LEICESTER (3-4-3):
Hermansen 4; Faes 3, Coady 4, Thomas 3; Justin 4 (Pereira 74), NDIDI 5, Soumare 4, Kristiansen 3 (Mavididi 46, 5); Daka 4 (Buonanotte 46, 4), Vardy 4, El Khannouss 5 (Monga 74).
Subs (not used): Stolarczyk (gk), Okoli, Skipp, Decordova-Reid, Ayew.
NEWCASTLE (4-3-3):
7 Pope: Didn’t have a lot to do, although his first-minute save from Vardy was an important moment in the game
7 Trippier: Continues to slot in effectively at right-back – has looked defensively secure ever since he returned to the side
8 Schar: Produced one of the moments of the season when he shot against the bar from inside his own half – came close with another effort in the second half
7 Burn: Strolled the game with a minimum of fuss and helped ensure Leicester were unable to get back into things in the second half
8 Livramento: Posed a real threat as he overlapped on the left-hand side – delivered the cross for Murphy’s early opener
7 Guimaraes: Marshalled the heart of midfield and helped slice through the Leicester defence with his forward passing
7 Tonali: Helped Newcastle control the game at the heart of midfield and produced some neat forward passes
7 Joelinton: Saw plenty of the ball before he was replaced in the second half, and fired in the shot that led to Barnes’ goal
9 MURPHY: His sensational season continues – scored twice inside the opening 11 minutes and caused the Leicester defence repeated problems
6 Isak: Helped stretch the Leicester backline, but the closest he came to scoring was a first-half shot that flashed wide of the post
8 Barnes: Will have enjoyed his return to the King Power – reacted quickest to score Newcastle’s third goal from a rebound
Subs:
6 Miley (for Joelinton, 64): Didn’t have to get out of second gear as he helped Newcastle see out the game
6 Longstaff (for Guimaraes, 64): Looked understandably rusty, but will have enjoyed a rare outing
Wilson (for Isak, 72)
Osula (for Murphy, 72)
Krafth (for Trippier, 87)
(not used): Dubravka (gk), Ruddy (gk), Targett, Neave.
Man Of The Match: JACOB MURPHY – The winger now boasts eight goals and ten assists this season, an excellent record that highlights his growing importance.
