Leicester City put on a dazzling display to thoroughly outplay a struggling Southampton, clinching a 4-1 victory in Wednesday’s Premier League showdown at St. Mary’s Stadium. Shinji Okazaki was the star of the show, netting two fantastic goals.
First Half
Leicester got off to a flying start, dominating the first half. Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring in the 11th minute after seizing the ball deep in Southampton’s half from Okazaki, charging forward and slotting a precise shot into the bottom right corner.
Southampton’s defence was in disarray, and in the 20th minute, Jamie Vardy played a clever knockdown to Okazaki whose deflected shot forced a fine save from Fraser Forster, resulting in a corner.
Shortly after, Mario Lemina heroically cleared off the line to deny Okazaki a second goal as Leicester pressed hard.
In the 32nd minute, Okazaki finally doubled Leicester’s lead. A corner was cleared but fell to Christian Fuchs whose effort was blocked. The rebound landed perfectly for Okazaki to tap in with ease.
The momentum continued as Mahrez floated a free-kick into the box in the 38th minute, which Harry Maguire chest-controlled before crossing for King to calmly finish, making it 3-0. Wilfred Ndidi came close to a fourth, seeing his shot deflect just wide from the edge of the area.
Second Half
Leicester carried on their attacking threat after the break, with Mahrez testing Forster with a free-kick and Maguire forcing a save from the keeper’s legs soon after.
Southampton fought back and pulled a goal back in the 61st minute from a corner. Maya Yoshida headed the ball into the net, possibly with a slight touch from Dusan Tadic.
Six minutes later, Charlie Austin almost doubled their tally, meeting a superb cross, but Kasper Schmeichel pulled off a stunning save to deny him.
However, at the 69th minute, Okazaki completed his brace, confidently tapping in from Vardy’s accurate cross, sealing a commanding 4-1 win for Leicester.
Full Time: Southampton 1 – 4 Leicester
