Leicester 1 Bournemouth 1: WATCH HIGHLIGHTS – Cherries beat Foxes to ninth-place finish after snatching draw at King Power stadium
Eddie Howe not only guided his side well away from the relegation zone but finished inside the top 10
THE CHERRIES pipped Leicester to ninth place in the Premier League with the Foxes ending their campaign as champions two points below in 12th.
Junior Stanislas stunned the King Power stadium with an early strike but England ace Jamie Vardy pulled one back in the second half to earn a point for the Foxes.
Stanislas scored Bournemouth’s 100th league goal after 59 seconds when he fired home a rebound, after Kasper Schmeichel had pulled off a fine save.
The home side held on for 50 minutes before Vardy tapped home his 16th of the season after Islam Slimani set him up.
And just nine minutes later it looked like the Foxes were ahead, only for the linesman to rule out their second goal.
Vardy drove into the penalty area, played a wall pass with Slimani and fired home but it was chalked off instantly.
Stanislas gave Bournemouth the lead away at Leicester City
Facts, stats, goals & lols
- Leicester groundsman John Ledwidge and his team surpassed themselves with a stunning pitch design which incorporated the Leicester City crest carved into the centre circle. Kids do NOT try this at home with the family Qualcast!
- The big question on every Foxes fans lips at kick-off was would Thursday’s 6-1 home drubbing by Spurs demoralise the Foxes or inspire them?
- They were given a heavy hint after 59 seconds when Junior Stanislas slotted home a first-minute opener
Jamie Vardy had to leap into the air to convert Leicester's equaliserCredit: PA:Press Association - That rapid finish made it three in three consecutive league games for the first time in his career.
- That goal assured Stanislas his place in Bournemouth history as the scorer of Cherries’ milestone 100th Premier League goal.
- Someone at Bournemouth must have done something to upset the pen-pushers at the Premier and Football Leagues. This was the FOURTH away trip on the spin for the Cherries on the final day of the season.
The England strike grabbed his 16th goal of the season on the final dayCredit: Reuters - With a meeting scheduled for this week to discuss his future, Craig Shakespeare desperately needed his players to come out of the traps snarling – not snoozing! But gradually Leicester got their act together.
- Kasper Schmeichel kept them in it with a brilliant one-handed save to flip over a Dan Gosling rocket. Some may have thought it was a touch flashy – but nowhere near as flashy as the Dane’s new all white goalkeeper’s kit with highlighter-pen luminous ORANGE trim!
- Christian Fuchs’ torpedo like throw-ins caused havoc in the Bournemouth defence. However it was Jamie Vardy who eventually grabbed Leicester’s equaliser after half-time when he pounced on Slimani’s knockdown to bury his 15th Foxes goal of the season.
- The England striker should have had another too but he was wrongly flagged offside – video technology anybody?
The Leicester players celebrated with their star striker
What social said
Big picture
Dream Team ratings
Leicester: Schmeichel 6, Simpson 6, Benalouane 6, Chilwell 7, Fuchs 6, Mahrez 8, King 6, Ndidi 7, Albrighton 7, Vardy 8, Slimani 6.
Subs: Amartey 6, Gray 6.
Bournemouth: Allsop 6, Smith 7, Francis 6, Cook 6, Daniels 6, Stanislas 7, Gosling 7, Surman 7, Pugh 6, Fraser 6, Mousset 6.
Subs: Ibe 5, Worthington 6, Afobe 5.