The Foxes outclassed the technically-limited Eagles at Selhurst Park and it would now be a major surprise were the Foxes not to win the Premier League this season
Leicester City proved they have exactly what it takes to be champions in humble surroundings on Saturday, as they edged past Crystal Palace to move a staggering eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
While this season may have been one extended fairy story for the Foxes, Claudio Ranieri has managed to transform this pick 'n' mix of a squad from relegation fodder to the strongest, most ruthless team in the top-flight.
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are flair players, capable of the outlandish and gasp-inducing, but N’Golo Kante, future England international Danny Drinkwater and Robert Huth are the work-horses. They carry the water; Mahrez and Vardy turn it into wine.
On Saturday they needed more steel than silk against a physical but technically-limited Palace side, but the best teams in the Premier League always find a way to win. As Mahrez ghosted past Pape Souare and slammed home Vardy’s delicate cut-back the visiting fans erupted, singing an ironic chorus of ‘we are staying up’. Here was the feeling of a pivotal moment in this, the most unpredictable of seasons.
Palace tried their best but they were outclassed; Leicester move the ball remarkably quickly and play in triangles more regularly seen in Catalonia and Bavaria than south London.
When the home side did get forward there was very little cohesion, as Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie struggled to link with the immobile Emmanuel Adebayor. The former Tottenham man is the antithesis of Vardy, who embodies energy and desire, He was hooked at half-time.
Admittedly Leicester will face tougher tests than this one, Palace are on a rotten run of form and have not won in the Premier League since December 12, when they defeated Southampton 1-0. In truth there was little hope of a comeback once Mahrez scored, as Leicester closed the game down in the second-half with the assiduousness expected of the most seasoned title-chasers.
However, this test was a psychological one. Many title-chasing teams have felt the wrath of the Eagles in previous years, with the wheels falling off for both Chelsea and Liverpool in south London.
Leicester, though, approached the task with tunnel-vision, and earned a richly-deserved three points, moving eight clear of Tottenham in the process.
Spurs host an in-form Bournemouth on Sunday, while Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton may have come too late, the Gunners again thriving when the pressure has worn off.
It means that Leicester’s only true enemy now is themselves. The most remarkable league triumph of all time is within touching distance and their run-in is such that one could see them winning all seven games between now and that final day on May 15.
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