Foxes Edged In Molineux Thriller
In an attempt to bounce back from last weekend’s reverse to Southampton, manager Claude Puel made three changes to his starting XI. That provided a moment of pride for Academy graduate Harvey Barnes, who made his first top-flight start for the Foxes.
City were behind inside five minutes as Diogo Jota, from close range, converted Joao Moutinho’s cross, before defender Ryan Bennett made it 2-0 with a header shortly after.
Efforts from Barnes, Demarai Gray and Ricardo Pereira followed as the Foxes attempted to recover from the hosts’ two early strikes, while goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was on hand to deny Jota and then Raul Jimenez before the interval.
An incredible start to the second period saw Puel’s men restore parity with two goals in the space of five minutes. Gray scored a superb solo goal by racing past Roman Saiss and drilling under Rui Patricio, before a strike from Barnes found the back of the net via a deflection from Conor Coady.
In between City's two goals, however, Harry Maguire was forced to leave the pitch due to injury, and was replaced by Jonny Evans.
Back on level terms, an even passage of play followed, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s men restored their lead on 64 minutes, with Jota bagging his second goal of the game.
Replacing the impressive Barnes, Leicester No.10 James Maddison was introduced with 17 minutes to play in an attempt to claim a point from the game.
After side-footing wide from a Ricardo pass, he provided a brilliant assist from a free-kick for Wes Morgan to head home with just three minutes to play.
The skipper’s header looked to have secured a point for Leicester, but Jota completed his hat-trick in the third minute of injury time to snatch a win for the hosts.
Major moment
Having fought tirelessly to get themselves on level terms on two separate occasions, Leicester City were dealt a cruel blow in injury time.
A well-taken effort from Demarai Gray and Conor Coady’s own goal cancelled out Wolves’ 2-0 lead early on in the first period, and despite Diogo Jota restoring the host club’s lead shortly after, Wes Morgan was on hand to make it 3-3 on 87 minutes.
However, despite a battling display from Leicester, Jota struck again in the 93rd minute to seal the points for Wolves.
Who impressed?
Young winger Harvey Barnes did not feel the pressure of a maiden Premier League start, demanding the ball on multiple occasions when taking up a position on the left wing.
It was his determination that produced City’s second goal of the afternoon – while it went down as a Conor Coady own goal, Barnes will take plenty of confidence after an assured display for his boyhood club.
Where do we stand?
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ last-gasp victory means Leicester City drop one position to ninth in the Premier League standings after 23 games this term. Both West Ham United and Everton – placed 10th and 11th respectively – play later in the day.
Coming up…
Claude Puel’s men next head to Anfield on Wednesday 30 January (8pm GMT kick-off) to face Premier League leaders Liverpool, before clashes with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur follow.