier League season and Silva said: "He will get more, for sure.

"We will keep providing for him. It’s not important the number. Since we arrived he is breaking records and he is so special for this football club."

Rodgers: Early injuries put us on backfoot
Asked whether the two injuries his side suffered summed up Leicester's current fortunes, Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said: "A little bit. It’s a very small squad and the players are giving everything.

"Kiernan coming out changed the whole dynamic of the team. For the first 15, 20-minute period, it put us on the backfoot and led to us conceding a poor goal.

"But after that, I can’t say anything more about the players other than giving them huge credit. Their goalkeeper makes some great saves and we have some opportunities we maybe should finish, but we created enough to take at least something from the game.

"I’m really disappointed for the players because they put so much into it. Our last two performances have deserved more."

Fulham's next fixture is also away to EFL opposition in the FA Cup third round, with the west Londoners travelling to Hull on Saturday - kick-off 3pm.

Fulham then host rivals Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday, January 12 - kick-off 8pm.

Leicester City: Ward, Thomas (Iheanacho 72), Amartey, Castagne, Faes, Soumare (Albrighton 8), Tielemans, Perez, Barnes, Ndidi (Mendy 72), Vardy

Unused substitutes: Brunt, McAteer, Vestergaard, Iversen, Soyuncu

Booked: Ndidi (61,f), Castagne (74,f),

Fulham: Leno, Tete, Ream, Tosin, Robinson, Reed, Palhinha, De Cordova-Reid (Wilson 66), Pereira (Cairney 59), Willian (Diop 82), Mitrovic

Unused substitutes: Vinicius, Kurzawa, Chalobah, Rodak, James, Solomon

Goals:
Aleksandar Mitrovic 17 (left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Willian with a through ball.)

Booked: Adarabioyo (52,tw), Palhinha (60,f), Cairney (62,f), Tete (68,f), Mitrovic (78,f), Leno (96,tw)

Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire)

Attendance: 30,813