Fulham fire five past Foxes as Leicester worry heightens

Tom Cairney and Willian each bagged a brace as Fulham thumped Leicester City 5-3 on Monday at Craven Cottage.

Carlos Vinicius also scored in the win, as Fulham stayed 10th place with the win. The Cottagers are six points clear of Chelsea and two points behind ninth-place Brentford.

WATCH FULHAM v LEICESTER FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM – LINK

Dean Smith and Leicester get no relief in the relegation fight but remain 16th with the best goal differential of three teams on 30 points.

Harvey Barnes scored a pair of goals and James Maddison converted the Foxes’ second penalty chance after Jamie Vardy missed their first opportunity from the spot.

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Here’s everything you need for Fulham vs Leicester.

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Leicester’s surprising no show at the back

Yes, Leicester got three goals and might’ve had a fourth if Jamie Vardy’s poor penalty period didn’t extend into another game. Away from home, that’s pretty good.

But the Foxes were the opposite of resolute at the back end, a shocking showing considering the general disposition of teams desperate to avoid the drop. And we know the Foxes entered the game with a poor defensive record, but Fulham were without Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andreas Pereira. (And Tim Ream, but that’s not about attack, is it?).

Fulham cut through Leicester as if the side was in the Championship and not a 16th-place team hoping to avoid that fate. Credit to Fulham for putting forth that performance, but it remains surprising that Leicester didn’t meet it.

Fulham vs Leicester player ratings: Stars of the Show

Willian

Palhinha

Harvey Barnes

Bernd Leno

Tom Cairney

James Maddison

What’s next?

Fulham is off to Southampton on Saturday, while Leicester City hosts Liverpool on Monday, May 15.

Willian goal video: Corridor of uncertainty wins again

Carlos Vinicius goal video: Wilson cues up cut finish

Tom Cairney goal video: Sweet curled finish for 3-0

Tom Cairney goal video: And it’s 4-0!

Harvey Barnes goal video: Foxes pull one back

Willian goal video: Beautiful brace

James Maddison goal video: Penalty converted

How to watch Fulham vs Leicester live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 10am ET, Monday (May 8)
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com

Key storylines & in-form players to watch

Fulham probably need one more win to secure a top 10 finish and that would be an incredible achievement for Marco Silva’s side in their first season back in the Premier League. Their form has stalled in recent weeks due to the suspension of Aleksandar Mitrovic and key injuries (Tim Ream and Andreas Pereira) impacting their relatively small squad. Willian, Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha are stepping up and trying to get the Cottagers back on the front foot after seven defeats in their last nine games.

Leicester look more dangerous in attack and Dean Smith has figured out how to get the best out of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka. Defensively there are still some issues but the Foxes are hanging in games and have worked out they are much better off just going for it. They could be back in the bottom three by the time they kick off on Monday and with Liverpool and Newcastle up next, this trip to Fulham just has to yield a vital three points.

Fulham team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Aleksandar Mitrovic (suspension – MORE), Layvin Kurzawa (knee), Tim Ream (broken arm), Andreas Pereira (lower leg)

Leicester team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: James Justin (achilles), Jannik Vestergaard (calf), Kelechi Iheanacho (adductor), Ricardo Pereira (hamstring), Ryan Bertrand (knee)

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Fulham fire five past Foxes as Leicester worry heightens originally appeared on NBCSports.com