Leicester City 2-4 Newcastle: 5 talking points from disappointing display

4. Too little, too late

If anything was to provide a glimmer of hope, it was the last ten minutes of this performance. Whether that was due to Leicester’s improvement or Newcastle slacking, is a matter up for debate. Nevertheless, two goals from Albrighton and Iheanacho gave faint and unrealistic hope of a comeback, when the game, in reality, was out of sight. Were it not for the goalkeeper, Dubravka, who was inspired for the Toon, Pérez could have set up a grandstand finish.

Such a ‘fightback’ is bittersweet, giving hope but also making the missed chances earlier in the game more keenly rued, with Leicester having racked up 25 attempts on goal throughout the 90 minutes.

Similarly to the West Ham performance, the late flurry gave limited respectability to the scoreline and made it seem like the game had been a competitive affair. This was not at all the case, but merely a crumb of comfort for onlooking supporters.

5. Home form and long COVID

The issue of home form has been a thorn in Leicester City’s side for the whole of this season, with defeat to Steve Bruce’s men representing the eighth loss out of only ten in total. This is a far cry from Leicester’s excellent home form last season, with the King Power being anything but a proverbial fortress.

Whilst there are mitigating factors such as an ageing pitch and no fans, it is unwise for the workman to pin all the blame on his tools or circumstances, something other managers are guilty of doing. Hopefully, this stumbling block will not continue to be a long-term complication, with the return of fans against Spurs providing a welcome boost.

Additionally, such a humiliating loss causes ‘COVID-gate’ to raise its ugly head once again. Since the ill-judged house party, results haven’t been terrible but performances have not been up to scratch. This may be over analysing the impact of one aberration, but the potential psychological effects are concerning nonetheless.

Definitely, Rodgers must rally his troops and ensure that they can put the past behind them and fight for the badge if Leicester will secure a deserved Champions League spot and/or FA cup victory.