Leicester convincingly beat Swansea

The hard-working performance of the "supporting actors" on the attack line and the inspiration of Riyad Mahrez helped Leicester convincingly beat Swansea.

Swansea were aiming to stay up and their lack of determination made the game easier for Leicester than expected. Ashley Williams's sloppy pass in the 10th minute gave Riyad Mahrez a chance and the home star did not miss. Twenty minutes later Danny Drinkwater's fine cross from a free-kick allowed Leonardo Ulloa to head home past Lukasz Fabianski.

Having lost two goals in the first half, the morale of the Swansea players was already bad, and it was even worse. They continuously let Claudio Ranieri's "strategic reserve" player, Jeff Schlupp, harass them on the left wing. In the 60th minute, the English winger's brave run helped Ulloa score the second goal. In the final minutes of the match, Leicester scored another goal thanks to substitute Marc Albrighton.

Mahrez proved his star quality when the team needed him most. Photo: Reuters.

In this match, Ranieri made two changes compared to the starting lineup he has used for nearly three months. The absence of Jamie Vardy was unavoidable, but the Italian coach surprised everyone by letting Jeff Schlupp start on the left wing and Marc Albrighton sit on the bench. Vardy's replacement was Leonardo Ulloa, a player with good physique and pressing ability. Normally, Ranieri should continue to use Albrighton to take advantage of the former Aston Villa midfielder's strong crosses.

But Ranieri wanted Schlupp's pace and power and it worked. The 23-year-old's dribbling was not perfect. His passing was clumsy and often led to dead ends. But whenever Schlupp had the ball, Swansea's defence had to send at least two players after him. He was strong, fast and confident. Ranieri's tactical success in this match was to start Schlupp.

Letting Schlupp (in blue) start was Ranieri's right decision. Photo: Reuters.

Riyad Mahrez's timely brilliance was also a key factor in Leicester's victory. Vardy's absence might not have been such a concern if Mahrez had been in good form in recent weeks. The Algerian midfielder last scored against Crystal Palace in March. However, with a clever move to catch Ashley Williams, Mahrez helped Leicester eliminate the fighting spirit of Swansea's players, causing them to collapse in the remaining minutes.

Leonardo Ulloa, in a day when he was "playing the main role" instead of Vardy, kept his promise to score, even scoring twice, contributing greatly to the victory of his team. The Argentine striker did not really stand out on the field. But he did exactly what Ranieri needed and also his own style, being in the right place, at the right time, heading, tapping and scoring.

The win moves Leicester eight points clear of Tottenham ahead of their late clash with West Brom on Tuesday morning.

According to VNE