Magic Maddison helps Leicester City to much-needed win over flat Forest
Amidst his side’s issues, Steve Cooper ditched his trusted three-at-the-back formation in favour of a more traditional four, but there were issues immediately as the hosts carved them open at will.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall missed a gilt-edged header from close range, before Jamie Vardy was unusually wasteful firing an effort straight at Dean Henderson. On the break they’d have a chance of their own, but striker Taiwo Awoniyi could only hit the post having beaten the offside trap.
The consequences of that miss would be dire, as Leicester scored three times in the space of 10 minutes to blitz Forest out of the game.
Maddison got the ball rolling, seizing on Jesse Lingard’s awful clearance to blaze home with the help of a deflection. Less than two minutes later, Barnes was afforded too much space on the edge of the area and expertly curled his effort into the far corner, before Maddison completed the onslaught with a glorious free-kick that left Henderson rooted to the spot.
Remarkably, the 25-year-old has now had a direct hand in 50% of his side’s last 26 goals.
Serious problems faced Cooper after his side conceded three goals in a half, all from outside the area - the first team to do that in the league in five years.
A triple substitution highlighted his unhappiness with his side’s display, but there was no change in the Trees’ luck. Awoniyi found himself in behind the defence again, but Danny Ward was there to prevent him, before Brennan Johnson’s poor first-touch took away his chance with the goal at his mercy.
The Foxes continued to pile on the punishment, adding a fourth through Patson Daka as he delightfully flicked Maddison’s cross beyond Henderson. Some of the pressure mounting on Brendan Rodgers is surely relieved, as he avoided losing three consecutive home games for the first time in his managerial career.
The same cannot be said for Cooper though, as Forest lost five league matches in a row within a single season for the first time since December 2004, as the newly-promoted outfit sink to the bottom of the PL standings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: James Maddison (Leicester City)