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 rates the performance of every player on show during the 90 minutes of action in Lancashire.
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BURNLEY
Goal
Tom Heaton: He offered his defenders plenty of encouragement by collecting numerous crosses from the visiting side, while his stop to deny James late on was right out of the top drawer. (7/10)
Defence
Kieran Trippier: Gave absolutely everything that he had in his body in the second half, although too often his deliveries lacked the quality needed. (7/10)
Michael Duff: Had his blushes saved by Heaton, who prevented a horror own goal in the build-up to the game's only strike. Did well enough but perhaps should have done better on this decisive occasion. (6/10)
Jason Shackell: Produced a fantastic header in the first half to prevent Ulloa from tapping home, while he also offered a better option in attack late on than his more attack-minded teammates. (7/10)
Ben Mee: Picked up a ninth booking of the season, having walked a disciplinary tightrope all afternoon. Did not offer a great deal going forward, yet his shot-cross in the second half almost led to a dramatic equaliser. (6/10)
Midfield
George Boyd: His tireless running often offers an out-ball for Burnley, but he did very little to create chances today. It was not at all surprising to see him replaced 20 minutes from time. (5/10)
David Jones: Did not put his foot on the game in the manner that he would have liked. Leicester appeared to have the better of the midfield battle for large parts of the contest. (5/10)
Scott Arfield: Offered a little more in the middle than those alongside him, but certainly not his finest afternoon. Will perhaps feel aggrieved not to have been allowed to take the penalty which Taylor failed to convert. (6/10)
Matty Taylor: Won a penalty with 58 minutes on the clock, missed the resulting spot kick with 59 minutes on the clock, saw his side fall a goal behind with 60 minutes on the clock. Not his day, but at least he plugged away looking to make something happen. (5/10)
Attack
Danny Ings: He has now gone eight hours without finding the net, in a run which stretches back nine games. He has been touted with a high-profile move in the summer on a free contract, but if this form prolongs then he may find potential suitors harder to come by. Forced one decent save out of Schmeichel in the build-up to the penalty decision, despite lacking support. (6/10)
Lukas Jutkiewicz: Another disappointing performance from the former Middlesbrough striker, who failed to do anything of note throughout the game. Burnley supporters will be preying that Sam Vokes is fit and firing next weekend. (4/10)
Substitutes
Ross Wallace: His late, late goal in the reverse fixture rescued a point for the Clarets, but there was to be no such joy this time around. (5/10)
Michael Kightly: Brought on far too late in the game to make any sort of difference for a Burnley side in desperate need of some inspiration in attack. (5/10)
Marvin Sordell: Another who was brought on in the hope that he could salvage something, although it did not prove to be with little to feed off. (5/10)
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LEICESTER CITY
Goal
Kasper Schmeichel: Man of the match for a second week running due to his game-changing moments. The Dane's stop to keep out Huth's goalbound deflection late on in particular highlighted his ability to pull off world-class stops right when it matters. (9/10)
Defence
Marcin Wasilewski: Was a major fitness doubt coming into this one, having hobbled off against Swansea City last time out. It showed a little in his performance, too, which was a little shaky throughout. (6/10)
Robert Huth: An impressive display from the Stoke City loanee, who remained solid at the back throughout and dealt with pretty much everything that came into the box. (8/10)
Wes Morgan: No assist to his name this week, but plenty of encouragement from his defensive work. Formed a tight understanding with his fellow defenders to shut out the opposition, who admittedly created little across the 90 minutes. (7/10)
Midfield
Marc Albrighton: Another very good performance from the makeshift wing-back in this 3-5-2 formation. Powered forward down the right to provide the assist for the contest's only goal. (8/10)
Danny Drinkwater: Brought back into the team by Pearson this afternoon as one of two changes, and did well to help things tick over. Led an impressive counter in the first half which only broke down when Shackell headed behind. (7/10)
Esteban Cambiasso: The experienced Argentine simply oozes quality in the middle of the field. Produced a few top-class passes while even trying his luck from range a few times, too. (8/10)
Andy King: He may have gone under the radar in terms of creating clear-cut chances, but this was a top performance from the Welshman on the back of his goal against Swansea seven days ago. (7/10)
Paul Konchesky: Appears to be somewhat of a weak link in this formation which Nigel Pearson has adopted. Created little compared to Albrighton on the opposite side, who looks far more suited to the wing-back role. (6/10)
Attack
Jamie Vardy: Never appears to stop running, and he was duly rewarded with a goal from close range to secure the points. It might have been a tap-in, but only the best forwards can read the danger to pop up in the right places so often. (8/10)
Leonardo Ulloa: Found his scoring touch in front of goal last week following a four-month barren run, but he lacked the overall quality again today and was later withdrawn. (5/10)
Substitutes
Ritchie da Laet: Offered some fresh legs in the final quarter of the game in place of the warn-out Albrighton, helping to see the game through. (6/10)
Matthew James: Forced Heaton into making a top-class save late on, powering forward into the box to latch on to the pass of fellow replacement Kramaric. (6/10)
Andrej Kramaric: Picked out his teammates in and around the box a couple of times during his short spell on the pitch. A rest may do him good in preparation for the closing weeks of the campaign. (6/10)
Daniel Lewis
