Leicester City have opened up a 10-point gap at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
Jamie Vardy ended a six-game goal drought to score twice and hand his side their fifth consecutive victory to move within three wins of the Premier League title.
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The Foxes made a lively start to the game and tested Vito Mannone after less than three minutes when Ngolo Kante's dipping volley drew a comfortable stop from the Sunderland keeper.
The home side did a good job of limiting Leicester's chances from open play, though, with a mistimed Vardy header from Danny Simpson's cross the best the visitors could conjure up in the opening exchanges.
They had more success from set pieces, and should have taken the lead after a quarter of an hour when Wes Morgan, who scored his first goal of the season last weekend, found space in the area but could only nod a corner wide of the target.
It continued to be Claudio Ranieri's side who were asking the main questions, and they felt that they should have had a penalty midway through the first half when Shinji Okazaki went down under the challenge of DeAndre Yedlin.
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Sunderland had to wait until 10 minutes before half time for their first sight of goal, and it fell to Younes Kaboul as he rose highest in the penalty area to power a header over the crossbar.
Anthony Taylor had another penalty shout to consider moments later when Patrick van Aanholt's cutback into the area struck the arm of Robert Huth, but the referee deemed it unintentional and once again waved play on.
Vardy had another half-chance towards the end of the half when he mis-hit an attempted volley from Okazaki's cross, before Riyad Mahrez saw a third penalty appeal rejected when he claimed for a handball against Kaboul.
Kasper Schmeichel had very little to do for the vast majority of the half, but he was called upon in stoppage time to make an important save from Fabio Borini, whose shot deflected off Morgan to make things more difficult for the keeper.
Sunderland made a positive start to the second half too, but Borini squandered two early chances when he first scuffed an effort wide from the edge of the box before blasting a second shot off target when he should have done better.
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Half-chances were the best either side were creating, though, and that was the same for Leicester when Okazaki lashed one over the crossbar after combining with Kante.
Danny Drinkwater looked like having a clear opening moments later when he latched on to Vardy's clipped pass over the top to bear down on goal, but Yedlin got back to put pressure on the midfielder as Mannone came out to smother the ball.
England's newest international had another opening shortly before the hour mark when he was teed up by Mahrez, but he tried to pass the ball in from outside the area and his shot lacked the power to really trouble Mannone.
Drinkwater proved to be the provider when Leicester finally got the breakthrough, though, as he pinged a long pass over the top for Vardy, who cut inside before calmly slotting his finish past Mannone.
The uncharacteristically quiet Mahrez burst into life as the visitors went in search of a second, carrying the ball forward into the Sunderland area but then not getting enough on his shot to worry the keeper.
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The hosts went straight up the other end and created a clear opening of their own when Van Aanholt picked out Borini in space inside the box, but the Italian somehow only managed to hit the ball into his own face when looking to apply the finish.
Sunderland risked being caught on the break as they went in search of a goal that would keep survival in their own hands, and they should have got it with just eight minutes remaining when the ball broke to Jack Rodwell in a glorious position, only for the midfielder to lift his shot over the crossbar when it looked easier to score.
Leicester hit right back with a chance of their own as the match became more and more open in the closing stages, but Mannone was alert to race off his line and deny Leonardo Ulloa.
It was the visitors who continued to look the more likely to get the game's second goal, though, and it took a smart save from Mannone to keep out Vardy in the final minute of normal time after a slick team move had resulted in Drinkwater setting up his compatriot.
The Sunderland keeper kept his side hanging on with another big save to deny Daniel Amartey late on, but it was to prove in vain as Vardy doubled his personal tally in the final minute of stoppage time, beating the last defender before taking the ball past Mannone and slotting it into the empty net.
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The goal sealed a fifth consecutive top-flight win for Leicester for the first time since 1963-64, and also saw them equal the club record for number of victories recorded in a single campaign (21).
They also kept a fifth top-flight clean sheet in a row for the first time in their history and their 11th from the last 15 games to take them to within nine points of clinching the title.
Sunderland, meanwhile, remain four points adrift of safety but do have a game in hand over 17th-placed Norwich City ahead of next weekend's relegation crunch match against the Canaries.
Barney Corkhill
