Brighton 5 – 2 Leicester

Brighton turned up the heat on Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers with a 5-2 win in a pulsating game that keeps the Foxes bottom of the Premier League.

The Foxes have now lost their last five Premier League games – it is their worst losing run since February 2017 which triggered the departure of then manager Claudio Ranieri. Rodgers was roundly booed as he went to clap the away fans at full-time where there was a banner with the words ‘Rodgers out’ written on it.

Leicester took just 52 seconds to open the scoring through Kelechi Iheanacho but their defensive issues came to the fore yet again as a Luke Thomas own-goal and Moses Caicedo goal turned the game around.

The fourth goal in a bonkers first 33 minutes came from Patson Daka as Leicester levelled it up but Brighton took over in the second half.

Alexis Mac Allister thought he had restored Brighton’s lead with a stunning strike but VAR, after a four-minute delay, ruled out the strike as Enock Mwepu was offside from the first ball into the box.

That setback did not deter Graham Potter’s inventive and silky side as Leandro Trossard coolly slid them in front before Mac Allister did get his goal from the penalty spot after a silly challenge from Wilfred Ndidi. The Argentine then wrapped up the points with an absolutely stunning free-kick in injury-time.

Impressive Brighton remain in the Champions League places after taking 13 points from their first six games.

How Brighton ran Leicester ragged…

It had all started rather well for Leicester and their under-pressure boss when Iheanacho, via a quick move down the left, scored the second-fastest goal of the Premier League season with just 52 seconds on the clock.

However, Brighton did not panic and a deep cross was headed back towards goal by Solly March and it found a way in through a deflection off the unfortunate Thomas. It was one-way traffic as then Caicedo spotted the space in the exposed Leicester defence and slid home past a helpless Danny Ward.

It looked like a case of ‘how many’ for the hosts but a Youri Tielemans ball caused confusion for Lewis Dunk and Daka kept his composure to draw his team level at 2-2. It was a pulsating opening 33 minutes.

Rodgers switched to a back five after the break with the influential Harvey Barnes departing, yet things got worse for the ragged visitors. Mac Allister thought he had netted a stunning effort from the edge of the box but VAR spotted an offside in the build-up that cut short the celebrations after a four-minute wait to get to that decision.

Brighton kept on pushing Leicester back and Trossard got the goal they deserved when scampering in behind down the left and finishing into the far corner. The Belgian then showed tremendous ability to tempt the hapless Ndidi into a poor challenge inside the area and Mac Allister swept home from the spot.

There was more to come for the midfielder as with the last kick of the game he curled home a sumptuous 25-yard free-kick straight into the top corner. Potter was in disbelief on the bench at the quality – as was Rodgers, but for very different reasons.

Opta stats: Leaky Leicester’s woes

• Leicester City have conceded 16 goals after six matches this season, their most at this stage of a campaign since 1983-84 (16), when they lost each of their first six games in the top-flight but managed to stay up.
• Brighton have scored five goals in a top-flight match for the first time, in what was their 364th game at this level.
• Despite taking the lead inside a minute, Leicester trailed after 15 minutes – it’s the earliest they’ve ever trailed in a Premier League game in which they scored the opening goal.
• Iheanacho has scored 15 goals and provided a further five assists in his last 25 starts for the club in the Premier League.

What’s next?

Brighton’s next game is away to Bournemouth on Saturday September 10 – kick-off 3pm – before they face rivals Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium on Saturday September 17, with kick-off again at 3pm.

Rodgers will now have to plan for a reunion with Steven Gerrard, who he coached at Liverpool and came up against in Scotland when they were in charge of Celtic and Rangers, respectively.

Leicester will host Aston Villa on Saturday September 10, with kick-off at 3pm, before travelling to Tottenham on Saturday September 17, live on Sky Sports, with kick-off at 5.30pm.