Jamie Vardy scored his 200th Leicester City goal, in his 500th and final match for the club, to help secure a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.
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It took Vardy 28 minutes to find the net, as he finished off James Justin’s brilliant run to the delight of the home fans at King Power Stadium.
Kasey McAteer then made sure of the points in the 69th minute by bending his shot into the bottom corner, minutes after hitting the post.
Ipswich had their chances, with Leif Davies hitting the post in the first half before seeing a late effort ruled out for offside, but they could not find a way to spoil Vardy’s party.
While both clubs are already relegated, Leicester have now leapfrogged Ipswich into 18th place, with this victory moving them onto 25 points. The Tractor Boys stay on 22 points and are 19th in the table.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 |
Leicester
LEI
|
37 | -45 | 25 |
| 19 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
37 | -44 | 22 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
37 | -59 | 12 |
How the match unfolded
Ipswich started strongly, with Davis striking the inside of the post just seven minutes in before Sam Morsy’s dipping shot sailed just over the crossbar moments later.
Vardy saw two half-chances go wide but finally found the breakthrough. Justin’s marauding run from inside Leicester’s half to the edge of the box set up the captain, who slotted through Dara O’Shea’s legs into the back of the net.
Jordan Ayew could have doubled their lead shortly after, though his shot deflected wide off O’Shea, while Omari Hutchinson blazed over at the other end.
McAteer struck the post shortly after the hour with a bending shot, with Ipswich breaking on the counter moments later, only for Jakub Stolarczyk to smother George Hirst’s tight-angled effort.
But McAteer made sure of the points in the 69th minute. Boubakary Soumare helped it out to him on the right of the box, and he rifled his effort into the far-bottom corner.
Ipswich almost had a late consolation to celebrate, but Davis had strayed past the last defender before firing in Hutchinson’s cross, with the referee’s onfield decision to disallow the goal confirmed following a VAR review.
One last Vardy party
It was confirmed earlier this week that Vardy’s final Leicester appearance would be at the King Power instead of against AFC Bournemouth next week, and they ensured he went out with a bang.
Sunday marked 13 years to the day since Vardy joined the Foxes from Fleetwood Town, as he brought up a half century of appearances for a club at which he has achieved so much.
Spurred on by the pre-match farewell celebrations, Leicester’s intentions to get him a 200th goal were clear from the start. Ayew slipped him through, but he could only fire wide, before Bilal El Khannouss dinked a free-kick into him with the same result.
Justin then profited from Jack Clarke’s slip to break upfield, with the crowd on their feet before Vardy’s shot even hit the back of the net.
The same urgency was not as prevalent in the second half, with Leicester instead having to soak up large spells of Ipswich pressure, with the intention of also signing off with a home clean sheet.
They remained patient, though, with McAteer’s influence eventually paying dividends as he left Alex Palmer stranded twice, striking the decisive blow with the second attempt.
A raucous standing ovation greeted Vardy’s substitution in the 80th minute as he went off to a guard of honour from his team-mates to cap a fitting end to the Leicester legend’s time at the club. The Foxes bring the curtain down on their season at the Vitality Stadium next weekend.
Ipswich come unstuck
Ipswich came into this game hoping to hold onto their status as the best of the already-relegated teams, though they were only sitting above Leicester with a slightly superior goal difference.
They started with intent, clearly aiming to crash the party atmosphere that had enveloped the King Power.
Davis, on his return from suspension, led the charge early on and was only inches away from giving Ipswich the lead as he hit the woodwork, just seconds after his first shot was smothered.
Julio Encisco and Hirst both struggled to make an impact, with neither of their first-half efforts troubling Stolarczyk. Hutchinson should have done better when picked out by Davis, but he could not keep his shot down after cushioning it off his chest.
Ipswich upped the intensity after half-time, but despite Enciso’s one-man charge to find an equaliser, they did not even hit the target until the 67th minute when Hirst was thwarted by Stolarczyk.
Davis’ luck did not improve as his late attempt to pull a goal back, a fine first-time volley from the edge of the six-yard box, was chalked off and Ipswich’s winless streak extended to seven matches.
They have one last chance to finish on a high against West Ham United at Portman Road next Sunday.
Club reports
Leicester report | Ipswich report
What the managers said
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "If you score your 200th goal on your 500th appearance, then you are a great one. He has been a unique player and person for this football club. In years to come we will realise we were part of this moment. He's a character as well, there's a story and an edge to him. He's a great captain as well. We were motivated to do well for Jamie, but also to get more momentum after the Southampton win and the point against Nottingham Forest. It's some positives towards the end of the season."
Final PL fixture
Key facts
On his 500th and final appearance for Leicester, Vardy scored his 200th goal for the Foxes across all competitions.
Leicester have won more points from their four Premier League games since their relegation was confirmed (7 - W2 D1 L1) than across their 19 league matches prior (5 – W1 D2 L16).
Amongst the 34 players to have scored 100+ Premier League goals, only Dwight Yorke (98.4%) has scored a greater proportion of his goals from inside the penalty area than Jamie Vardy (97.9% - 142/145).
