Preston 0-3 Leicester City live match reaction with title secured
The main objective is complete for Leicester City. They will be a Premier League club next season. Now it's time for the icing on the cake.
They head to Preston on Monday night for their final away game of the season and victory over North End will earn them the title. After watching the promotion from their sofas or from the pub, City fans will hoping to celebrate glory in person at Deepdale.
And City will be favourites to get the victory, especially with Preston now out of the play-off running. However, Enzo Maresca's side have lost their last three away games, failing to score against Plymouth, Millwall, or Bristol City.
We are live at Deepdale to see if City can bring the trophy home. Kick-off is at 8pm with team news due at 7pm.
22:25Jordan Blackwell
Preston have put 'When You're Smiling' over the speakers. The City fans are belting it out.
22:21Jordan Blackwell
We've had Khun Top joining the staff and the players celebrating by spraying champagne. We've had players lifted up and thrown about. We've had chants for Vardy, Albrighton, Fatawu and others. And now we've just had the players running the length of the pitch to slide on their fronts in front of the City fans.
It could be a while before we hear from Maresca...
21:56James Pallatt
Leicester City are CHAMPIONS!
One year on from the despair of being relegated from the Premier League, the Foxes are on their way back to the English top flight as champions.
Their return to the Premier League was confirmed last Friday night when big rivals Leeds United lost, and Enzo Maresca's men clinched the Championship title with a 3-0 win against Preston on Monday night, with Jamie Vardy fittingly taking centre stage at Deepdale.
City's star striker was having a party in Preston as he struck a double either side of half-time to fire the Foxes into a 2-0 lead.
And his goals made sure there will now be a title party at the King Power Stadium on the final day of the season on Saturday when Leicester will be crowned champions.
VIEW PICTURES FROM DEEPDALE HERE
FTKEY EVENT
City are champions!
There are wild celebrations with the players and fans right now!
90 minJordan Blackwell
That's four minutes until City are champions. Will we get a fourth goal? Mavididi's trying.
85 minJordan Blackwell
We had a shot from Winks saved by Woodman not too long ago, but otherwise, City are seeing this out by keeping possession. Cannon's making runs though. He's quite keen to get on the scoresheet.
We've had the fifth sub too with Justin on for Fatawu.
74 minJordan Blackwell
Fatawu runs half the length of the pitch, cuts onto his favoured left foot and bends a shot against the post. So close!
"I predict a riot!" sing the City fans and we're close to getting one on the pitch.
Vardy won't get his hat-trick as he goes off for former Preston loanee Cannon. Dewsbury-Hall is on for Yunus.
67 minKEY EVENT
McAteer heads in!
City keep the move alive from a corner and it's that combination again as Fatawu crosses for McAteer. With this free header, he doesn't miss, nodding into the bottom corner.
Now McAteer goes off, with Mavididi coming on. Ndidi is off for Choudhury too.
65 minJordan Blackwell
A loose ball pops out for Vardy and he runs at goal from 40 yards out to get one-on-one with Woodman.
He goes for goal with his left foot but the Preston keeper gets down really well to save and turn it out for a corner.
59 minJordan Blackwell
It's all City and they're getting the shots away. But they're not particularly good ones at the moment. Fatawu slices one that works out as a pass to McAteer. Then Ndidi tries his luck from 25 yards and it's out for a throw-in.
Right now, there doesn't appear any danger of City giving up this lead.
52 minKEY EVENT
More flares are set off! City are heading for the title!
Winks lays it into the path of Faes, who sees the space in front of him and just charges into it, getting into the box and then skipping by his man.
He fires in a shot that bounces off the post, off Woodman's back, and is there for Vardy to slam into the empty net.
46 minJordan Blackwell
No changes at the break for City. And they've come out looking for a second goal, with Faes' floated cross nearly finding Vardy's head.
HTJordan Blackwell
So far, so good. City are 45 minutes from the title.
It was a bit of a slow start, but since the first 15 minutes, they've been very good, creating a lot of chances and scoring through Vardy's scuffed finish, his 19th of the season in all competitions.
20:54James Pallatt
Jamie Vardy has spoken about his future as the end of his Leicester City contract nears.
The striker’s deal with the Foxes ends this summer and, so far, no official talks have been held over extending his stay at the King Power Stadium.
With City having already sealed promotion back to the Premier League, they could clinch the Championship title against Preston tonight. Speaking ahead of kick-off at Deepdale, Vardy was asked if he wanted another crack at the Premier League.
Read the full story HERE
38 minKEY EVENT
City lead!
It's a brilliant move and it ends with a poor finish, but it's into the net anyway!
Winks works it out of a tight area and Ndidi spreads play superbly to Fatawu. He finds the run of Yunus, who should probably go for goal but chooses to play a little pass across to Vardy. He spins in the box and scuffs a shot with his left foot that fools Woodman and trickles into the net.
On the balance of chances, it's deserved. And the City fans loved it, obviously. A few flares were set off in the away end in celebration.
