WOLVERHAMPTON (Agencies): Nuno Espírito Santo will never accept a red card in sweeter fashion. Deep into three minutes of second-half stoppage-time, Nuno charged on to the pitch to celebrate with his ecstatic Wolverhampton Wanderers players after Diogo Jota added the seventh goal of this topsy-turvy match – completing his hat-trick after applying the gloss to a devastating move after another magnificent defence-splitting pass by Rúben Neves, the majestic Wolves midfielder.
Jamie Vardy lightened the mood at training this week by dressing up as Spider-Man and seemed to have found an unlikely hero in the shape of skipper Wes Morgan, who headed home three minutes from time, only for Jota to inflict one final blow, slotting home Raúl Jiménez’s cross to add to the gloom shrouding manager Claude Puel. Nuno was sent to the stands but this kind of agonising defeat – a third in a row – could well send Puel packing.
For a manager under pressure, Puel could not have wished for a worst start. Leicester found themselves trailing inside four minutes, by which point Kasper Schmeichel had already made a magnificent left-handed save to deny Neves, who was beckoned to shoot from distance, from adding to his impressive catalogue of strikes from outside the box. But when Gray lost possession just inside his own half, Jiménez fed João Moutinho, who stood up an inviting, hanging cross. On arrival at the back post, Jota was hungrier than Danny Simpson, the Leicester right-back, with the forward stabbing home beyond Schmeichel.
Bennett did not have to work too hard to meet Moutinho’s corner either, with the Wolves centre-back arriving into the box unmarked before towering above a flat-footed Harry Maguire to power home a free header.
Puel raged on the touchline but Leicester had plenty of chances – they had nine shots inside the first 25 minutes – to find a route back into the game, when Vardy almost punishing Rui Patrício’s lax approach inside his own box.
The Wolves goalkeeper dallied on the ball, inviting the striker to nip in round him before the Portuguese clawed back at him. Patrício raised his hand apologetically before redeeming himself somewhat by pushing a tricky Gray effort to safety after a driving run by Ricardo Pereira. Leicester passed up a flurry of chances in quick succession, with Gray and Pereira both driving wide before Wolves again upped the ante.
Wolves should have added a third midway through the first half but Schmeichel gathered Jota’s tame downward header. The striker connected with Jiménez’s cross from the right after easily eluding Morgan, the Leicester captain guilty of being caught cold. As the hosts pushed to increase their lead before the interval, Leicester’s frustrations boiled over, with Pereira booked for scything down Jota after the Wolves striker, charging into the opposition half, comfortably brushed aside Nampalys Mendy. Whatever Puel said at the break had the desired effect, with Leicester restoring parity inside six second-half minutes.
Vardy did well to free Gray after Bennett misjudged a bouncing ball on halfway and the Leicester forward galloped into the box before applying a cool finish, drilling home across goal. Suddenly Leicester were in the groove and pulled level on 51 minutes. Ben Chilwell raided down the left flank but Jonny’s interception ran into the path of Barnes, who lashed home, via a deflection off Conor Coady.
But 10 minutes later a sublime pass by Neves unlocked the opposition defence once more, charting a 50-yard ball for Jota – and the striker thundered home his second of the afternoon to undo Leicester’s work. But just as Morgan thought he had snatched an unlikely draw, Jota had the final say.
