Leicester City player ratings v Crystal Palace as Wilfred Ndidi responds to doubters
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s added-time penalty denied Leicester City their first Premier League victory of the season as Steve Cooper’s side gave up a two-goal advantage to draw at Crystal Palace.
Conor Coady, brought on to see out the win, tripped Ismaila Sarr as time ticked down, with Mateta rolling the ball past Mads Hermansen in a gut punch to City. The Frenchman had earlier cut the deficit after Cooper's men had gone 2-0 up.
For so long, it was City’s best performance of the season, with Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi scoring and Wilfred Ndidi influential in creating both goals. But they allowed Palace to build pressure, which they eventually succumbed to, extending their wait for a first win back in the top flight.
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Cooper made one change to his side, handing a first Premier League start to Mavididi, with Abdul Fatawu dropping out. That meant Jordan Ayew kept his place against his former club, and the Ghanaian had the first good chance to score.
City started energetically, pressing from the front, and Ndidi charged down Marc Guehi’s clearance before crossing, Ayew failing to connect properly with the volley, bouncing the ball down into the ground and over. Palace then had chances themselves, with Wout Faes needing to throw himself in front of Daniel Munoz’s shot, but just as the home side were beginning to get on top, City struck.
Ndidi’s inclusion over a recognised attacking midfielder had been controversial, but the Nigerian was excellent in the first half. He stole possession from Adam Wharton and clipped a ball through to Vardy, showed great balance and composure to round Dean Henderson and finish, a vintage goal for the number nine.
There was a big chance for either side before the break. Eberechi Eze danced around Faes but placed his shot wide from the corner of the six-yard box. Then, when Guehi missed Ayew’s ball, Vardy found Mavididi, the winger shooting a yard past the post.
But while the first half was action-packed, it was nothing compared to the frantic start to the second period. Within 20 seconds of the restart, City were two goals up, Ndidi showing superb composure to tee up Mavididi for a volley after a cross wasn’t cleared.
Within a couple of minutes, Palace were back to within one. Mateta was initially flagged offside when he poked in Tyrick Mitchell’s cross, but a lengthy VAR check showed that James Justin’s toe had played him on.
The game became scrappy but gradually Palace built pressure. Eddie Nketiah fired wide and Caleb Okoli blocked out Eze. With time ticking, Cooper went defensive, introducing Coady to form a back five. But the plan backfired, with the centre-back tripping Sarr, allowing Mateta to net for a share of the points.
Here’s how we scored the players...
Mads Hermansen: Palace’s finishing and City’s improved performance meant he was not required for any outstanding saves. He did relieve pressure by claiming a fair few crosses though. On the ball, he lumped it forward, rather than played it short, likely through instruction. 6
James Justin: In a different role as the advanced full-back, it was Justin’s cross that led to the second goal. But it would have been nice to see him get forward more because he is capable of making a difference at that end of the pitch. Defensively, he seemed to struggle with knowing when to press, because of Palace’s wing-back system, and so sometimes wasn’t close enough to the crosser. 6
Wout Faes: A true defender’s display as he throws his body, head, and sometimes his face, in the way of the ball to keep Palace out. In particular, there were some excellent blocks in the first half, albeit sometimes it was to recover from his own mistakes. 7
Caleb Okoli: He was combative, and always touch-tight to Mateta when he received the ball with his back to goal. He joined Faes in making good blocks, especially when he denied Eze in the second half. His passing was wayward at times. 7
Victor Kristiansen: He wasn’t diligent to his role as the full-back who tucks in, still advancing up the pitch on occasion. But defensively, there were none of the troubles he’s had in previous weeks. On the ball, he launched it aimlessly too often, albeit he was again isolated. 6
Harry Winks: Off the ball, he gave so much energy to the game, harrying and harassing Palace players, especially in the first half. On the ball, there were some nice first-time passes to keep things moving, but he couldn’t dominate the tempo like he has done at times this season. 7
Oliver Skipp: Really, really good. He’s looking like an excellent addition. His passing at the top end was clever and intricate, while he has the lungs to run hard for 90 minutes, meaning he can make a difference all over the pitch. He did a great job of contributing to the defensive effort, and charging up the pitch with the ball. 8
Jordan Ayew: He fluffed two first-half chances, needing to connect better with his early volley in particular. He won cheap free-kicks again, but grew tired quickly, and did not help Justin much in the second half, failing to track. 5
Wilfred Ndidi: A quite unbelievable display given how poor he was against Villa. His first touch and footwork were so much better, and he pressed sharply, while he was superb for the goals, winning the ball and clipping over the perfect pass for Vardy for the first, then showing off brilliant composure to tee up Mavididi for the second. But he did lose the ball a few too many times in the second half. 8
Stephy Mavididi: He got into decent positions, ensuring he was always involved in good attacking moments. But while he should have done better for his first-half chance, he finished with confidence to volley in. After that, he frustrated Cooper, losing the ball cheaply as he tried to be too fancy. 7
Jamie Vardy: The timing, balance, and composure he showed to beat Guehi and score was vintage Vardy. He had great awareness to set up Mavididi late in the first period too. He was always a willing runner, but he barely touched the ball in the second half. 7