Thai-owned Leicester City moves closer to EPL title

Only eight matches to go and King Power Group's Leicester City holds a five-point league in the English Premier League after winning 1-0 against Newcastle United and Rafael Benitez.

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Football: Okazaki upstages Benitez as Leicester march on

Leicester, United Kingdom, March 15, 2016, AFP – Shinji Okazaki's stunning goal upstaged new Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez as Leicester City reasserted a five-point lead in the Premier League with a tight 1-0 victory on Monday.

Benitez was taking charge of Newcastle for the first time since being appointed as the successor to the sacked Steve McClaren on a three-year contract, but it was Japan international Okazaki, 29, who stole the headlines with an acrobatic 25th-minute overhead kick.

Okazaki's sixth goal of the season took Leicester five points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, who had trimmed their lead to two points with victory at Aston Villa on Sunday, and nudged Claudio Ranieri's men a step closer to an extraordinary title triumph.

Leicester City's English footballer Jamie Vardy (L) is challenged by Newcastle's Dutch midfielder Vurnon Anita during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Newcastle. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS

"It was not our best performance, but we showed great spirit," said Ranieri, whose side require 20 points from their final eight matches to win the title.

"I feel now that I am just concentrating on the next game against Crystal Palace. We are so strong, we think only one game at a time. Step by step, that is our philosophy."

It was midway through the first half when Leicester made the breakthrough.

Mahrez's free-kick from deep on the right was only cleared as far as Marc Albrighton, loitering on the left-hand edge of the box, and his cross was nodded back by Jamie Vardy for Okazaki to score with a picture-book overhead bicycle kick.

The butterflies were all in the stomachs of the home fans in the latter stages, Huth blocking from Sissoko and Newcastle substitute Siem de Jong miscuing from 15 yards, before the whistle drew a roar of relief.

It was Newcastle's fourth consecutive defeat – a first this season – and saw Leicester complete a league double over the north-east giants for the first time since the 1974-75 campaign.

Newcastle's Spanish manager Rafael Benitez (2nd R) speaks with Newcastle's Spanish footballer Ayoze Perez (2nd L) during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Newcastle. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS

The visitors showed more fight than in recent weeks at the King Power Stadium, but they remain in the relegation zone ahead of Benitez's St James' Park baptism of fire on Sunday against local rivals and fellow strugglers Sunderland.

"I will take the positives," said Benitez. "We did well. You could see the commitment and the passion.

"There were a lot of positives and the team showed that they are convinced they can win."

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