Leicester City 4-0 Newcastle United: Brendan Rodgers' get back to winning ways

Word was spreading around a quiet King Power Stadium that, half the world away, debatable officiating had influenced the outcome of the tightest Formula One title battle in years.

Back in England, debatable officiating also helped to tilt this tight game in Leicester’s favour, just as it had in just about every other Premier League match this weekend.

Leicester went on to romp home to a 4-0 victory but this match was a fiercely-contested battle until Youri Tielemans’ 38th-minute penalty.

On first glance, it looked a stone-wall decision as Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles tripped James Maddison in the penalty area but replays showed it was questionable.

Whether it was right or wrong will divide opinion but it highlighted the fact that this was the weekend of the penalty. Seven and counting for the weekend when Tielemans comfortably slotted his home, the most since September 2003 (eight in one weekend).

So as all three teams in the title race won via penalties on Saturday - again, some largely questionable decisions - this demonstrated how the relegation battle and race for Europe might also be defined on these tight margins.

Take nothing away from Leicester. They were excellent and James Maddison was imperious, the sort of performance that Gareth Southgate cannot ignore.

He won the penalty to open this game up, played the pass to unlock Newcastle’s defence for their second, teed up Tielemans for the third, and scored the fourth.

But until the penalty, this was a very tight contest. Newcastle were playing nice football and defended resiliently to keep the scores goalless for the majority of the first half.

All that considered, this was a seismic three points for Leicester, who also kept their first clean sheet since the opening day of the Premier League. They had won just one in their last six League matches before this.

The Foxes were without a staggering 10 first-team players for this match, a large number of the absentees due to a Covid outbreak at the club. So the last thing they needed was for Jonny Evans to pull his hamstring just five minutes into the game.

The veteran defender limped off and, with no central defender on the bench, midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was forced to drop into the back four.

And the makeshift defence looked troubled at times early on as Newcastle pressed high and repeatedly nicked the ball in Leicester’s defensive third.

Despite this, Ndidi’s most telling early contribution was at the other end, as he popped up unmarked at the back post to get on the end of a venomous Maddison free-kick.

Ndidi headed back across the six-yard box, inviting any Leicester player to tap home, but no one was there. Jamie Vardy, on the bench, would have been there.

Without their Fox in the box - Vardy - Leicester looked a bit lost when they ventured forward. But step forward Maddison, the dazzling midfielder, who looked dangerous every time he got the ball.

Newcastle were defending resiliently to thwart Maddison, who fizzed a number of testing crosses into the box. But then a lazy leg from Lascelles felled the midfielder, whose quick feet deceived the Newcastle captain. Penalty.

Another moment where thoughts might have turned to a certain forward on the bench, perhaps. But Tielemans stepped up and confidently fired his spot-kick into the top-left corner.

Eddie Howe had been very animated all afternoon but his frustrations were well justified at the penalty his side conceded. Replays showed that Maddison went down with minimal contact.

But in a league where spot-kicks seem to be awarded for the lightest of touches, Maddison saw the outstretched leg of Lascelles and deliberately ran into it. Some will call it cheating, others will label it clever.

Regardless, it knocked the stuffing out of Newcastle and despite continuing to attack well, they went two goals behind just before the hour mark.

No prizes for guessing who was at the centre of it. Correct, Maddison. The midfielder played a beautiful first-time pass with the outside of his foot to put Harvey Barnes in on goal. He squared to Patson Daka who couldn’t miss.

Newcastle threatened to get back into the game, and Leicester needed Kasper Schmeichel to make some fine stops, as well as a goalline block from Ndidi to deny Jonjo Shelvey.

But as the away side pushed forward in search of a goal, Leicester started to pass their way through them. First, Maddison popped up in the box and squared to Tielemans who scored his second of the day.

Then Maddison added a goal of his own on 85 minutes to round off a perfect performance.

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