Leicester beat Southampton 1-0 to go seven points clear

Leicester moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with six games remaining after Wes Morgan’s header saw off Southampton.

The Foxes skipper connected with Christian Fuchs’ first-half cross to score his first goal of the season.

Southampton came closest when Sadio Mane rounded Kasper Schmeichel, but his goalbound shot was superbly blocked by Danny Simpson.

Leicester will win the title if they win four of their remaining games.

 
Claudio Ranieri’s side have now won five of their last six matches by a 1-0 scoreline, and the most unlikely title triumph in Premier League history must surely be considered a probability now.

 
Southampton remain seventh after a first defeat in four matches.

Only two of the Foxes’ first 26 league games were 1-0 wins, but at a crucial stage of the season, they have found the knack of grinding out narrow wins based on defensive solidity and clinical finishing.

They’ve also been able to rely on finding vital goals from unlikely sources – with Danny Drinkwater, Andy King and Leonardo Ulloa all having chipped in in recent weeks – and this time it was Morgan who found the net.

The defender outmuscled Jordy Clasie from a cross by Fuchs – the Austrian’s fourth assist of the season.

 
Thereafter the hosts had to weather persistent Southampton pressure, as their possession dropped from 52.5% in the first half to 40% after the interval.

But once again their back four proved impregnable, with Morgan and Robert Huth making 20 clearances between them.

By netting his first goal of the season, Morgan is a step closer to becoming the first Leicester captain in the club’s 132-year history to lift the English topflight trophy next month.

With another dogged defensive display, Claudio Ranieri’s team took full advantage of second-place Tottenham.

Now equipped with a seven-point lead, Leicester can afford to lose two of its remaining six games if it wins the other four.

There’s already a celebratory atmosphere at a club that a year ago was bottom of the league it now tops, with fans singing “We’re gonna win the league.”