- Leicester City confirm Premier League safety with a 3-0 victory over Watford at King Power Stadium
- Goals from Wilfred Ndidi, Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton handed the Foxes all three points
- Manager Craig Shakespeare urged his team to finish as high as possible with three games of the season remaining
- The Foxes climb to ninth place in the league, just two points adrift of West Bromwich Albion in eighth
Craig Shakespeare has challenged his Leicester City team to finish the season strong after securing Premier League safety with a 3-0 win over Watford at King Power Stadium.
Goals from Wilfred Ndidi, Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton handed the Foxes all three points and hauled them up to ninth place in the table – guaranteeing another season of Premier League football.
After a tight opening period, a clever set play routine saw Ndidi rattle a shot into the roof of the net just before the break to put City in the driving seat, and they never looked back, with Mahrez and Albrighton adding excellent finishes in the second half.
It’s a win that puts City just two points adrift of West Bromwich Albion in eighth – a position that Shakespeare hopes his side can climb to if they continue their excellent form over the final three games of the campaign.
Afterwards, Shakespeare reflected on the team’s survival, saying: “We as a Club – owners, supporters, players and staff – can be very pleased that we’ve been able to secure Premier League survival today.
“As I say the result was always going to be important. There hasn’t been any points target but we want to try to finish as high as possible. To do that you have to beat the opposition. We’ve done that and we’ve got three games left now – difficult games.
After an even start, the Foxes came into their own as the match went on and sealed what was in the end a well-deserved victory, although Kasper Schmeichel was busy in parts to deny Watford a goal.
He added: “I’m really pleased with the result. I think the performance, if I’m honest, there was no real flow to the first half but that first goal is important. I felt today with our home record and their away record, it was always going to be important.
“It was a bit edgy and both teams were giving the ball away – us probably more than we’re used to. We gave too many passes away and there was no real dynamic from set plays. We actually scored from a set play, and we’d spoken about the way they set up, so that was pleasing. It was pleasing to get a clean sheet of course too.
“I thought second half we were more of a threat and had a bit more pace about us when we needed to. It felt at the end of it, a comfortable 3-0 victory. Of course Kasper Schmeichel had to pull off some good saves early doors.”