Sunderland vs. Leicester: Winners and Losers from Premier League
For Leicester City, the finishing line is now firmly in sight.
Sunday’s 2-0 win at relegation-threatened Sunderland means Claudio Ranieri’s side are just three more wins away from the Premier League title. Three. More. Wins. That is all.
Jamie Vardy scored both goals for the visitors in the second half. The England international’s brace takes his tally for the season to 21.
At the other end of the field, Leicester's defence kept a fifth successive clean sheet. According to OptaJoe, it is the first time they have achieved the feat in the top flight.
The high-flying Foxes now require nine more points from their final six games to win the title for the first time. The impossible dream is close to becoming an astonishing reality.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the game at the Stadium of Light.
Winner: Jamie Vardy
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It won’t be just Jamie Vardy having a party if Leicester City become champions.
The England international claimed the crucial first goal against Sunderland, then bagged a second in stoppage time when the hosts were caught short of numbers at the back.
His first came courtesy of Danny Drinkwater’s pass over the top, allowing Vardy to score his first goal in the Premier League since Feb. 14.
His 66th-minute strike also saw him become the first Leicester City player to score 20 or more goals in a top-flight season since Gary Lineker in the 1984/85 campaign.
Vardy answered a half-time plea from his manager to find the net, with Claudio Ranieri revealing in his post-match press conference, per Luke Edwards of the Telegraph: "I said to Jamie at half-time, I need you, your team-mates need you, to score a goal and that is exactly what he did."
Loser: Jack Rodwell
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Substitute Jack Rodwell had only been on the field 14 minutes when a fortunate break gifted him the chance to draw Sunderland level.
After Patrick van Aanholt's weak shot broke off team-mate Jermain Defoe into the path of the midfielder, Rodwell suddenly found himself with a one-on-one opportunity.
But, with only Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to beat, he completely fluffed his lines in the 82nd minute.
Rodwell opened up his body to curl the ball into the sizeable gap to his right. Instead, he sent his attempt over the bar, wasting a glorious opportunity to change the complexion of the contest.
Mind, at least he didn't injure himself with his effort.
Team-mate Fabio Borini had managed to kick the ball into his own face when presented with a shooting opportunity earlier during the second half.
Winners: Danny Drinkwater and N'Golo Kante
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With the way the two teams lined up, Danny Drinkwater and N'Golo Kante looked set to be outnumbered in the middle of the park by Sunderland's 4-5-1 formation.
Instead, the duo dominated proceedings in the engine room.
While their work-rate was impressive, so too was their quality on the ball. Drinkwater produced a sublime long pass to set up the chance for Vardy to put the visitors in front.
Kante, meanwhile, does so much running he makes the Energizer Bunny look positively lethargic.
Per Squawka Football on Twitter, the Frenchman recorded an 86 per cent pass completion rate, made five tackles and four interceptions. He also created two chances in a dazzling display.
Loser: Sam Allardyce
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Sunderland might not have expected to get much from a game against the Premier League leaders.
However, they went into the fixture with Leicester City on a four-match unbeaten run (all draws) and fresh from a clean sheet away at West Brom in their last outing.
Had Rodwell taken his chance towards the end, Sunderland—who were always going to remain in the relegation zone, no matter what the result—may well have picked up a point.
Either way, their next outing will be crucial to their survival hopes.
They travel to Norwich City next, with the 17th-placed Canaries sitting four points above their opponents in the standings ahead of the crunch clash at Carrow Road.
Manager Sam Allardyce told Sky Sports (h/t Richard Mennear of the Sunderland Echo): "Norwich was always going to be big. There would be less pressure if we had won but today was always going to be difficult to win."
"We are under extreme pressure that we have to make sure we handle."
Winner: Claudio Ranieri
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Claudio Ranieri has done his best not to get carried away by Leicester City's title charge.
He said before the trip to Sunderland, per Matthew Treadwell of SkySports.com: "Everyone is looking at what happens in the last six matches, Me too, I am very curious, but we have to wait.
"There are a lot of people pushing behind us and that's important but it's important to keep our feet on the ground."
However, the Italian let the mask slip at the end of the 2-0 win.
He shed a tear or two after stepping onto the field to congratulate his players, as well as thank the travelling fans, but regained his composure by the time he spoke to the written media.
Per Louise Taylor of the Guardian, he said at his post-match press conference: "Other people can continue to talk about the title. It is important we stay focused on the next match. I said this to the players."
The mask was firmly back on, but there's a serious chance the man sobs uncontrollably for a week if Leicester City get over the line.
