Leicester City made it four wins on the bounce in the Premier League as they dramatically overcame fellow strugglers Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor.
The game hinged on a 60-second spell in the second half in which Matty Taylor struck the post from a penalty that he had himself won, before Jamie Vardy tapped the ball home at the other end following a counter-attacking move.
Kasper Schmeichel had to pull off a number of top-class saves to keep his side ahead, while Tom Heaton was also kept busy between the sticks on a potentially decisive afternoon at the bottom of the table.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in Lancashire.
Match statistics
BURNLEY
Shots: 12
On target: 4
Possession: 60%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 16
LEICESTER
Shots: 8
On target: 4
Possession: 40%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
The famous old saying suggests that football is a game of fine margins. Relegation and promotion can often come down to one decision that goes for or against your side, whether it be a disallowed goal or an incorrect refereeing call. These decisions tend to balance themselves out across the course of a season, so we are led to believe, although Burnley supporters will no doubt feel as though their hearts have been ripped out of their chests after this result.
It had been fairly balanced up until the hour, with neither side really grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Schmeichel had produced one stunning save - a sign of things to come - while Heaton was himself called into action to deny Vardy's tame effort. Then came the decisive moment when, after himself being tripped inside the box Taylor, who had scored seven of his previous eight penalties, struck the post and essentially cost his side at least a share of the spoils.
Leicester went up the over end of the field and found a way through in typical Hollywood fashion thanks to Vardy's close-range finish, after Heaton's heroics had denied Michael Duff a red face. Schmeichel proved to be the best player on the pitch and it was his save from one of his own defenders in Robert Huth late on which ensured that Leicester, not Burnley, would claim the three vital points.
Burnley's performance
They simply did not offer enough in the first half and, while Leicester themselves barely looked likely to score for large parts, it was the Foxes who were the more dangerous in possession. Things appeared to be going the same way following the restart, as the visitors came out on top, but Sean Dyche's men soon began to turn the screw.
Just when they appeared to have City right where they wanted them, Taylor's penalty miss signalled a change in momentum which culminated in Vardy's goal. Burnley again failed to truly trouble their opponents when chasing a goal, although it could have been so different had Ben Mee's deflected shot-cross not been kept out by the heroics of Schmeichel. The Clarets now find themselves at the bottom of the table and five points adrift of safety. There is still plenty of football to be played between now and the end of the season, of course, but the pivotal moment in their campaign may well have been witnessed at Turf Moor this afternoon.
Leicester City's performance
Not long after news had filtered through of Hull City's opening goal in their meeting with Crystal Palace, Leicester finally found a crucial breakthrough goal. They may have won three on the bounce coming into this one, but it would have been another step backwards had they succumbed to defeat in Lancashire and the Tigers picked up maximum points - as they did - at Selhurst Park.
Nigel Pearson deserves huge credit for changing things around a little to spark this turnaround in fortunes, but even the most ardent of travelling Foxes supporters will admit that a large slice of luck was needed to see the job through. For the first time since 1966 the East Midlanders have won four games on the bounce in a single top-flight season, and it is enough to take them to relative safety. Fine margins indeed, but it is a buoyant Leicester side who will be smiling all the way home this evening.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Kasper Schmeichel: For the second week running Schmeichel wins this award due to his match-winning heroics. Last week he produced one world-class save to deny Swansea City, this week it was three; one in particular to keep out Mee's deflected effort worthy of huge praise. The Dane is well and truly following in his father's footsteps.
Biggest gaffe
Where else to look other than the pivotal moment of the match? Anthony Taylor rightly pointed to the spot, and you can not really blame his namesake for wanting to take the spot-kick himself having won it. A decent record to boot, the former West Ham United and Portsmouth midfielder - brought into the side as one of two changes today - sent Schmeichel the wrong way but lacked the accuracy needed. The rest, as they say, is history.
Referee performance
Taylor made one huge call in particular when he pointed to the spot, but that aside there was not a great deal for him to do. Burnley players wanted a penalty in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the game when Huth appeared to catch a player in claret and blue with his elbow, yet replays showed that awarding a second penalty would have been extremely harsh.
What next?
Burnley: Dyche's men face a mixed bag of fixtures in the closing month of the season, beginning with a trip to Upton Park next weekend.
Leicester City: A home match against the champions-elect would usually be filed alongside 'bonus fixture' for a side battling relegation, but Leicester will see the visit of Chelsea as an opportunity to stretch their winning run into a fifth game.
Daniel Lewis
