Leicester’s three best performing players from October

Patson Daka

Wow. Just wow. Until October, Daka has looked promising for Leicester, but hadn’t delivered on the potential that a 30-goal-a-season player has on him. He scored in pre-season, hadn’t opened his official account for the Foxes, nor was he starting games as we had perhaps expected.

He had a goal ruled out against Napoli for the slightest of offsides but had to wait a little longer for his first goal. Then Manchester United came to town.

Daka found himself coming off of the bench for Kelechi Iheanacho on the 77th minute but couldn’t have had a bigger impact. Immediately he was thrust into the action as he had a good chance stopped by De Gea. He should have scored, but he didn’t let it deter him.

De Gea thwarted Daka again moments later after he received the ball from a corner, but the ball was spilled and Caglar Soyuncu thrashed it in to put the Foxes 2-1 up, a goal made by Daka’s predatory nature towards the goal.

Finally, in the 91st minute, Daka opened his official account for the Foxes, as a set-piece ball found its way to the Zambian who did the rest, bundling his way to goal. There was no assist given for the goal, but it should go down the Harry Maguire, who let the Zambian stroll past him unchallenged. By scoring, Daka made history, becoming the first ever Zambian to score in the Premier League.

That cameo was just the start for Daka. He had a taste of goal, and now he wanted more. Spartak Moscow were the opponents, and the Foxes found themselves 2-0 away in Russia, with many feeling like the game was lost. Then, less than a minute after Spartak’s second, Leicester bit back. Kelechi Iheanacho’s lovely through-ball was met by Daka who was playing off of the back line – Vardy-esque. His finish was clinical, and suddenly LCFC were back in it. 2-1.

Three minutes into the second half, and Iheanacho squared the ball to Daka for 2-2. The game was rescued. Five minutes later, and a stunning ball from Youri Tielemans put Daka through. By this point, finishing was a muscle reflex for him. He stayed calm and composed as he slotted his finish past the keeper and into the net, becoming the first Zambian to score a hattrick in European competition.

But Daka wasn’t done for the day, and Maddison’s ball to him on the edge of the Spartak box was just too inviting. Four for the Zambian. In one night he became Leicester’s joint-highest ever European goal scorer, the first Zambian to score four in a European game, and scored the fastest ever hat-trick scorer in Europa League history, earning him a perfect 10 on WhoScored.com. All in a days work.

With that game, Daka was fully unleashed, and if he had continued his goal scoring return he would have been my player of the month. But that isn’t anything against him. He single handily saved Leicester’s Europa League campaign, and now has a real aura of danger around him whenever he enters the field of play. A selfless assist to James Maddison for the match-winning goal against Brentford wasn’t too bad either.

I cannot wait to see what Daka has in store for November. Opposition defences should be wary – this kid is special.