Leicester City moved to within two points of the Premier League title after holding Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford - and will clinch it on Monday if Tottenham fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester's goalscorer Wes Morgan was in this season's PFA team of the year
Leicester
City moved to within two points of the Premier League title after
holding Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford - and will clinch it
on Monday if Tottenham fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The
Foxes recovered well from a shaky start, during which they went behind
after eight minutes when Anthony Martial drilled home a near-post finish
from Antonio Valencia's cross.
Claudio Ranieri's side
demonstrated the strength of purpose that has become their trademark
this season when captain Wes Morgan outmuscled United's defenders to
head the equaliser past David de Gea nine minutes later.
Both
sides had penalty appeals turned down when United's Marcos Rojo blocked
off Riyad Mahrez and when Leicester's Danny Drinkwater was sent off late
on after receiving a second yellow card for dragging back Memphis
Depay, with referee Michael Oliver ruling it was right on the edge of
the area.
Leicester's supporters celebrated long and loud after
the final whistle but this was a blow to United's hopes of qualifying
for the Champions League as they now stand four points behind
fourth-placed Manchester City with only three games left.
Some Leicester fans revelled in their success in a self-deprecating fashionLeicester
City did not quite complete the formalities of the greatest story the
Premier League has ever told - but it surely will not be long before
they can officially celebrate this spectacular triumph.
Thousands
of visiting fans stayed behind well after the final whistle at Old
Trafford in a demonstration of sheer elation as this dream journey
towards a first top-flight crown reaches its conclusion.
Manchester
United manager Louis van Gaal gave his counterpart Ranieri a warm,
almost congratulatory, greeting at the final whistle, while those home
fans still inside the stadium rose to applaud Leicester's players as
they made their way to the dressing room.
It was another sign of the wave of goodwill that has accompanied Ranieri and his players on this momentous journey.
The
scenery now shifts to Stamford Bridge on Monday night, where the title
will be Leicester's if Spurs do not beat Chelsea. Viewers can watch
highlights of that game on a special Match of the Day programme on BBC
One at 22:55 BST (23:25 in Northern Ireland).
And even if Spurs do beat Chelsea, a victory at home to Everton will seal the de
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri called his Chelsea counterpart Guus Hiddink on Monday to thank him for the draw with Tottenham Hotspur that gave his team the Premier League title. Spurs' 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge brought Leicester the first title in their 132-year history and Ranieri, who was sacked by Chelsea in 2004, was quickly on the phone to express his gratitude. "Just after the final whistle, I got a call from Ranieri," Hiddink, Chelsea's interim manager, told his post-match press conference. "He called us and thanked us for what we did, especially in the second half. I congratulated him for being champion. "I think they deserve it. It might be not a surprise anymore, but maybe a shock for the established clubs that they did so well. "They didn't implode. There was no tension when they started smelling the title. That's why I think they deserve the title." Asked if Ranieri, who cried on the pitch fol...
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