Late Morgan header earns 10-man Leicester win at Burnley

Update: 2019-03-17 10:08 IST

Wes Morgan's 90th-minute header earned 10-man Leicester City a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chasing a second successive win under new manager Brendan Rodgers, Leicester's task was made all the more difficult when Harry Maguire was given a straight red card for fouling Johann Berg Gudmundsson in the fourth minute.

But it was the 10 men who took the lead in the 33rd minute, as James Maddison curled a brilliant free kick into the net, becoming the first Leicester player to score two goals from direct free kicks in a Premier League season.

Jamie Vardy almost doubled Leicester's lead before Burnley drew level through Dwight McNeil, who swept home Charlie Taylor's pull-back in the 38th minute to score his second Burnley goal.

Leicester dug in after the break, keeping plenty of men behind the ball to frustrate the hosts, as Ashley Barnes missed the best chance to give Burnley the lead.

However, Leicester snatched all three points through Morgan, who rose highest to ensure Rodgers' winning run continued

Leicester opened up a three-point gap over Bournemouth in 11th place in the table while Burnley remained 17th, only two points clear of the bottom three.

"We stayed calm," Rodgers said. "When we were down to 10 men, it was about having that energy and positive attitude. We have the resilience and spirit in this squad."

Burnley came into the contest on the back of three successive defeats, which have kept them embroiled in the relegation battle, but the home fans must have thought their luck was changing when Maguire fouled Gudmundsson.

That red card — the quickest in the Premier League in four years — did little to galvanise the hosts though, with Maddison's superb free kick adding to the woe on the Turf Moor terraces.

McNeil's fine finish five minutes later lightened the mood, but Burnley struggled to find that second goal, with Barnes' miss from close range late on proving costly before Morgan met Youri Tielemans' cross for the winner. Burnley have now conceded a league-high 10 goals in the 90th minute or later this season.

"We are in a tough spell now and you want to come away with something especially against 10 but it is no 'gimme'," Burnley manager Sean Dyche said. "We did a lot right, but you have to score goals, simple as that."

Tags:    

Similar News