It never rains but it pours. Leicester fans started streaming out after Brentford made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark and those who did stay to brave a torrential second-half downpour were left with the depressing claim to fame that they were there to witness an English top-flight team lose a sixth consecutive home league game without scoring for the first time in history.
Leicester have lost 10 of their last 11 Premier League games – thank goodness they faced Tottenham in the midst of this run – and faith that they can retain their status is starting to run out. Even Ruud van Nistelrooy appeared to be admitting his players are not good enough to stay up.
“Of course we are disappointed,” the Leicester manager said. “Every individual will reflect and recover from this. It’s blow after blow after blow. There’s a lot of hard work put in, without results, with some performances that you can take some hope from.
“But we have to accept that we are in a position now where every week we face a better team. We have to prepare every week in a way to be the best we can be. We cannot ask more from ourselves. You have to look at performing at the maximum of your capabilities. And with the squad we have, it’s a huge mountain to climb to stay in this league.
“You can only do the best you can. And then we’ll see at the end if it’s enough or not. But so far we’re in that bottom three for a while and every game we face a better side than ourselves.”
Having signed only one player in last month’s transfer window – and Woyo Coulibaly was withdrawn at half-time of his full league debut here – they look set to mark the ninth anniversary of winning the Premier League with relegation.
By the time Fábio Carvalho stabbed home Brentford’s fourth goal in the 89th minute, the remaining Leicester fans were at least united, as they chanted “sack the board”. Jon Rudkin, the director of football, is the chief target for their angst but the team are defensively soft and, with Jamie Vardy’s goals drying up since his 38th birthday last month, it is difficult to find solace. By the time they visit West Ham on Thursday, they could be eight points adrift.
Brentford were excellent, extending their record sequence of consecutive away wins in the Premier League to four. Mikkel Damsgaard made two of the goals, taking his tally of assists to 10, but Thomas Frank’s team purred throughout. “It’s not always in a season you are in such sync but we’ve been playing some really good football and performing consistently,” the Brentford manager said.
They are now six points off the European places. “We want to aim as high as possible but it’s about the next game,” Frank added. “I have said many times if we can keep players fit we have a really good team and players. Keep as many as possible fit and we will find a way.”
Goals from Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Nørgaard arrived after Leicester had enjoyed some excellent early incisions, with Vardy cutting his way through before Mark Flekken saved superbly.
Wissa’s run off the back of two defenders was timed exquisitely to get on the end of Damsgaard’s cunning pass, allowing him to shoot down off the turf and into the net.
Vardy had another couple of sharp efforts as Leicester looked decent on the counterattack, with Bilal El Khannouss displaying his elite quality. But Mbuemo made it 2-0 with ease as, receiving Damsgaard’s pass wide on the right, he showed Victor Kristiansen exactly where he wanted to go, still cut inside on to his favoured left foot and curled home into the gaping net.
Then Nørgaard headed home unopposed at the near post from Mbeumo’s free-kick. There was still time before the interval for Kristoffer Ajer to head against a post and Keane Lewis-Potter to have a goal ruled out for handball after Wout Faes nearly put Wissa’s cross past his own goalkeeper.
Van Nistelrooy made two substitutions at half-time, with one crowd favourite, Stephy Mavididi, entering the fray; Jannik Vestergaard also came on. But the home fans’ biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the introduction of Facundo Buonanotte 10 minutes later when he replaced Jordan Ayew being the player he replaced.
The Leicester faithful’s verdict on Van Nistelrooy may still be in the balance but his refusal to give Buonanotte a regular start does little for his popularity. For Leicester, however, it is starting to look like thank you and good night already.
