Leicester City vs Norwich City

LEICESTER, England, May 11 (Reuters) - Jamie Vardy scored twice on his return to the starting lineup as Leicester City moved into the top half of the ...

Vardy then broke the ice in the 54th with a deflected right-footed shot from the left of the box and made it 2-0 in the 62nd before James Maddison scored the third in the 70th against his former club. The largely meaningless match, with the Foxes out of contention for the European places but safe from relegation while Norwich were already condemned to the drop, ended Leicester's run of seven games without a victory. Jamie Vardy scored twice on his return to the starting lineup as Leicester City moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a 3-0 home win over relegated Norwich City on Wednesday.

Both sides had plenty of opportunities to scores in the first half, with keepers Kasper Schmeichel and Angus Gunn having to be in fine form to keep it goalless.

The victory gives us 45 points from 35 matches and sees us climb back to the (bottom of the) top half of the table. However, clubs have seen huge upticks in their form when playing against Leicester of late and it’s hugely satisfying to see such a comprehensively strong performance regardless of the opposition. Alone against Schmeichel, he slid the ball under the keeper but it came off the post when it seemed almost sure to find the back of the net. If the match wasn’t already settled, Madders put it beyond reach on 70’s Dewsbury-Hall was the provider this time, firing in a low cross from the left. Gunn could do nothing but watch as it crashed into the roof of the net. City remained the more likely to add to their tally but were unable to do so. His shot was blocked by Grant Hanley, but it spun off the defender’s back heel, over Gunn, and into the net. There were chances and half chances and almost no faffing about in the midfield, which made for an entertaining 45 minutes of football. Both sides had plenty of opportunities to scores in the first half, with keepers Kasper Schmeichel and Angus Gunn having to be in fine form to keep it goalless. Canaries’ keeper Angus Gunn got down well do parry a shot from distance by Madders. Vardy was the quickest to the rebound, but his goal-bound effort was turned aside when it looked like it was in. KDH found Maddison alone on the right, but Gunn did well again to turn the near-post shot around the post. At the other end, a ball over the top carved the Foxes’ defence open, finding Tony Springett on the penalty spot in space.

Jamie Vardy scored twice on his return to the starting lineup as Leicester City moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a 3-0 home win over ...

He gave everything." he was outstanding tonight," said Rodgers. "I kept him on to see if he can get his hat-trick.

How we scored the Leicester City players as they got their first win in eight in all competitions, with Jamie Vardy and James Maddison on the scoresheet at ...

He got lucky with the first finish, but so much of being a striker is being in the right place at the right time, and he showed why he is still one of the best around. He was aggressive in getting around the pitch, but showed lots of talent on the ball too, feeding Maddison for his first-half chances, and swivelling well down the left to set up Lookman and also the third goal. James Maddison: Norwich were onto him quickly in the first half and limited his influence but he gradually found more space and started to have his say on the game. However, he did not let it affect him and was solid in the second period. He got back quickly to halt a few Norwich counters, delivered good balls in behind to Vardy, and then got forward really well in the second half. The result, and the professional job done in the second half, will also have brought relief to a fanbase frustrated with how the season had been petering out.

Leicester City will have James Maddison and James Justin back in contention for Wednesday evening's Premier League clash with relegated Norwich City.

READ MORE: Leicester City winger announces exit after five years with 'special club' READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers tells Leicester City players how to keep squad place ahead of transfer 'reset' Norwich will be without Mathias Normann for the trip to the King Power Stadium. The midfielder missed Sunday’s 4-0 home loss to West Ham with a thigh injury.

Leicester City snapped a seven-game winless streak with a 3-0 win over Norwich City at the King Power Stadium thanks to Jamie Vardy's second-half brace.

From the first whistle, he was actively looking for possible half chances and gambles, and he blew a great opportunity when he failed to turn in a rebound. He did not contribute enough to the defensive side of things, though. Leicester’s talisman was the star once again, scoring a brace while being a complete nuisance for the opposition to deal with throughout the game. But he eventually found more room and began to have an impact on the game, moving the ball well out to the wings and testing Angus Gunn with speculative efforts before ultimately beating the Norwich shot-stopper with a superb finish on the 70th-minute mark. However, the Leicester academy graduate improved as the game went on and utilised his pace well to track back and put a half on turnover. With Norwich playing with a bit of freedom, Schmeichel was forced into action on a number of occasions in the first half. That said, Barnes did time his weighted ball to perfection for the second. He also never shied away from going to the ground, winning five tackles at the base of midfield. The game got off to a very open start, with both sides getting forward in numbers to generate chances and have their attacking moments in the first half. Evans had a decent game, winning the most headers and managing the game such that attacks were stopped before they grew too dangerous, notably tracking back to Pukki to halt the first-half breakaway. A very consistent performer, Castagne put in a really good performance on the right flank. The Leicester striker then made it 2-0 around the hour mark with a ruthless finish, before Maddison rubbed salt into Norwich’s wounds when he hammered in the hosts’ third with a smashing left-footed half volley.