Leicester City earned a comfortable 2-0 victory against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Foxes, who have now won three consecutive games on Tyneside, were the first on the scoresheet as Jamie Vardy found the net from the penalty spot with half an hour gone. Another Englishman, Harry Maguire stretched the advantage with a great header from a corner late in the second half.
Early opportunities at St James'
The match started at an extremely fast pace as Ayoze Perez, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ricardo Pereira all had efforts go close within the opening ten minutes.
Joselu should well have opened the scoring soon after as he ran beyond the Leicester defence. The Spaniard had plenty of time but delayed which allowed Maguire to get back and scramble the ball away.
Mo Diame then spurned another great opportunity for the hosts as he got above everyone else to meet Christian Atsu's wicked cross. However, the ball somehow went wide of goal.
Vardy puts Leicester ahead from the spot
Despite the chances for the home side, the Foxes were given a golden opportunity to strike first. From a corner, Maguire had an effort that was blocked by the arm of DeAndre Yedlin, and the referee awarded a penalty. Vardy was the man to step up and he confidently stroked the ball into the bottom corner.
The hosts thought they should have had their own chance from the spot in the second half as Maguire clashed with Perez but the referee was unmoved.
Maguire steps up to double Leicester's lead
Following a tough period in the second-half in which they were made to defend, Leicester got their second goal with less than 20 minutes remaining. James Maddison whipped a stunning ball into the box from a corner and Maguire thundered a great header beyond Martin Dubravka.
From then on, Rafa Benitez's men were floored and really struggled to create anything of note. Leicester, then, cruised to a straight-forward win, their second Premier League victory in a row.
Takeaways
Lack of goals a problem for Newcastle
One aspect that really condemned Newcastle on the day was their lack of threat going forwards. Despite a few missed opportunities in the opening minutes, the Magpies struggled in an attacking sense. Joselu and Ayoze Perez do not look like the answer that they need at the current time.
Only Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town have scored fewer goals than Newcastle in the Premier League. They will need to rectify this if they have any chance of remaining in the top flight of English football.
St James' Park turning toxic
Protests before the game against Leicester towards current owner Mike Ashley set the tone for a difficult afternoon. The vitriol towards the current regime at St James' Park has reached huge levels.
Chants throughout the clash also encapsulated a club torn in two at the current time. Ashley has to start taking responsibility for Newcastle's poor start or the club could potentially plunge even lower.
Maddison's fast start continues
In regards to Leicester, midfielder Maddison again put in another stunning showing. The former Norwich City man has adapted to the Premier League almost seamlessly and appears to be a natural. Another assist on Tyneside has taken his statistics to three goals and two assists in his opening seven games.
Maddison will surely be a key cog to this Leicester team as the season continues.
Man of the Match
Harry Maguire
However, one man stood above all of them at St James' Park - quite literally. Maguire put in a stunning showing capped with his second league goal of the season. The England defender oozed composure and authority throughout the afternoon and it is not hard to see why he is one of the most highly-rated defenders in world football.