Duro Ikhazuagbe
Super Eagles duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho could be on the way to returning to the English Premier League football following Foxes 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion yesterday afternoon.
Leicester shrugged off the disappointment of successive defeats at Millwall and Plymouth to return to the top of the Championship.
The manner of those losses had many Foxes fans discussing what would have been unspeakable just a few weeks ago- that their team might bottle not only their title chances but also automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
But goals from Super Eagles midfield enforcer, Ndidi, and Jamie Vardy overcame a determined challenge from the play-off chasing Baggies, and means two victories from City’s remaining three games will seal a return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
Leicester’s win owed much to the determination of central midfielder Hamza Choudhury, a 26-year-old local lad who made three goal-line clearances to ensure the points stayed at the King Power Stadium.
After the game, the Sky man of the match talked up Leicester’s determination to get the job done and a change in attitude that will serve as a warning to title rivals Leeds United and Ipswich Town as the battle for Championship glory reaches a climax.
He told Sky Sports: “We’ve been through a tough couple of months since the turn of the year, but we know what it is to be a team. Everyone loves each other in there. And now we’re so close. We want to do it so much – for ourselves, for our families, for the fans.
“And you know, to get over the line in a game like this, it shows that we’re not just a footballing side and that we can dig deep and hang in there when we need to.”
West Brom boss Carlos Corberan will wonder how his side managed to squander so many opportunities to score, and a second successive defeat means their play-off place is by no means certain. They did eventually find the net with a Jed Wallace effort 14 minutes from time, but could not force an equaliser.
As for Enzo Maresca’s side, they could go up on Tuesday if they beat Southampton at the King Power Stadium.
Choudhury added: “You know, we’ve been in that position a few times this year, where we’ve been trying to hang on – and we conceded two late goals to Ipswich The lads have spoken about it.
“We need more, you know. Teams that win the league, they’ve got something else in the tank, they can dig deep and not lose concentration. And I think we’ve showed that we have got that, and now we need to carry it on. We’ve got three big games left.”
