Jamie Vardy saved Leicester City once again with a crucial last-minute goal to deny Sheffield United their first win of their season to propel the Foxes into the top four.
A recalled Ayoze Perez gave Leicester the lead which lasted all of three minutes when the Foxes inability to win headers and defend set pieces cost them again as Oli McBurnie scored a rare goal for the Blades.
The second half seemed to be meandering to a score draw but Leicester City legend Vardy was slipped through by James Maddison and he scored sparking differing emotions on both benches.
The win was so crucial for Brendan Rodgers’ side after a mixed bag of results since the international break, but what did we learn from Bramall Lane?
Youri Tielemans is the man for Leicester City!
In the last two Europa League games we have seen a very disjointed side. Dennis Praet and Hamza Choudhury have been armed with controlling the game and in both games Rodgers’ side have lacked fluidity, control and presence in the attacking areas of the pitch.
Against Braga Praet was taken off at half-time and Tielemans was brought on. A sign? Obviously. Rodgers clearly showed that the 23-year-old is easily one of his most important players, someone who is needed to play the way he demands.
City controlled the game there after on that night, and it was a similar situation today. The Belgian was running the show, which certainly had Jamie Carragher purring at all ends.
Whether he was picking the ball up on the half-way line, driving at the defence or playing defence splitting passes in the final third, he was at the heart of everything.
The midfielder got his team ticking and pressed from the front. Although chances were at a premium, the Blues were never under pressure, because they had such control of the football. A season high of 70% possession ensured that a final chance would come, without Youri, we’d probably be talking about another defeat or disappointing performance.
Despite all the injury problems Leicester have to such key players, the loss of Tielemans would pull them out of the top four race for the time being, let’s hope it doesn’t happen.
Ayoze Perez has been unfairly treated
When Foxes fans went to check the team news at quarter past one, few would have expected to see Ayoze Perez in there, and few would have been pleased.
I was thrilled to see the Spainaird back in the side after weeks of being a castaway. I have long been a fan of his, last season he was criminally underrated when he was being played out of position on the right wing.
His clever movement, instinctive finishing and work rate made him a key player in that side, but with a change of system this term he has found himself out of favour.
Today he was recalled, and had a free role. He picked up little ‘pockets’, created the two chances that hit the post in the first half, and gave Leicester the edge that they needed in this match after shaky form.
His goal showed everyone what this side has been missing when Vardy isn’t firing. His awareness and willingness in the box is so underrated, after all he is a striker!
It was no surprise to see the Foxes lose a little bit of creativity when he left the pitch after the hour, as he was easily the best player out there today. There might be life for Perez at Leicester after all.
3-4-3 is here to stay
When Leicester manager Rodgers first deployed the 3/5 at the back system against Man City some 8 matches ago, few would have thought it would still be played now.
But with injuries, and a poor patch of form, it seemed like the only formation that Leicester could play well with.
However, Monday nights performance against strugglers Fulham maybe fuelled the notion that it needs to be ditched against the lesser sides, as it was in that match at half-time.
But with Rodgers supposed stubbornness, it seems like it is his preferred formation, at least for the time being.
It gives that make shift defence that extra bit of security and it gets players like James Maddison in and around Jamie Vardy and between the defensive and midfield line, and it is perfect against the big dogs, which has already been proved this season.
When the Northern Irishman was struggling at Liverpool, it was a system he would revert to in order to gather some momentum, and towards the end of last season it was used a lot due to injuries.
It’s unclear as to whether a back four will be used when the likes of Ricardo, Timothy Castagne and Caglar Soyuncu return from injury, but with Leicester City in fourth position, why change?