Adams Score Twice As Southampton Beat Leicester 2-1
Substitute Che Adams scored twice as Southampton came from behind to beat Leicester and get their first Premier League win in nine games.
The Saints had barely had a chance before that but the introduction of Adams for Sekou Mara after 59 minutes changed the game.
First he slotted in from seven yards out from Armel Bella-Kotchap’s ball after Leicester failed to clear a long throw-in.
He waited six months for that goal, having last scored for the Saints in February, but he only had to wait 16 minutes for his next goal.
James Ward-Prowse lofted a cross into the box and Adams, who was born in Leicester, met it with an acrobatic volley which flew past Danny Ward.
Southampton’s victory – their first since April – was achieved after fielding the youngest Premier League starting line-up named by any club since May 2017, with an average age of 23 years and 238 days.
Leicester striker, Jamie Vardy announced a new contract hours before kick-off but he had a quiet game, touching the ball just 11 times.
The Foxes missed defender Wesley Fofana, who watched from the stands with Brendan Rodgers suggesting he was not in the right frame of mind amid links to Chelsea.
The decision to replace Mara with Adams in the second half could be crucial for Ralph Hasenhuttl, who was under pressure after a run, stretching back to the end of last season, of two points in eight games.
Summer signing Mara, making his first start in English football, had a goal ruled out for a clear offside in the first half, when there were few chances for either side.
Maddison had a free-kick saved by Gavin Bazunu and Harvey Barnes, making his first appearance of the season after recovering from a knee injury, dragged a shot just wide for Leicester.
Things were looking bad for the Saints when Maddison curled in a free-kick for his sixth Premier League goal in seven games. One of the other goals in that run came in Leicester’s last win, which was against the Saints on the final day of last season.
Leicester could have done with imposing centre-back Fofana when Southampton equalised, as they failed to deal with a throw-in before Adams slotted in. James Justin desperately tried to stop the shot on the line but helped it on its way in instead.
The Saints were in the ascendancy then and briefly thought they had a penalty when Joe Aribo went round goalkeeper Ward and went to ground, but he was booked for diving.
It was Adams who would be the match winner with a beautiful flying volley after Kyle Walker-Peters had fed Ward-Prowse on the right win to cross in. Adams went close to a hat-trick late on when he struck the post.
Victory eased the pressure on Hasenhuttl, but increased it on Rodgers, whose Leicester side have now lost five points from winning positions in their three Premier League games this season. The last time they failed to win in their opening three games was 2014-15.
