Leicester City produced a complete team performance to see off Swansea City 2-0 at the King Power Stadium and climb off the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since November.
The Foxes got off to a flying start and were duly rewarded when Leonardo Ulloa - a late replacement in the starting lineup for the injured David Nugent - tucked home with 15 minutes on the clock.
Swansea created chances of their own, the best of which fell to Nelson Oliveira in the second half, but it was the home side who sealed all three points late on thanks to Andy King's close-range finish.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in the East Midlands.
Match statistics
LEICESTER
Shots: 18
On target: 6
Possession: 41%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 6
SWANSEA
Shots: 10
On target: 6
Possession: 59%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 5
Was the result fair?
This triumph made it three victories on the bounce for a resurgent Leicester side, and this was arguably their best showing of the season. They may have defeated Manchester United 5-3 earlier this campaign in one of the Premier League's best ever games, but this performance had all of the key ingredients required to avoid the drop.
It would be harsh to say that Swansea were completely outclassed, having created a couple of big chances of their own, but it was clear right from the off that the Foxes wanted the points more. A big penalty decision went against the home side 12 minutes from time when Ashley Williams brought down Jamie Vardy, but it mattered little in the end as Nigel Pearson's men got the job done.
Leicester City's performance
Bottom of the table since November, not many people gave Leicester even a glimmer of hope of avoiding the drop. The debate concerned which of the other sides battling relegation would join the Foxes in the Championship next season. However, in recent weeks, the Midlanders have certainly turned things around by winning three games in succession to climb level on points with Hull City in 17th place. This was a victory built on superb team chemistry, with each player knowing exactly what their task was.
Each man in a blue shirt constantly harried their opposite number when without the ball, and it is fair to say that Pearson's charges were good value for the crucial three points. There was a slight bit of luck involved with goalscorer Ulloa, who bagged his first goal in some 647 minutes this afternoon, not even supposed to be on the pitch from the off. That was the only fortunate aspect about this impressive triumph, though, with Leicester not dropping their performance levels from the first minute to the last.
Swansea City's performance
Garry Monk's men appeared to be a little too reliant on finding that killer ball when they had possession in the final third. Leicester remained compact, meaning that the Swans so often had to take on a shot from range rather than carving their opponents open as they so often do. They did manage to do it on a couple of occasions, firstly when Wayne Routledge burst through only to be correctly flagged for offside, and once more when Oliveira saw his attempt kept out by Kasper Schmeichel when in a similar position.
Swansea were crying out for some additional width, with Nathan Dyer and Jefferson Montero finally being introduced in the second half. The latter in particular looked lively, but too many Swans players had an off day, particularly star duo Ki Sung-yueng and Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Welsh outfit have picked up one point from their last two outings, meaning that they have been made to wait to surpass their previous record Premier League points tally, but they have shown time and time again this season that they are more than capable of bouncing back from a disappointing defeat.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Kasper Schmeichel: This accolade really could be awarded to any of the Leicester players out on the field this afternoon. While this was by no means the Danish stopper's busiest 90 minutes, his starfish-like save to deny Oliveira potentially stopped his side from dropping two points. It was the type of save that was seen countless times from his father over the years, and the Manchester United legend would no doubt have been proud of this decisive moment at the King Power Stadium.
Biggest gaffe
Lee Probert got the one big call of the afternoon incorrect, but thankfully for him - and indeed Leicester - it mattered little in the end. Williams was caught out by Vardy's quick turn of pace, being forced to shove the forward to the ground without getting a touch of the ball, but the man in the middle waved play on. Cue a furious Pearson on the sidelines, who would have been even angrier had the visitors launched a late comeback.
Referee performance
Other than that late penalty shout, there was not a great deal for Probert to call in terms of decisive moments. The officials did correctly rule out Routledge's first-half goal for offside, however, which they should be praised for. This was only the experienced referee's third appearance of the season due to injury problems, so that can perhaps explain why he was a little off the pace at times.
What next?
Leicester City: The Foxes face fellow strugglers Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland in the closing weeks of the campaign, with the former of that trio next up a week today.
Swansea City: The Swans are back on the road again next weekend when they take on Newcastle United at St James' Park, looking to grab that point needed to take them up to a club-record 48 for the season.
Daniel Lewis
