Leicester secured a Coca-Cola Championship double over fellow Premiership
dropouts Leeds in the Foxes' final home game of the season.
Strike partners Dion Dublin and David Connolly helped themselves to a goal
each and Leeds substitute Marlon King missed a 73rd-minute penalty as the Whites
wilted in the Walkers Stadium sunshine.
After relegation from the Premiership last season, both sides would have been
hoping for far better than mid-table obscurity this campaign, with Leicester
especially counted among the favourites to make an immediate return.
But the Foxes have found themselves in a battle against successive
relegations, only avoided following Tuesday's excellent 1-0 win against local
rivals Derby and Saturday's other results.
Neither side made changes from last time out, with Leicester defender Nikos
Dabizas' return from suspension limited to a substitute berth, while Leeds once
again omitted midfielder Seth Johnson, whose next appearance will trigger a
£250,000 payment to former club Derby.
Leicester started the brighter and in the fifth minute an incisive move earned
them the corner from which they opened the scoring.
Dublin rose virtually unchallenged to loop Gareth Williams' floated ball back
across Neil Sullivan, whose hand could only help into the top corner.
Stephen Hughes then burst through only to see his fierce effort rebound off
the legs of Sullivan, before the home fans were on their feet again when
Williams stole in at the near post, but his volley from Alan Maybury's cross
ended up in the side netting.
An extraordinary sequence then saw Connolly so badly miss the ball from six
yards that it bounced up perfectly for him to head in. But he contrived to hit
the post, with the ball rebounding this time to Dublin whose half-volley was
blocked heroically by Clarke Carlisle.
But Connolly made amends seven minutes before the break, easily volleying home
his 13th goal of the season from Hughes' left-wing cross after the midfielder
had been gifted the ball by the Leeds defence.
The visitors' scarf-twirling supporters were in excellent voice, but were
given little to cheer before the interval beyond Rob Hulse's speculative
header.
They almost pulled one back at the start of the second half when Carlisle
headed straight at Ian Walker, but the defender did himself no favours minutes
later when he scythed down Danny Tiatto and was rightly cautioned.
The aggressor then turned victim as Dublin's aerial challenge left Carlisle
prostrate, with the striker receiving a yellow card of his own.
With half an hour remaining, Leeds threw on King and Aaron Lennon in a
desperate attempt to get something out of the game and it almost paid off when
Lennon's cross fell to Matthew Spring, who was unable to connect cleanly under
pressure.
Sensing his side's ascendancy, boss Kevin Blackwell played his final card by
throwing Danny Pugh into the fray.
The changes appeared to have worked, with Leeds given a lifeline when King's
header forced a fantastic close-range save from Walker only for the ball to
rebound to Spring, who was brought down by Patrick McCarthy for a penalty.
But Walker was not done and, although King's spot-kick was hit hard and true
towards his top left-hand corner, the former England goalkeeper sprang sideways
magnificently to turn it over the bar.
The game became more stretched but Leicester could have settled it when
Connolly fired straight at Sullivan, although Hulse could have just as easily
set up a grandstand finish when he stabbed tamely wide when virtually clean
through.
Connolly again failed to finish after a fantastically intricate corner
routine, but the Foxes eased home to follow up their 2-0 win at Elland Road in
December and sign off their home campaign in style.
Teams
Leicester Walker, Maybury, Stewart, Kenton, McCarthy,
Hughes (Gudjonsson 75), Williams, Nalis, Tiatto (Gillespie 69),
Dublin (Moore 81), Connolly.
Subs Not Used: Dabizas, Stearman.
Booked: Dublin.
Goals: Dublin 6, Connolly 39.
Leeds Sullivan, Kelly, Gray (Pugh 65), Carlisle, Kilgallon,
Einarsson (King 61), Gregan, Spring, Moore, Hulse,
Richardson (Lennon 61).
Subs Not Used: Wright, Ilic.
Booked: Carlisle, Gregan.
Att: 26,593
Ref: G Laws (Tyne & Wear).
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