Classic Encounter: Super Sub Phillips Nets Late Winner At Bournemouth
City visit Vitality Stadium this Sunday (7pm BST kick-off) following Tuesday's 1-1 draw away at Arsenal, in which Jamie Vardy rescued a point for the Foxes. Brendan Rodgers’ men are looking to record a league double over Eddie Howe’s men, who they defeated 3-1 in August thanks to Youri Tielemans’ first goal of the season and a brace from Vardy.
Our latest featured classic encounter, however, focuses on a clash from 2014, when the Foxes had promotion to the Premier League in their sights for the first time in 10 years...
AFC Bournemouth 0 Leicester City 1
Saturday 1 February, 2014
Sky Bet Championship
Vitality Stadium
Under Nigel Pearson, Leicester came into the game off the back of eight consecutive Championship victories, cementing their position as serious promotion contenders.
City started on the front foot and could have gone in front early on when Lloyd Dyer’s effort was kept out by Lee Camp.
The Bournemouth stopper was kept busy throughout the game, twice denying Vardy in one-on-one situations, while Anthony Knockaert went close with a header as the Foxes continued to push for an opener in the second-half.
The best the Cherries could muster, meanwhile, was a long-range strike from Lewis Grabban, which went narrowly wide of Kasper Schmeichel’s goal.
Despite Leicester’s best efforts at the other end, hammering 22 shots on goal to the Cherries’ 12 efforts, the game looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw.
However, 40-year-old Kevin Phillips, brought on as a substitute for David Nugent just eight minutes earlier, met Knockaert’s cross at the back post to head in the winner with nine minutes left on the clock.
Despite complaints from the home side that the ball hadn’t crossed the line, the goal stood and City weathered a late period of pressure to take all three points back to Leicestershire.
Phillips’ winner - which prompted a famous 'zimmer-frame' celebration - ensured City remained top of the Championship table and extended their lead over second-place Queens Park Rangers to 10 points.
Leicester went on to win the title, and promotion to the top flight in style, collecting a mammoth 102 points across the 2013/14 season to finish 17 points clear of third-place Derby County.
City: Schmeichel; De Laet, Morgan (c), Wasilewski, Konchesky; Knockaert, Drinkwater, James (King 79'), Dyer; Nugent (Phillips 73'), Vardy (Hammond 88')
Subs not used: Logan, Schlupp, Mahrez, Wood
Goal: Phillips 81’
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