1. This was a nightmare defensive performance from a dream Newcastle back-five
Prior to the match, John Carver was probably in the best mood he has been in since this run of eight straight defeats started.
The Magpies boss was confident that his side would finally stop the rot because Paul Dummett and Daryl Janmaat were back to their natural full-back positions, while Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini were the central defenders.
With Tim Krul in goal, Newcastle had all their first-choice back-five players in the starting XI but the performance was incredibly poor. Janmaat and Williamson got sent-off for ridiculous challenges.
These defenders are supposed to be good at organising their team-mates when defending dead ball situations but the Magpies always looked vulnerable when City attacked set-plays and they rightly deserved to concede all the goals from set-pieces.
2. Leicester City strikers are the biggest reason for hope in the Foxes’ camp
David Nugent was integral to Leicester’s recent rise, but when the striker picked up an injury in the warm up at Burnley, Leonardo Ulloa stepped up and scored. Ulloa’s performances since have been impressive enough to demand a place in the starting XI.
Jamie Vardy is also enjoying his best form since Leicester got promoted. The centre forward has been playing with pain-killing injections but his intensity is just incredible, even for a fully fit striker.
Of all the sides in the relegation battle, the Foxes are the only one with at least three in-form strikers.
3. Emmanuel Riviere’s terrible season hits a new low
Riviere is yet to score in the Premier League despite starting a few of games at the start of the season. He is clearly frustrated with his form and the striker started the game with some verve to end that drought.
To be fair to Riviere, his offensive work in this game was decent considering that the midfielders behind him could not knit together enough good passes to create chances for him.
Just like his season in general, Riviere turned from being anonymous to the villain when he needlessly pushed Marcin Wasilewski to concede a penalty that led to the third goal.
4. Leicester City’s opponents need to be more careful from the kick-off
Newcastle started the game but the Foxes won possession within three seconds of kick-off. By the 24th second they had already won the corner that led to the opening goal.
This was not a fluke: there was a clear cohesion in the high pressing approach from Nigel Pearson’s men. The same thing happened just after kick-off when City defeated Swansea City. They are approaching games with these lighting fast starts and teams cannot afford to ignore this quality.
5. John Carver should keep the bigger picture in mind
In his post-match interview, John Carver accused his centre-back Williamson of deliberately getting sent-off. The furious manager went on to denounce the attitude of almost all of his players, as he condemned his team as “a soft touch” insisting that Newcastle need “eleven Jack Colbacks”.
Many would understand Carver’s frustration after watching this encounter because the Magpies were desperately poor, especially when defending set-pieces. Still, Carver cannot afford to start publicly pointing fingers at his players.
Newcastle have a lengthy injury list, two key defenders suspended again and relegation dog-fight to deal with. These are serious problems for the club so they need to deal with their problems privately while maintaining a united front in public.
