Riyad Mahrez's 15th Premier League strike of the season proved enough to help Leicester City to another huge 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace this afternoon.
The Foxes were made to work hard for their win, scoring the only goal of the game 34 minutes in to climb eight points clear of Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the table.
Selhurst Park has proved to be a difficult ground for title-chasing sides to visit in recent times, but City showed incredible resolve in the second half to keep their opponents out and keep this unlikely fairytale alive.
Thirteen games without a league win leaves Palace still looking over their shoulder at the bottom end of the division, while Leicester - with one defeat in their last 13 - now have just seven more games to navigate.
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It was the visitors who just about edged the opening quarter of the contest, although a lack of space afforded to their attacking talents in the final third provided a tame start in South London.
Things soon sparked to life when Danny Drinkwater, in front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson, slotted a ball through for eventual matchwinner Mahrez to swiftly latch on to.
Mahrez was favourite to beat Wayne Hennessey in the one-on-one position, but the Welshman produced a big stop to take the sting out of the shot, before Scott Dann raced back to clear the ball off the line.
Palace had just a weak Yannick Bolasie shot to their name up until that point, yet their best passing move of the half soon followed, culminating in Yohan Cabaye picking out Bolasie with a fine long ball down the left flank.
The winger lofted the ball towards the back post where an off-balance Joe Ledley failed to make contact, while Wilfried Zaha could only slice wide of the target when getting on the end of the cross at the second attempt.
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With 34 minutes on the clock Leicester finally managed to make the breakthrough, as Drinkwater slotted in his countryman - and soon-to-be international teammate - Jamie Vardy, who in turn fired the ball through the box for a waiting Mahrez to convert six yards out.
A big moment in the match followed two minutes later when Bolasie's shot was kept out in a fine manner by Kasper Schmeichel; the Dane adjusting his body at the last minute to push away the deflected attempt.
City could perhaps have extended their lead prior to the interval after Vardy, boosted by his earlier assist, jinked in from the left and fired away a curled shot for Hennessey to keep out.
A double alteration was made by home boss Alan Pardew at the break, introducing Martin Kelly and Bakary Sako in an attempt to freshen up his side for a big second half.
Despite the change in formation, it was table-topping Leicester who started quicker in the second half after Shinji Okazaki and Mahrez both blasted wide of the target in quick succession.
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Okazaki had an even better chance 10 minutes into the half when ghosting in between two players inside the box, only to divert his header wide of the target from two yards out.
Palace were continuing to pressure their opponents, though, and the fresh legs of Sako in particular were making a difference as the hosts won a succession of corners with a little over an hour player.
It took until 15 minutes from time before the first shot on target of the second half arrived, with a lively Sako cutting inside and blasting one down the middle for an improving home side.
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Ranieri's charges were beginning to drop slightly deeper as the minutes of a quieter second half began to tick down, but they perhaps should have been given a chance to double their lead when Dann ripped the shirt off Robert Huth's back when defending a corner.
Referee Mike Jones was happy for play to continue, setting up a real tense finale at Selhurst Park which almost ended with the most dramatic of conclusions.
Damien Delaney chested down a ball into the area and fired away a volley which crashed back off the crossbar in the dying stages of the match, signalling three more vital points for Leicester at the top.
Daniel Lewis
