LEICESTER (REUTERS) – James Maddison capped a fine individual performance with two goals to help Leicester City beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at home in the Premier League on Sunday (Dec 13) and maintain their good start to the season.
Jamie Vardy added another as Leicester moved up to third on 24 points from 12 matches, one behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur and second-placed champions Liverpool, while Brighton stayed 16th on 10 points from 12 games.
Maddison fired Brighton into a 27th-minute lead when he steered a low shot into the bottom corner from inside the penalty area as he picked up a loose ball after the visitors failed to clear the danger.
Vardy, who hit the post barely a minute before Maddison’s opener, doubled the home side’s lead with a typical predatory finish from close range after James Justin delivered an inch-perfect low cross from the right.
Maddison made it 3-0 with an individual goal of the highest quality in the 44th minute, teeing himself up with some neat footwork before he curled a delightful shot past keeper Mathew Ryan from 16 metres.
The visitors, who went close twice through Danny Welbeck and Alireza Jahanbakhsh before they fell behind, offered little up front after the break and only a pair of good saves by Ryan denied Leicester a bigger win.