Leicester went top of the Premier League on Saturday as their opening day 4-2 defeat of Sunderland lifted them clear of the pack on goal difference at King Power Stadium. Elsewhere, there were wins for Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa but Leicester’s four-goal tally lifts them top-of-the-table ahead of the final match of the day where champions Chelsea host Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
James Vardy, who made his England debut during the 0-0 draw against the Republic of Ireland in May, opened the scoring for the hosts with a deft header from Marc Albrighton’s cross after just 11 minutes. The Foxes then extended their advantage with the first of two goals from French-born Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez. The 24-year-old, who signed from French club Le Havre in 2014, headed home the second goal for new manager Claudio Ranieri after more good work from Albrighton to hand the home side a 2-0 lead after just 18 minutes.
Chelsea’s Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic (top C) and Chelsea’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho (R) place the crown of the Premier League trophy on the head of Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Didier Drogba (bottom C) surrounded by team-mates during the trophy presentation after the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge in London on May 24, 2015. Chelsea were officially crowned the 2014-2015 Premier League champions. AFP PHOTO Dutchman Dick Advocaat, the Sunderland manager who saved the team from relegation last season, then looked on in horror as his team fell further behind following a soft penalty. Lee Cattermole was the culprit for the Black Cats as he blatantly tripped Mahrez on 25 minutes and the Algerian cooly dusted himself down before slotting home the penalty past Sunderland’s Romanian goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon. Former England international Jermaine Defoe gave Sunderland hope with his strike to pull it back to 3-1 but the excellent Albrighton grabbed the goal his superb performance deserved on 66 minutes to put the result beyond doubt. Scotland’s Steven Fletcher grabbed a late consolation goal for Sunderland with 19 minutes left but it was in vain. Italian Ranieri, who was a surprise choice to take over at Leicester following a career that included spells at Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan and Monaco, could not have hoped for a better start by his side, who dominated for long spells and never looked in danger of losing the match
James Vardy, who made his England debut during the 0-0 draw against the Republic of Ireland in May, opened the scoring for the hosts with a deft header from Marc Albrighton’s cross after just 11 minutes. The Foxes then extended their advantage with the first of two goals from French-born Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez. The 24-year-old, who signed from French club Le Havre in 2014, headed home the second goal for new manager Claudio Ranieri after more good work from Albrighton to hand the home side a 2-0 lead after just 18 minutes.
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