Leicester City put an end to their disastrous 12-game winless run in the Premier League when they beat fellow-relegated side Southampton 2-0 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Foxes opened the scoring with just 17 minutes on the clock with a well-worked move down the left flank that culminated in Jamie Vardy‘s 199th goal for the club, setting the tone for one of their stronger performances this season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy‘s men continued to have the better of the first half and doubled their advantage thanks to a fine finish from the edge of the area by Jordan Ayew on the 44-minute mark.
Despite playing marginally better than their opponents ahead of this clash, Southampton showed little fight in the second period, and the hosts created a number of good opportunities, with Bilal El Khannouss looking particularly lively.
That being said, his decision to shoot late on when he had teammates to pass to arguably cost Vardy a chance at his milestone 200th goal, though the club legend received a standing ovation for both his role in this weekend’s strong showing and his efforts during his Leicester career as he was substituted off five minutes from time.
SPORTS MOLE’S VERDICT
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Leicester have struggled throughout the season, but they have been in dire form in 2025, so they will hope to end the season in strong form to give players and fans alike some confidence before they search for promotion in 2025-26.
Vardy’s goal made this game just the second that the Foxes have scored in across their last 11 matches, a fact that does not bode well for Van Nistelrooy’s chances of staying on as boss next term as he has stated his desire to do.
As for Southampton, they will still need one more point to avoid going down as the joint-worst side in Premier League history, and given that they have drawn just twice since February 1, interim manager Simon Rusk will have his work cut out for him.
LEICESTER CITY VS. SOUTHAMPTON HIGHLIGHTS
17th min: Leicester City 1-0 Southampton (Jamie Vardy)
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Leicester work the ball down the left flank and find El Khannouss, who drives forward before picking out Vardy eight yards from goal, and the striker makes no mistake in finding the roof of the net with a first-time finish on his left foot.
44th min: Leicester City 2-0 Southampton (Jordan Ayew)
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Jordan Ayew’s free kick hits the wall, but the versatile forward hits a clean strike on the rebound from the edge of the box to find the bottom-left corner and double his team’s lead going into the break.
83rd min: Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester City) chance missed
El Khannouss drives towards goal from the centre of the pitch, but instead of finding Vardy for what could have been his 200th goal, he shoots wide to the right-hand side of the net.
MAN OF THE MATCH – JAMIE VARDY
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The Foxes’ long-serving talisman put his disappointing penalty miss from last week behind him and opened the scoring early in the first half, setting the tone for what could be considered Leicester’s best performance of the season.
With three games remaining, Vardy will be desperate to score his 200th goal for the club before he bids farewell to the King Power Stadium at the end of the campaign.
LEICESTER CITY VS. SOUTHAMPTON MATCH STATS
Possession: Leicester City 49%-51% Southampton
Shots: Leicester City 14-8 Southampton
Shots on target: Leicester City 4-2 Southampton
Corners: Leicester City 7-7 Southampton
Fouls: Leicester City 12-13 Southampton
BEST STATS
Jamie Vardy becomes first Premier League player to blow the referee’s whistle… probably.
📸Alex Pantling | Getty pic.twitter.com/dD0Zut3iq6
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) May 3, 2025
Bilal El Khannouss’ game by numbers vs Southampton:
52 touches
8 touches in opp. box (most)
5 chances created (most)
5 duels won
3 take-ons completed (most)
2 fouls won
1 assist
Will we see him in the Premier League next season in Aresnal red? 👀 pic.twitter.com/V7IGNdyjOV
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) May 3, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Leicester will travel to face Champions League chasing Nottingham Forest next Sunday, while Southampton will host Manchester City next Saturday.
No Data Analysis info
