Asked if he could put his finger on why Leicester City had conceded quite a few late goals in recent months, Enzo Maresca merely pointed out that his team had scored plenty of late goals too. He is right, but there is a trend. Reversing it could be key to the club securing promotion.
As Maresca pointed out, City are capable of a late goal. They have scored 12 times in the 80th minute or later this season, and only three teams have more in that period of matches. However, after the collapse at Leeds and the three late goals let in there, City have now conceded 11 times in the final 10 minutes. Only three teams have let in more at the ends of matches.
It wasn’t until the 16th game of the season that City conceded in the final 10 minutes, Sam Greenwood scoring a free-kick for Middlesbrough back in November. In fact, that was the first goal City had conceded in the final half-hour of matches all campaign, with the theme of the first few months one of how City came on strong as the match developed, either netting late winners or making scorelines more comfortable.
In the first 17 games of the season, City won 11 points in the final 15 minutes of matches, and lost just one. But in the 17 games since then, City have lost 12 points in the final 15 minutes of matches, winning none. Overall, that’s two points lost.
It’s a big deal. City’s three promotion rivals have the best records in the division in that period. Ipswich lead the way on 12 points earned in the final 15 minutes, with Southampton on nine and Leeds on six. Even if City had just matched Leeds’ record, they’d have an extra eight points to their name and would be 14 points clear at the top right now.
There is an argument to say City are a better team now than at the start of the season. In the first 17 games, they led by two or more goals at the 75-minute mark just once. Since then, they’ve done it seven times.
