Leicester City were denied their first victory of the season with a late Crystal Palace penalty at Selhurst Park on Saturday. It was a spirited performance by the Foxes. They were up 2-0 early in the second half, but a Jean-Phillipe Mateta brace, his second goal a stoppage-time penalty, ensured that the points were shared in London.
It was arguably Leicester’s best performance of the season, with the first-half display particularly good. The statistics from the game suggest so, especially in attack.
Leicester City’s slight improvement in attack
Despite the fixture being a challenging away game against Crystal Palace, Leicester performed above average in key attacking metrics. Importantly, the Foxes recorded an expected goals (xG) of 1.2, their highest this season. The higher xG is a culmination of many other key statistics. The Leicestershire side made six passes into the opposition box and enjoyed 14 touches, both metrics being higher than their season averages.
Admittedly, it is a small improvement. But considering the game’s opponent and venue, there are signs that things are improving for the Foxes. If Steve Cooper hadn’t gone so defensive in the second half, these numbers would have been likely higher.
The Foxes struggled physically
While Leicester’s attacking display was good, the players struggled physically against their London opponents. The Foxes only managed to win 36.4% of their aerial duels against Palace. Abdul Fatawu and Jordan Ayew lost five aerial duels each, the highest in the team. Wilfred Ndidi, considered one of Leicester’s stronger players, contested three duels and lost all of them.
Concerningly, Crystal Palace aren’t considered one of the stronger teams in the Premier League (at least according to their stats). Despite significantly boosting their numbers against Leicester, the Eagles rank 16th for percentage of aerial duels won. The Foxes are second last, with only Southampton below them. Leicester didn’t fare well with tackles either, winning only 42% of their attempted tackles.
While this was an improved attacking display by Leicester City, issues like physicality must be fixed.
