King Kelechi Iheanacho makes amends v Palace to take Leicester throne
By Damon Carter
As Kelechi Iheanacho proved once again instrumental in yet another match-winning display, the Nigerian striker is looking every bit the star striker that Leicester City shelled out £25 million for in 2017. But it wasn’t always this easy.
A tale of two Palaces
No this isn’t the latest in the long running royal saga but more the tale of two games. With a ridiculous schedule of two games in less than 48 hours at Christmas, Brendan Rodgers was forced to hand his rarely used Nigerian striker a start at Selhurst Park ahead of the rested star striker Jamie Vardy. The game did not go to plan for the replacement striker. A missed penalty and a glaring missed header was all that Kelechi could manage in a 1-1 draw that saw him subbed twenty minutes before the end. In my own assessment i even confessed that this could be his last chance for Leicester City as he was approaching the final year of his contract. Fast forward four months to the King Power Stadium and the turnaround is nothing short of remarkable.
Iheanacho is now the star striker at the club after a run of games that has now seen him score 17 goals with 14 in his last 14 games. Against Roy Hodgson’s stubborn Palace, Iheanacho was a constant menace. Ghosting into positions and dropping in between the lines. He set up Timothy Castagne for a fine equaliser before unleashing an unstoppable thunderbolt of a strike past a stunned Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal. The eagles had been felled by a Super Eagle in a Leicester shirt. His turnaround in confidence is remarkable, with his goals arguably single handedly dragged Leicester to their first FA Cup Final for 52 years added to a Premier League player of the month award for March.