LAST UPDATE | 29 Dec 2023
LEICESTER CITY CONTINUED their relentless march at the top of the Championship with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Cardiff.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Justin were on target with strikes that were as pure as Leicester’s command was total. This was Leicester’s 20th win from 25 league games as the Foxes continue to hunt down Reading’s record Championship points total of 106 set in the 2005-06 season.
Enzo Maresca’s side were unruffled to complete a season’s double over their Cardiff hosts, who harbour play-off hopes but have now only won once in six home games.
Cardiff’s defence was breached in the 18th minute as Joe Ralls was caught out by Leicester’s high press. The Bluebirds captain lost possession and Dewsbury-Hall made no mistake, by arrowing home a low shot for his eighth league goal of the season.
Leicester got the breathing space their performance deserved after 54 minues, Fatawu setting up full-back Justin for a 25-yard spectacular that flew over the head of Alnwick and into the top corner. A rare goalscorer, it must surely rank as among the finest of Justin’s career.
Leeds’ hopes of automatic promotion suffered another blow as they were beaten 1-0 by West Brom at the Hawthorns.
Grady Diangana’s 37th-minute goal was enough to give former Leeds coach Carlos Corberan back-to-back home wins and inflict a second consecutive loss on Daniel Farke’s side, who have won one of their last five games and trail second-placed Ipswich by nine points.
And they did little to suggest they could come back from Diangana’s fifth goal of the season as they failed to test West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
But they were perhaps unfortunate not to win a 30th-minute penalty for Cedric Kipre’s challenge on Wilfried Gnonto.
Promotion-chasing Ipswich lost the chance to pull away from the pack as they were held to a 0-0 draw by struggling QPR.
The match saw both sides have a number of chances to win it, with the visitors coming closest when Steve Cook’s header hit the post and ran across the goal line.
The result saw Ipswich fall eight points behind leaders Leicester, with the gap to third-placed Southampton just three points, while QPR stayed in the drop zone.
