Leicester 2-0 Sheff Utd: Player ratings, impressive Thomas debut

Leicester City got back to winning ways on Thursday evening with a 2-0 victory over Europa League-chasing Sheffield United at King Power Stadium.

Goals from Ayoze Perez and Demarai Gray meant Leicester City secured European football for the 2020/21 season and took a massive step towards their quest of Champions League football.

Here are Foxes of Leicester’s player ratings:

Kasper Schmeichel– 7: Commanded his area against a very physical side. His distribution was much better from Sunday and could constantly hear him barking orders out. Great save just after the hour mark from John Lundstram. A Schmeichel performance that we all know.

Ryan Bennett– 7.5: Only his second start for the Foxes and another secure performance from the defender. Played some forceful balls down the right-hand side for Perez to run onto. Made a brilliant block at 2-0 towards the end and certainly earned his place for Sunday.

Wes Morgan-8: Potentially, in my opinion, the best out of the back three. Slotting into the middle of Evans and Bennett, the skipper put in a solid performance against the Blades. His physicality was much needed against McGoldrick and McBurnie and he kept them both quiet throughout.

Jonny Evans– 7: Better. After one of his worse performances for the club on Sunday, Evans remained solid. Like Morgan, he kept the United strikers quiet and was instrumental to Gray’s goal with a brilliant ball for Vardy.

James Justin– 7.5: It felt like watching Ricardo Pereira. The wing-back was a lot further up the field than normal against Chris Wilder’s men and linked-up well with Perez before the opening goal. Even at 2-0, his running remained of high tempo and certainly could be one of his better performances.

Luke Thomas– 9: Did he do anything wrong? According to ‘Stats Zone’, Thomas completed 41 of his 52 passes (72%) and grabbed an assist. After only 32 minutes, the academy player had created four attempts. My Leicester City man of the match and I think he will be a key player against Tottenham and Manchester United.

Wilfred Ndidi-7: Like in the first-half to Bournemouth, Ndidi seemed everywhere. He often was intercepting the ball and nipping away at the United players. After forcing Sander Berge and Ben Osborn off at half-time, the Nigerian midfielder kept John Fleck and John Lundstram quiet.

Youri Tielemans– 8: Composure – that is the one word how I would describe the Belgium international’s performance. His tempo remained high as the game went on and once Choudhury was introduced, was able to play more as a playmaker. Felt similar to his performances from last season.

Leicester City attackers

Ayoze Perez– 8: Excellent finish and interchanging play with wing-backs. Looked tired towards the end of his performance for the Foxes. But the Spaniard’s constant pressing opened up many opportunities for Vardy and Barnes.

Jamie Vardy-7.5: Missed two key chances, but created a number of opportunities for his team-mates. It does really feel like our striker is back to his normal-self, being constantly down the back three’s throat. His off-the-ball quality is up there with the best in the league. Was just missing the goal.

Harvey Barnes– 7: Glowing in confidence early on in the game after countless successful dribbles. Will be disappointed not to get himself on the scoreline personally, but his work certainly contributed to the victory.

Hamza Choudhury– 6: Slotted into the midfield to make it a three and did enough to keep United quiet. It was good to see the young midfielder get some game time and scatter himself across the pitch.

Demarai Gray– 7: Deserved his goal. Often, since the restart, Gray has been introduced to the game and impressed. He took his goal incredibly well and showed excellent determination to make up space before taking his first two touches to fire past Dean Henderson.