Leicester player ratings from 2-1 Cardiff win: Hail Cesare

Leicester City player ratings

Mads Hermansen. The Danish stopper had very little to do in the first half, his major job being to pick Ramsey’s shot out of his net. In the second half, though, he made a couple of vital saves as Cardiff counter-attacked. 7

Ricardo Pereira. The newly-installed captain had a steady game. Once or twice he left space in the right-back position which Cardiff might have exploited but this is inevitable if he is being asked to play an inverted role when the team is in possession. 7

Wout Faes. The Belgium centre back was his usual dependable self, his pace and tough tackling often getting the team out of trouble. Brought the ball forward with purpose although there was precious little space for the midfielders ahead of him to operate in. 8

Jannik Vestergaard. The selection of the big Dane remains controversial given the presence of Harry Souttar in the squad. As we have come to expect, there were a few misplaced passes and his lack of pace was often exposed. However, this was accompanied by some good defending with head and feet together with the occasional raking pass switching the play effectively. 6

Callum Doyle. The Manchester City-loanee struggled a little in the first half to cope with the tricky wide player Josh Bowler. The left back gradually came into his own in the second half getting forward more often and testing Jak Almwick the Cardiff keeper with a low drive towards the right hand side of the goal. 5

Harry Winks. The former Tottenham man has become the pivotal player in Maresca’s team. Time and time again he effectively linked the play with shrewd passes and energetic bursts. Never spectacular, but he is a mightily valuable cog in the side. 6

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Shepshed-born midfielder had a disappointing first half too often running into trouble and losing the ball, as he did in the build-up to Ramsey’s goal. In the second period, he was much more like his old self causing Cardiff trouble with his lung-busting runs. It was his scuffed shot in injury time that led to the winner, and a few moments later, a push in his back from the Cardiff defender Mahlon Romeo led to Graham Scott producing a second yellow card for the Bluebird player. 6

Wilfred Ndidi. The Nigerian midfielder worked hard but, in my view at least, is struggling to adapt to the more advanced role he has been given by the Leicester boss. He tackled well but offered little in an attacking sense. He is now probably the third choice for the position behind Casadei, who replaced him in this game after 62 minutes, and Praet. 5