Leicester 0-1 Bournemouth: Philip Billing scores as Gary O’Neil’s side boost their survival hopes
James Maddison put his head in his hands in despair after his mistake sent Leicester to relegation – and then offered his heartfelt apology to the Foxes fans.
England star Maddison’s blind backpass gave Bournemouth top scorer Philip Billing his seventh goal of the season, which proved to be the winner.
This latest defeat left Leicester stuck in the bottom three, two points adrift of safety, and they have now lost seven of their last eight lackluster, winless games as buoyant in form Bournemouth climbed to 15th, three points free from danger.
The few home supporters who stayed to the bitter end showered their mournful side with a chorus of sustained boos, and Maddison went forward to address them immediately afterwards.
He said: ‘I apologize to the fans for today, I thought they were brilliant. It’s not brilliant for us in terms of results and performance isn’t quite there at the moment, but it’s important that the fans stay with us.
Philip Billing cheers after his goal gave Bournemouth the lead against Leicester
Billing is congratulated by his Bournemouth teammates after opening the scoring
James Maddison was left disappointed with his mistake leading up to Billing’s goal
“It was a really hard one to take. I’m very low right now. We knew it was a big game. I made a careless mistake and it cost us. I am always hungry to do well for the team. I tried to erase it and not do too much to make up for it. It’s a painful one.
“I am very sad about the defeat, because my mistake more or less cost the team. We need to dust off and go again. It’s so important that we stay positive. We’ll try to rally the troops.
‘There is still a long way to go. It’s tight down there. I would rather have won today. It wasn’t make or break. There are still enough points to play for.’
In reality, Bournemouth was so bad that Jesse Marsch might have second thoughts about taking over. The former Leeds boss is expected to be appointed on Monday, but saving Leicester seems like an impossible task at the moment.
Bournemouth had previously lost eight of their previous nine away games, but they completely dominated from start to finish, as a short Leicester rally came to naught.
Caretaker Foxes boss Adam Sadler said: ‘We’re not here to talk about individual mistakes. We are a team. We must stay united, these things happen. There was enough time to do something about it. James is a huge player for this football club.’
A foul by Victor Kristiansen on the edge of the box set up the first big chance of the match, with Philip Billing curling a free kick off the outside of the post.
Leicester weren’t at the races and shot themselves right in the foot when the most talented player on the field dropped his teammates in.
Gary O’Neil saw his Bournemouth side secure a very important win
Adam Sadler took over from Leicester, who has yet to replace Brendan Rodgers
Maddison has been the star of the Foxes so many times, but Billing couldn’t believe his luck as the Leicester striker gave him the easiest of chances.
And boos rained down to the home side as he sent it past Iversen with barely a defender in sight.
Failing to shoot on goal in the first half, Leicester were second best for long spells, showing the sort of apathy normally reserved for mid-table teams who have nothing to look forward to at this stage of the season. to play.
The Foxes are in grave danger. Before kick-off, no other team had taken fewer points since Christmas.
But it didn’t seem to revive them after the break, as Iversen did brilliantly to put a leg out and stop Solanke from doubling Bournemouth’s lead.
Leicester only turned up when there were only 20 minutes left in the game, but they suffered a blow when Harvey Barnes was forced off with a hamstring injury, and a grim silence reigned in the stadium.
The announcement of a minimum of six minutes of extra time cheered the fans up a bit, but Leicester could have played six hours and still not scored.
Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neill said: ‘It should have been more comfortable, but we had to show perseverance and determination at the end.
Wilfred Ndidi and Wout Faes of Leicester show their frustration after Billing’s goal
Leicester supporters were frustrated and lost for the third game in a row
Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth heads the ball under pressure from Ricardo Pereira from Leicester
‘We played very well. But we didn’t finish our chances. We just needed to be more clinical and it would have been more comfortable.
“The lads gave everything to a man to make sure we came away with three points.
“An away win at this time of the season, against a team that is in and around you, feels great.
They’re having fun in the locker room. Cups of tea, a little music. We’ll enjoy it tonight.’