City's 21st Century Christmas Crackers

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City's 21st Century Christmas Crackers

This Christmas, we take a look at some of the biggest and best Leicester City victories over the festive seasons of years gone by in the 21st century.

2025-12-24T12:00+00:00

by Admin

Published

24 Dec, 2025

City's 21st Century Christmas Crackers

This Christmas, we take a look at some of the biggest and best Leicester City victories over the festive seasons of years gone by in the 21st century.

Admin

2025-12-24T12:00+00:00

City's 21st Century Christmas Crackers

This Christmas, we take a look at some of the biggest and best Leicester City victories over the festive seasons of years gone by in the 21st century.

Admin

2025-12-24T12:00+00:00

City's 21st Century Christmas Crackers

This Christmas, we take a look at some of the biggest and best Leicester City victories over the festive seasons of years gone by in the 21st century.

Admin

2025-12-24T12:00+00:00

City's 21st Century Christmas Crackers

This Christmas, we take a look at some of the biggest and best Leicester City victories over the festive seasons of years gone by in the 21st century.

Admin

2025-12-24T12:00+00:00

Ahead of Watford's visit to King Power Stadium this year, we take a look at some of our favourites since the turn of the millennium...

Leicester City 2 West Ham United 1
Filbert Street
23 December, 2000
Premier League

Despite things eventually not going so well at Filbert Street, Peter Taylor was basking in the warm glow of a remarkable start to life as the Foxes' manager at the start of the 2000s. Sitting pretty in the Premier League standings and knowing they could make sure of a top-four place on Christmas Day, City in fact went behind early on during a home clash with West Ham United.

In the eighth minute, Rigobert Song's cross was taken down on the edge of the area by Frédéric Kanouté, who withstood a challenge from Matt Elliott, before defying Tim Flowers in Leicester's net.

Midway through the first half, though, the Foxes hit back as Andy Impey's forward ball was sent into the area by Gary Rowett, but Ade Akinbiyi was unable to finish with a wayward header. No matter, though, as Muzzy Izzet pounced on the loose ball to get the home side back on level terms. Despite the Hammers posing threats of their own, Shaka Hislop was to be beaten again later.

Stefan Oakes' long ball dumfounded everyone apart from Robbie Savage, who needed just one touch to dodge Ian Pearce and beat the 'keeper, before leaping into the Double Decker Stand in celebration.

Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Leicester City 1
Withdean Stadium
20 December, 2002
First Division

On the back of relegation in the Club's final campaign at Filbert Street, where we had spent 111 years, the Foxes were bidding to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt in 02/03. Turgid weather conditions awaited in Brighton, though, as City tried to close the gap to Harry Redknapp's First Division leaders Portsmouth with a trip to Withdean Stadium on 20 December, 2002.

In the first half, James Scowcroft fed Paul Dickov, who went for goal, but the Scot's effort came back off the post. There was Brian Deane, though, to convert and seemingly give Leicester a lead.

Despite protests from the unsheltered travelling Blue Army, referee Tony Bates was unmoved. City would have to go again if they were to keep hold of second place, with Sheffield United looming behind them.

With just 18 minutes of a tense clash remaining, however, as a gloomy fog descended across the entire pitch on the South Coast, Micky Adams' promotion hopefuls got a slice of good fortune.

It came from an Alan Rogers free-kick, which all Seagulls players must have assumed would have been taken by Muzzy Izzet, but it was nonetheless sent into a hazardous penalty area with little visibility. Up rose Deane to score one of his 13 goals for the Foxes that term to give the Foxes faithful some festive hope that their absence from the top flight would last only the one season.

Leicester City 4 Peterborough United 0
King Power Stadium
20 December, 2008
League 1

Peterborough were the visitors to Filbert Way in the days leading into Christmas 2008, with Leicester in the third division of English football for the first and only time in the Club's history. Nigel Pearson was the man entrusted with getting the Foxes back into the Championship at the first attempt and the 08/09 campaign was becoming a memorable one for City's supporters.

Leicester were unbeaten in seven, six of which were victories, and they sat atop of the standings before the Posh visited the East Midlands for a game which turned out to be another vintage afternoon.

Craig Morgan's own goal after just six minutes set the tone for the visitors, who were two goals down before the interval as Matty Fryatt latched on to Kerrea Gilbert's ball to net his 23rd goal of the campaign.

In the second half, Academy graduate Andy King then nodded captain Matt Oakley's free-kick beyond Joe Lewis in Peterborough's net before Steve Howard added a fourth with a tidy finish from outside the box. City were top of the table at Christmas and they wouldn't let anyone take it from them again until the end of the season as they lifted the League 1 title with two games to spare.

Queens Park Rangers 0 Leicester City 1
Loftus Road
21 December, 2013
Championship

Leicester were once again right in the promotion mix ahead of Christmas 2013, but after missing out in the play-offs the previous year, automatic promotion was the aim in 13/14.

