- PRESTON NORTH END 0-3 LEICESTER CITY: Enzo Maresca had already secured an immediate Premier League return for Leicester City, and the Italian’s team will go up as champions
- Leicester City have returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking, with Monday night’s Jamie Vardy-inspired win at Preston ensuring they’re back as champions.
The Foxes were assured of promotion on Friday without even needing to take to the field. Leeds’ 4-0 loss at QPR ensured Daniel Farke’s team could no longer catch Enzo Maresca’s Leicester, though Ipswich Town’s game in hand meant they still had a shot.
That hope for Ipswich was extinguished at Deepdale, though, with Vardy’s scuffed effort setting Leicester on their way. Vardy got his second of the game early in the second half, slamming home a rebound after Wout Faes fired against the post, and the points were safe before Kasey McAteer’s third.
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich can join Maresca’s team in the top tier with four points from their final two games against Coventry and Huddersfield. They might not even need that many if Leeds fall short against Southampton on the final day.
Leicester were relegated on the final day of the 2022-23 Premier League season. They beat West Ham at the King Power Stadium but rivals Everton survived with a victory over Bournemouth.
There was plenty of squad turnover during the summer, along with the appointment of former Manchester City coach Maresca as manager. James Maddison and Harvey Barnes were among the high-profile sales, with the likes of Stephy Mavididi and Harry Winks joining Leicester’s ranks.
Some stayed, though, including Vardy. The Premier League winner went close early on but failed to find a way past Preston keeper Freddie Woodman, while McAteer forced a save from the stopper in the 20th minute and then headed a golden chance off-target shortly before the half-hour mark.
Leicester were in front before the break, though, with Vardy spinning inside the box before beating Woodman for his 19th goal in all competitions this term, and number 20 followed early in the second period. A sharp save from Woodman denied the veteran a hat-trick, but a third soon arrived when McAteer headed home from an Abdul Fatawu cross.
“I feel so proud to see the hard work of everybody associated with Leicester City throughout the entire season rewarded with our promotion to the Premier League,” Maresca said over the weekend after promotion was confirmed. “This achievement is one for us all to share and one that I know means so much to the owners, to the players and to our supporters.
What we have accomplished was not easy. There are many good teams in a very competitive league, but the work we’ve done together with our players to turn our idea of how to play into a reality has helped us overcome all these challenges.
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