Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy hit hat-tricks as Leicester City stormed to a record-equalling 9-0 Premier League win over a beleaguered 10-man Southampton at St Mary's.
Perez, a close-season signing from Newcastle United, was fouled in the build-up to Ben Chilwell's 10th-minute opener – an incident that saw Ryan Bertrand sent off after a VAR review.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's home side failed comprehensively to deal with their numerical disadvantage as the goals rained in amid a torrential downpour on England's south coast – Youri Tielemans scoring number two before Perez's first Leicester goal set him on the way to a share of the matchball.
READ | Arsene Wenger eyes managerial return, misses 'Wednesdays at Stoke'
The goals flooded in, and James Maddison's superb free-kick made it 8-0 – which at the time matched the biggest margin of away victory in Premier League history.
Leicester went one better still when Vardy won and converted a stoppage-time penalty, to bring the Foxes level with Manchester United's 9-0 shellacking of Ipswich Town in March 1995.
For the red card, Bertrand plunged his studs against Perez's calf, leaving referee Andre Marriner with little choice once the footage was reviewed. But Leicester's swift attack continued – Chilwell beating Angus Gunn after the Southampton goalkeeper spilled Maddison's shot.
Tielemans was given too much room to pick out a finish in the 17th minute and the Belgium midfielder then laid the ball on for on Perez to beat Gunn tamely at his near post once more.
Perez caught Yan Valery napping as he tidily dispatched Chilwell's cross on the half-volley, while Leicester's England left-back was again the provider when Vardy lashed into the top corner to make it 5-0 at the break.
A relatively uneventful opening to the second half crashed down around Southampton when Perez chested down Harvey Barnes' pass to lash a volley beyond Gunn in the 57th minute and Vardy headed home a minute later.
ALSO READ | Liverpool star Mane gets Drogba backing for Ballon d'Or
Jan Bednarek typified the efforts of the Southampton defence with fouls on Vardy in the 85th minute and stoppage time that led to goals eight and nine.
The Saints languish in 18th position and face the daunting prospect of back-to-back trips to Manchester City in the EFL Cup and Premier League next week.
Pep Guardiola's team is now the only side with more top-flight goals than Leicester's 25 this season, with Brendan Rodgers' men edging above the champion into second place.
Statistics and records from the match
9 – Leicester's nine unanswered goals made this the joint-biggest Premier League win of all time, level with Manchester United's 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town in March 1995.
0 – Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel kept a clean sheet for the Foxes – just like his father Peter did for United when it demolished Ipswich 24-and-a-half years ago.
131 – The margin of victory is the largest by a top-flight side away from home in the 131-year history of league football in England. It was also Southampton's biggest defeat of all time.
2 – Leicester became the second side to have two players score a hat-trick in the same Premier League game after Arsenal duo Jermaine Pennant and Robert Pires in May 2003 – also against Southampton.
5 – Rodgers' men were 5-0 up at half-time, making them the second away team in the Premier League to accomplish this feat after Manchester City did so at Burnley in April 2010. The latter game at Turf Moor finished 6-1.
3 – Perez made it back-to-back trebles against Southampton. He claimed all Newcastle United's goals and the matchball in a 3-1 win over Saints in April this year. The last player to score successive Premier League hat-tricks against the same opponent was Luis Suarez for Liverpool against Norwich City in April and September of 2012.
50 – Perez's second goal was his 50th in all competitions in English football.
19 – Leicester led 3-0 after 19 minutes. It had not scored three unanswered goals so quickly in a top-flight game since racing ahead inside eight minutes versus Derby County in April 1998.
20 – After 10 games, Leicester has 20 points – one more than at the same stage of its 2015-16 title-winning campaign.
3 – Bertrand's dismissal meant Southampton had it numbers reduced in a third straight meeting with Leicester. Newcastle was shown four red cards in a row versus Liverpool, a streak of shame that concluded in May 2014.
Comments
SHARE