Little did they know it at the time, but a one-goal victory over Queens Park Rangers on 21 December, 2013 would be a crucial afternoon for Nigel Pearson's side - kick-staring a nine-game winning run.

A tense game awaited at Loftus Road, despite some light relief early on as striker David Nugent chased away a rogue squirrel on the pitch, but a major moment was to come before the break. Kasper Schmeichel's long ball was nodded on by Nugent for his strike partner Jamie Vardy who, in a flash, chested the ball past Richard Dunne and powered the ball into Rob Green's far bottom corner.

QPR had a gilt-edged opportunity to get back into it almost immediately as Niko Kranjčar played in Charlie Austin, who then located Matt Phillips, but he could only chip his effort over the crossbar.

Lloyd Dyer missed for the Foxes in the second half, too, after being played in by Nugent, while Matty James' deflected drive rattled the bar, but the job was already done for the visitors.

Everton 2 Leicester City 3
Goodison Park
19 December, 2015
Premier League

Quite remarkably, Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City knew they could sit at the very top of the Premier League on Christmas Day in 2015, but victory at Everton had to be obtained first.

The fearless Foxes - given title odds of 5,000/1 before a ball was kicked in August - were awarded a penalty on Merseyside on 27 minutes after Shinji Okazaki was felled by Ramiro Funes Mori. Riyad Mahrez stepped up to beat Tim Howard, who in fact went the right way, before Romelu Lukaku restored parity on the scoresheet by scoring in his eighth game in a row for the Toffees.

It remained 1-1 into the second half, but City had another spot-kick just after the hour-mark as Jamie Vardy, who'd previously netted in a record-breaking 11 consecutive league games, was tripped by Howard in the box.

Mahrez made no mistake yet again from the penalty spot, as the Algerian sent Howard the wrong way, and it got even better for Ranieri's men when Vardy slid in Okazaki to make it 3-1. Kevin Mirallas did get another for Everton with a tidy finish, but there wasn't time for Roberto Martínez's hosts to mount a comeback and stop Leicester from sitting pretty at the summit at Christmas.

It was the first time ever that a side had sat top of the Premier League at Christmas having been bottom on the same day the year before.

Chelsea 0 Leicester City 1
Stamford Bridge
22 December, 2018
Premier League

City arrived in west London in need of points after going three games without a win under Claude Puel in 2018, but Chelsea were a naturally going to be a stern opponent for the Frenchman's side.

After previously holding the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Stamford Bridge a year earlier, the Foxes arrived in the capital on 22 December, 2018 in a confident frame of mind. They could have had a first-half penalty, too, when James Maddison hit the deck under a challenge by Willian in the area. Referee Lee Probert, though, waved play on.

On 32 minutes, meanwhile, Pedro played Eden Hazard through on goal before the Belgian shook Kasper Schmeichel's crossbar, while Wilfred Ndidi also went desperately close at the other end.

Only a truly extraordinary save from Kepa Arrizabalaga to tip the Nigeria midfielder's long-range rocket over the bar denied Leicester a lead at the break. Just six minutes into the second period, though, Ricardo Pereira broke down the right. He found Maddison, who slipped in Jamie Vardy, and City's No.9 did the rest. Marcos Alonso struck the base of Leicester's post late on, but the Foxes emerged victorious.

Leicester City 1 Liverpool 0
King Power Stadium
28 December, 2021
Premier League

City were managing a substantial injury-crisis when Liverpool came to town on 28 December, 2021. Brendan Rodgers' men, though, were Emirates FA Cup holders at the time and eager to build some momentum.

Out of the UEFA Europa League but with a campaign in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League to look forward to in the New Year, the Foxes delivered a fantastic, resilience performance on Filbert Way.

Some heroics were needed first from Kasper Schmeichel, diving low to stop Mo Salah's 16th-minute penalty before the Egyptian headed the rebound against the crossbar.

The 56th-minute introduction of on-loan Ademola Lookman proved to be a key moment when he neatly passed with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before firing past Alisson to give Leicester the advantage.

The pressure mounted late on but Leicester held on to end Liverpool's run of scoring in 28 consecutive away league matches and climbed to ninth in the table as a result.

Cardiff City 0 Leicester City 2
Cardiff City Stadium
29 December, 2023
Sky Bet Championship

Enzo Maresca's men were hitting form over Christmas 2023, charged with making an instant return to the Premier League after relegation in 22/23.

We were unbeaten in eight, six of which were wins, as the Foxes headed across the Welsh border in search of more Championship title-chasing points.

A superb hit from James Justin, later crowned the Club's Men's Goal of the Season, was the headline at Cardiff City Stadium, although Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring with a sharp finish for the dominant visitors.

City eventually did win the Championship title that season, finishing on 97 points, one clear of second-placed Ipswich Town and seven above Leeds United in third, although it was Southampton who were promoted through the play-offs.

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