With the race for promotion still yet to throw up a clear favourite, a 1-0 loss at Ashton Gate for Leicester City offered plenty of talking points.
With the only goal of the game coming from Bristol City attacker Anis Mehmeti, the Foxes could lose momentum against two threateningly imperious Leeds United and Ipswich Town sides pushing them for the automatic promotion places.
One worrying aspect of the East Midlands side’s performance was their lack of cohesion in defence. With two controversial penalty shouts in the first half, Bristol City forward Tommy Conway looked to be potentially clipped by Belgium defender Wout Faes inside the box and prior to this, Rob Dickie appeared to be manhandled to the floor by Hamza Choudhury following a set piece for the hosts. Both of these offences were immediately waved off by the referee.
The Robins looked threatening in the first 45 minutes and forced a superb double save from Danish international Mads Hermansen. The home side’s bravery in blocking passing lanes between the Leicester defence and midfield allowed them to soak up pressure and force mistakes from the away team. With Choudhury opting to roam from right-back to cover the midfield in possession, Liam Manning’s side were free to capitalise on the space left between Faes and Vestergaard as Leicester’s centre-backs looked torn between applying pressure or maintaining their defensive line. This indecision left City with plenty of chances.
Leicester were impressive at their pressing game for the most part, and the work rate from Jamie Vardy in particular highlighted his expertise in leading the line. With two of his shots dragging agonisingly wide in the first half, his 51st-minute effort was blocked excellently by Max O’Leary and so too was the left-sided follow-up from tricky winger Stephy Mavididi.
With the lion’s share of possession in the second half, the Foxes proved to be a lot more structured and effective after the interval as Bristol City invited more and more pressure as the game progressed. Undoubtedly the best chance of the game fell to veteran striker Vardy in the 62nd minute. O’Leary’s misplaced pass allowed Kieran Dewsbury-Hall to recover possession and slot Vardy through on goal, but the latter was denied from the centre of the box by a fantastic stop from the opposition goalkeeper.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! 🤯
Jamie Vardy fails to score another HUGE chance – another great save from O'Leary! 👏 pic.twitter.com/a6fO8dZkpW
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 29, 2024
Leicester City had their own penalty appeal waved away by Andrew Kitchen as the aforementioned Dewsbury-Hall found James Justin wandering inside the Bristol City penalty area, who was subsequently blocked off as he carried the ball towards goal.
The only goal of the game came from Albanian winger Mehmeti who fired the Robins ahead in the 73rd minute with a scintillating strike from the edge of the box into the top left corner following a Bristol City counterattack.
Anis Mehmeti, what a STRIKE! ⚡ pic.twitter.com/xriMf5OKYL
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 29, 2024
The home side nearly doubled their lead minutes after their opener, as Mark Sykes nutmegged Justin down the right wing and drove into the Leicester penalty area, before rifling a shot into the side netting.
This disappointing loss for the East Midlands side could prove to be a worrying knock to their title and promotion ambitions as Ipswich Town and Leeds look to continue their tremendous form in the latter stage of the season.
As for Bristol City, their season looks to offer no real relegation threat or play-off hope, so this impressive win will likely boost their team spirit and aspirations for next season. It will also hope to spark some consistency for the Robins, something that has been lacking as Ashton Gate all season.
