Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy (second from right) celebrates his goal with team mates Riyad Mahrez (from left), Leonardo Ulloa and Danny Simpson in their English Premier League match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. (Photo: AFP)
Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy (second from right) celebrates his goal with team mates Riyad Mahrez (from left), Leonardo Ulloa and Danny Simpson in their English Premier League match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. (Photo: AFP)
Jamie Vardy’s second-half double helped Leicester City go 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League as they enjoyed a hard-fought 2-0 win away to Sunderland on Sunday.
Claudio Ranieri’s side are closing in on the English title after a fifth consecutive win put the pressure back on second-placed Totten-ham Hotspur ahead of their home game against Manchester United later in the day.
But regardless of what the chasing pack do, Leicester will be crowned champions for the first time in their history if they win three of their remaining five league games.
Leicester struggled to impose themselves on the relegation-threatened Black Cats, who deserved reward for their efforts, but remain third from bottom and four points from safety after a tense encounter. Vardy broke the deadlock in the 66th minute, sprinting onto a long, lofted through ball from Danny Drinkwater to outpace his marker Younes Kaboul before finding the bottom corner from a narrow angle past keeper Vito Mannone.
The England striker sealed the win in stoppage time, taking a pass from substitute Demarai Gray to run beyond Sunderland’s trailing defence before rounding Mannone to roll the ball into an empty net.
Vardy now has 21 Premier League goals this season.
The outcome also prolonged, albeit probably briefly, Aston Villa’s ever-present membership of the Premier League as the West Midlands club would have had their seemingly inevitable relegation sealed in the event of a Sunderland win.
