Sergio Aguero might have stolen the headlines with his four-goal haul but Jamie Vardy took the opportunity to once more demonstrate that he still belongs at the highest level. His bullish solo goal temporarily pegged back Manchester City before they ran away with the match in the second half.
The away side’s intentions were clear from the outset. Fielding three at the back, with wide players Marc Albrighton and Ben Chilwell often pressed into defensive duties, Leicester City set out to soak up pressure and try to hit their opponents on the counter-attack. Vardy’s blistering pace and tireless work ethic were an important part of the plan. Nicolas Otamendi and Aymeric Laporte were given little rest.
After a Leicester breakaway seemed to have been halted, it was Otamendi’s wayward pass that unleashed Vardy. Collecting the ball forty yards from goal, he rode two challenges before creating an angle against the backpedalling Laporte that enabled him to squeeze in an equaliser. The contest, which had only been heading one way up until that point, was temporarily reignited as Vardy issued another reminder of the threat he poses to elite opposition.
His record against the current top six makes for impressive reading. He's got at least one goal against each of them this season, and has 23 in 43 appearances overall when facing the Premier League's biggest sides. It’s a telling riposte to those who regard Vardy as limited and one-dimensional, someone with little more than extreme pace and commitment.
Known for his explosive qualities, he's capable of subtlety too. Whilst many of Vardy’s goals involve running in behind or arriving at the right time to meet a cross fizzed low into the danger zone, some of his finishes have been wonderfully delicate. At home to Tottenham Hotspur he lobbed Hugo Lloris with a deft and perfectly-weighted volley from a ball dropping over his shoulder.
Although he does so much of his best work at great speed and intensity, Vardy has shown that there's more to his game. He’s able to finish calmly under pressure and seize the moment in important matches. He turned 31 last month but shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and, with a World Cup on the horizon, will be keen to keep his good form going to secure a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
For both Leicester and Vardy, the extraordinary title-winning season, during which he set a record for scoring in the most consecutive Premier League games, was regarded as an aberration in more ways than one. The Foxes have rejoined the rest of the middling pack yet their star striker remains a high-grade nuisance. While his scoring rate has dropped a touch, Vardy continues to deliver. He got 16 goals last season and has 14 as it stands at the moment.
He's come a long way from Stocksbridge Park Steels and the eighth tier of English football. On Saturday, in the midst of a heavy defeat and ultimately disappointing afternoon, Vardy again showed what he can do when faced with the very best the Premier League has to offer. His story is a special one, and new chapters continue to be written.
