Huddersfield 0 – 2 Leicester
Despite already being Champions, Leicester weren’t thinking of the beach just yet as they strolled to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town. Having already secured their survival after a 2-1 victory at Yeovil last week, Town fans would’ve expected them to put up a fight after a big weight had been lifted.
However although the effort was there for all to see, they struggled to match the power and quality of the Champions.
A brilliantly taken opener from Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the first half to go with a Wes Morgan tap in mid way through the second secured 3 more points for the Foxes, leaving them on 99 with 1 to play. Meanwhile Mark Robins will surely be already planning for next season and looking for an improvement on their bottom half finish.
Huddersfield
| Smithies Made great saves in both halves to deny Dyer, little he could do about either goal. Needs more protection from the men in front of him. | 7 |
| Woods Conservative as ever. Fairly solid in defence, however lacks the confidence or natural arrogance to be any threat going forward and was largely ineffectual. | 5 |
| Dixon Much better going forward than his full back partner, and made a number of important clearances. He will be disappointed not to make more of the opportunities he got going forward. Largely disappointing with his deliverIes into the box. | 6 |
| Clarke Seems to be losing pace every week, however made up for it today with his positioning, making a number of important interceptions and blocks to deny Dyer. Worked well with Gerrard in keeping out Wood. | 6 |
| Gerrard Had an effective game at CB, positioning well alongside Clarke. However adopted a trait common in the Huddersfield team in that they were very indecisive and seemed unable to take control at the back. | 6 |
| Hammill Was largely poor, and is really struggling for form of late. Looks short of confidence and his end product is severely lacking. Wasted a number of crosses as well as a great opportunity in the first half, where he should’ve taken it first time but instead took a touch. | 4 |
| Holmes Was full of enthusiasm as usual, however seems to have lost the impact he had earlier in the season. Seemed lightweight all too often aand was very much outclassed by a much more experienced Leicester side. Remains to be seen if he offers enough long term. | 4 |
| Hogg Was his usual tenacious self, however has looked off the pace in recent weeks and continued to look it today. Leicester’s middle three dominated for large spells and he was unable to stop James and King breaking. | 4 |
| Clayton The former Leeds man was one of few bright sparks for Town. His assurance in the middle of the park is a reliance, and was constantly spraying balls to Hammill and Scannell. Was let down by a lack of movement in front of him. Face a battle to keep hold of him in the summer. |
7 |
| Scannell Was Huddersfield’s only other positive along with Clayton. He was fairly quiet in the first half however came to life in the second. He kept Leicester right back Moore busy all afternoon, and like Clayton, was let down by a lack of options in front of him. Needs to have more performances like this to convince Robins he’s worth a run in the side. | 7 |
| Wells Looked isolated as usual up front. Can justifiably complain about a lack of service, playing alone upfront. But had two chances when he wanted too much time and needed to do better. Will no doubt thrive next season when he will be alongside Vaughan. | 5 |
Substitutions
| Billing The youngster replaced Hogg after 76 minutes. Town fans have seen very little of him this season, and had little chance to show his worth today. Will be hoping for more opportunities next season. | 5 |
| Lolley Still only limited to substitute appearances. Looks tricky out wide but summarised the indecision running through the side by trying to beat too many men on the edge of the area late on. Could replace Hammill for the final game at Watford next week. | 5 |
| Norwood Probably unlucky to be replaced by Holmes at the start. Has been up and down all season, however played some well placed passes in the 15 minutes he got today. Looks comfortable alongside Clayton but they need someone else to support Wells. | 6 |
Leicester
| Kasper Schmeichel Solid performance in which he wasn’t tested at all by Huddersfield. Was commanding, as he has been all season. | 7 |
| Paul Konchesky Was defensively sound baring one weak moment in the first half where Scannell nearly robbed him of possession on the byline. Experience will be vital next season in the Premiership and he has it aplenty. | 7 |
| Liam Moore Was handed a tough task keeping out Scannell, however he was solid all game. Was beaten a couple of times in the second half however stayed with Huddersfield’s tricky winger and contributed to Leicester’s clean sheet. Was a clear example of why they are being promoted as Champions. | 8 |
| Ignasi Miquel Dealt with the small task of Wells all day. Rarely troubled by Huddersfield due to their inability to get crosses into the box. His top level experience was evident as he stuck to his task with little fuss. | 7 |
| Wes Worgan Was always going to be a mismatch up against Wells. Had no problems all afternoon, and epitomised the ‘men’s vs boys’ scenarios all over he pitch. | 6 |
| Dean Hammond Stuck to his task all afternoon. Was fairly quiet, but played his normal game. Came into the game in the second half as Leicester played down the clock and controlled possession. | 6 |
| Matty James Was full of running all afternoon. His work rate was exceptional, to his credit, considering Leicester’s season was sealed and delivered. Can tell his qualities have been invaluable for Leicester all season, and today showed his ability to control possession. Was also able to break forward and join the front men in attack. | 9 |
| Andy King Assisted his midfield colleagues expertly, recycling possession and joining attacks at will. Provided Wood with a reliable source all afternoon. Him and James will be a real task for many sides in the Premier League next season. | 8 |
| Gary Taylor-Fletcher Scored a brilliant opener against his former club, side footing in off the post giving Smithies no chance. His skill on the ball and ability to bring James and co into the game made a real difference. | 7 |
| Lloyd Dyer Was a constant source for attack down the Leicester left. Not as effective as he will have been this season, but was unlucky not to have scored, having been denied well twice by Smithies. | 7 |
| Chris Wood Wasn’t as effective as his teammates, and rarely had a chance all afternoon. Stuck to his task well but made way way for Nugent on 81 minutes. | 6 |
Substitutions
| Riyad Mahrez His tricky style was evident, however the half an hour he got wasn’t enough to make his mark on the game. | 5 |
| David Nugent Was replaced by Wood for this game, however having been a regular this season his lack of minutes here won’t be a worry. He’ll be looking forward to another crack at the Premier League next season after a spell in the Championship. | 5 |
| Danny Drinkwater Like Nugent has had plenty of game time this season. Was more of a cameo for him today and came on to see the game out. However he still managed to misplace most of his passes in the ten minutes he was on the pitch, against the club he spent a spell on loan to from Man United a few seasons ago. | 5 |
Man of the Match
| Man of the match Matty James was the man of the match at the Galpharm. His energy and creativity set him a class above the rest on the day and he will be relishing Premier League football next season. |
9 |
