Championship table-toppers Leicester City ended their run of three successive league defeats by beating Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday evening.
Jamie Vardy put Enzo Maresca‘s side ahead inside 15 minutes and The Foxes should’ve really went into the interval two or three goals up had they not squandered three big chances, which has been a worrying theme in recent weeks.
It was a much more reserved second-half display and they had to hold on at times, but ultimately, they saw out the game and maintained their three-point lead on Ipswich Town, who occupy second place.
The City boss made four changes to his starting line-up, one of those being Conor Coady, who was a colossus at the back and is deservedly earning plaudits for his marvellous performance.
Conor Coady shows his class
When Leicester outlaid £7.5m on the signing of Coady last summer, many expected the former Wolves captain to be a fixture of Maresca’s side.
Though, that notion has never really materialised, partly due to his injury in pre-season but also the resurgence of Jannik Vestergaard.
On Tuesday, the 31-year-old was given a chance from the start in place of young Ben Nelson and he certainly made a claim to retain his spot in the 11.
LeicestershireLive journalist Jordan Blackwell hailed Coady in his post-match ratings: “He’s a leader is Coady and led by example at the back, winning several brave headers from crosses and set-pieces to keep the Sunderland threat to a minimum. Confident if conservative on the ball.”
Conor Coady’s incredible stats v Sunderland
Coady’s stats evinced quite how impactful he was during his side’s clean-sheet victory in the North East on Tuesday evening.
The ball-playing centre-half completed 57 of his 58 passes and only conceded possession on one occasion, as per Sofascore.
Coady’s terrific character and leadership shone through towards the latter stages of the game as he directed his teammates through the wave of Sunderland pressure.
The 10-cap England international won six of his seven duels and made five clearances and two tackles throughout the dominant display.
With Vestergaard now back available for selection after serving a two-game suspension, Maresca has a big decision to make on whether Coady retains his place in the 11 for the trip to Hull City this weekend.
His experience will be invaluable heading into the remaining 10 games of the season, having captained Wolves through a gruelling promotion charge back in 2017/18.