30 minJordan Blackwell
What a miss by McAteer! Coady finds Fatawu, who crosses deep with his right foot. McAteer has escaped his man and has a free header from eight yards out, but he looked unsure as he attacked it and he put it wide.
City are starting to settle into their rhythm now and they're camped in the Preston half. We've not long had another chance where Ricardo flicked through to Yunus, whose shot was blocked.
In the stands, we've had chants for Ulloa, King, Dyer, Wasilewski, Pearson, and Ranieri.
21 minJordan Blackwell
There's another shot on target for City as they spread play to the left and McAteer cuts inside three or four men before striking from the edge of the box. It's good play by the winger, but the effort is tame, and Woodman saves.
The share of possession must be pretty even so far. City are not quite attacking on the counter, but it's not far away.
16 minJordan Blackwell
There's the first real chance of the game and it's a big one for Vardy.
Yunus wins the ball and slips a lovely, disguised ball in behind for the number nine, who has run off the shoulders of the centre-backs. He tries to cut it in first time, but Woodman saves well with his legs.
14 minJordan Blackwell
Preston have been pushing more over the past few minutes, with Winks having to show great composure and awareness in defensive areas to calm things down for City.
The midfielder had to cut out a cross after Faes' tackle on Ledson only bounced back to the Preston midfielder, giving him chance to put a ball in.
6 minJordan Blackwell
For City, we've seen Ndidi, playing on the left of the two attacking midfielders, try to cross in after an underlap to meet McAteer's pass. It lands on the roof of the net. Fatawu's been having a go at beating his man too.
At the other end, Ledson delivered a devilish ball after Vestergaard was robbed, but there was nobody there to meet it.
We've also had two stoppages where beach balls are cleared from the pitch. Both, you won't be surprised to hear, came from the City end.
1 minJordan Blackwell
We are up and running at Deepdale. The Fatawu song has already got an airing.
And indeed, the Ghanaian is in his usual position on the right, with McAteer on the left.
20:00Jordan Blackwell
It's all going off in the away end as the teams come out. There are flags, balloons, scarves, cowboy hats, flamingos. Kick-off is just around the corner.
19:53Jordan Blackwell
They're in excellent voice already, as you'd expect after promotion.
19:31Jordan Blackwell
City did travel to Deepdale for a pre-season friendly a couple of years ago, with Vardy and Barnes on target in a 2-1 win.
But this is their first competitive match here since 2011. Yakubu put City ahead on the hour before former favourite Hume equalised for North End in the last minute.
It means City's last win here came in 2010, when an Andy King goal settled the game.
19:11Jordan Blackwell
There are three changes for the hosts, while Browne captains in what could be his final game at Deepdale. He's made more than 400 appearances for North End since joining from Cork City 11 years ago.
Of City interest, one-time transfer target Robbie Brady start, while former loanee Greg Cunningham is on the bench.
19:00KEY EVENT
Jakub Stolarczyk has been handed just his second league start for Leicester City as Enzo Maresca makes four changes to his team at Preston.
The Polish goalkeeper replaces Mads Hermansen between the sticks as City go for the title at Deepdale, Stolarczyk handed his first Championship outing since August, when he kept a clean sheet in the first away day of the campaign at Huddersfield. And he’s not the only player to make a rare start.
Kasey McAteer, having missed a couple of months of football with a hamstring injury, makes his first start since the win at Watford in mid-February. He comes in for Stephy Mavididi, but could be playing on the right flank with Abdul Fatawu on the left.
Yunus Akgun comes in to give Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall a rare night off, the Turk in for just his second start in the past eight Championship fixtures. Conor Coady completes the changes, replacing James Justin in a move that sees Wout Faes switch to left-back.
18:34Jordan Blackwell
Every single member of the City squad is available for Maresca to choose from tonight. But will he stick with the strongest possible team? Or, now promotion is achieved, will he change things around and give a few other players a chance?
The other question is whether Alves will be included. The attacking midfielder, who scored a terrific goal for the Under-21s in their final game last Friday, has been with the first team in the days since.
Team news is due at 7pm.
Jordan Blackwell
To commemorate City's promotion, we'll have a special 48-page souvenir supplement on sale in stories on Friday, May 10. But you can also order ahead should you be so keen. Click here for more details.
Jordan Blackwell
Promotion was achieved on Friday night while City were watching on, but they do now have a chance to win the title themselves. Here's a rundown of what each result would mean for City tonight.
If City win, the title will be secured and they will also have the opportunity to a reach a triple-figure points total against Blackburn on Saturday,
If City draw, then another draw against Blackburn should see them to the title on goal difference. Only if Ipswich were to win their two matches by a combined 15 goals would two draws not be enough for City. However, if City do draw tonight, then the title would be secured if Ipswich failed to beat Coventry tomorrow.
If City lose, then they will have to beat Blackburn to definitely take the title. But again, if Ipswich fail to beat Coventry tomorrow, then they'd be secure in first whatever.
