Stoke City vs Leicester City. Sky Bet Championship.
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Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Leicester City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday | A Patson Daka double, Kasey McAteer and a Jamie Vardy double seal a comfortable win for the league-leading Foxes.
Saturday 3 February 2024 18:50, UK
Leicester extended their lead at the top of the Championship to 11 points with a thumping 5-0 victory at Stoke.
Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy both scored twice, including a penalty each, to inspire the Foxes to a comprehensive victory.
The in-form Daka opened the scoring and Kasey McAteer doubled the visitors' advantage shortly before the half-hour mark.
After the break a first penalty of the afternoon for Leicester allowed Daka to net his second, his ninth goal involvement in his last eight matches.
An evergreen Jamie Vardy came off the bench to complete the rout, firing in his first goals in the league since November.
Stoke offered little resistance against the table-toppers, with their winless home run extended to nine games, dating back to October.
Unbeaten in eight meetings with the Potters, a rampant Leicester started on the front foot.
The returning Abdul Fatawu, who had missed three games through suspension, flashed a venomous effort just wide in an early threat to the hosts.
Stoke failed to heed the warning, with a McAteer header forcing a smart acrobatic stop from Jack Bonham and Daka heading over from close range.
And Enzo Maresca's side were soon rewarded, with the Daka adding the finishing touch to a slick attacking move.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's delicate delivery was headed back across goal invitingly by Fatawu, with the Zambia international firing into an empty net.
The Potters then had a glorious opportunity for an immediate leveller, but Tyrese Campbell's drilled effort was saved by the feet of Mads Hermansen.
Instead Leicester tightened their grip on the game as an ambitious McAteer effort from range deflected wickedly off Ben Wilmot and flew beyond a wrong-footed and helpless Bonham.
Steven Schumacher tried to revitalise the hosts with a string of changes after the interval, but Leicester did not let up.
When Wout Faes' buccaneering run was halted in the area, Daka converted from 12 yards for a sixth goal in his last eight outings, either side of his trip to the Africa Cup of Nations.
It was the forward's last piece of action for the day, but his replacement Vardy soon picked up the mantle.
The 37-year-old former England international finished first time from a glorious James Justin delivery and added a second from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time.
Stoke nearly added a consolation, but a Hermansen double save thwarted both Bae Jun-ho and Wilmot, capping off a dismal afternoon for the hosts.
But it was another day to remember for Leicester, who took another step closer to an immediate return to the Premier League.
Stoke's Steven Schumacher:
"We were miles off it and they were just too good for us.
"They showed today why they're top of the league. They've done everything properly, but they didn't have to work hard at all.
"We didn't have the belief or the quality. We tried, but they had too much for us and their goals were too easy.
"We knew we were coming up the best team, this result wasn't going to determine the outcome of the rest of the season, but the next two might do.
"I need to make sure that we respond and put in a better performance and try to get a win.
"It's three games now with three defeats and we need to do something about it, so Blackburn's going to be a big game at the weekend.
"We need to get the players ready for it. We have to react and we won't go away and sulk.
"There's a real lack of confidence at home. When things go against us or there's a little adversity, the crowd turns against us and it affects the players.
"We have to work hard to try and change that now."
Leicester's Enzo Maresca:
"The most important thing for me is the way that the team is getting better.
"I don't like it when people hurt the players, because I know the effort that they're doing to bring this club back to the Premier League.
"Since the start, I see the way that they're working and I know that they're doing everything they can.
"If some of the fans aren't sure or convinced, it doesn't matter to me. The performance was very good today and that experience will make us better.
"I'm very happy with the result and the clean sheet, especially with the first half-an-hour, that was very good and we played the way that we like to play.
"The last 10 minutes of the first half, we conceded two yellow cards that we needed to avoid as it could compromise the game, but that was it.
"We're very happy and when we play away, the environment is always nice and the players and fans together enjoy the moment.
"I've said many times, our fans are unbelievable. At home some of them maybe aren't convinced, but it is what it is.
"It's important for us to have lots of options and every time we need them, they help, so we're very happy."
