Leicester go second as James Maddison sets up win over Southampton

James Maddison showed the way forward both for Leicester City’s title aspirations and for Covid-19 protocols as he marked his winning goal by shooing his teammates away before miming the whole range of socially distanced celebrations.

The England hopeful blasted home a fine first-half goal from an acute angle to help Leicester move second in the Premier League before Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Manchester United.

Southampton, losing away for the first time since the opening day, were denied a fourth successive clean sheet as they created enough chances to win but in the end it was the modestly mannered Maddison whose strike proved the difference between two excellent sides, until Harvey Barnes added gloss late on.

It was against the run of play that Maddison gave Leicester the lead eight minutes before half-time. The midfielder, back from a knee injury, ran on to Youri Tielemans’s channel pass and evaded Jack Stephens with deft footwork before unleashing a powerful left-footed shot into the near top corner.

The fit-again Alex McCarthy could not get a hand to it and Maddison celebrated his eighth goal of the season by offering his teammates polite air-handshakes and pretend high-fives.

Despite Danny Ings joining an absentee list of seven players, Southampton dominated the first 30 minutes and should have been ahead before Maddison’s opening goal.

They were the more penetrative side in terms of chances created and Che Adams was unfortunate – or at fault, according to how you want to see it – to not capitalise when presented with two clear sights of goal down the inside-right channel.

Firstly he timed his run from his own half perfectly to stay onside and latch on to Stuart Armstrong’s pass before curving in towards goal and clipping a neat shot just over Kasper Schmeichel, only for the ball to hit Tielemans’s hand and go out for a corner. There was no appeal for a penalty for a shot at such close range.

Then, after Barnes’s side-footed effort from a Marc Albrighton pass was saved by McCarthy, Southampton again got in with some ease on the counter-attack. Will Smallbone, the young Irish midfielder making his third appearance of the season, fizzed a pass in that Theo Walcott flicked out to Adams. This time Schmeichel saved the well-struck right-footed shot at his near post.

Jonny Evans then had to make a great saving tackle as Walcott threatened to run on to Adams’s cushion-volleyed return, but Leicester held on and then took the lead themselves.

Even then Southampton threatened, Schmeichel making another fine save from Ryan Bertrand’s shot when the left-back ran clear on to James Ward Prowse’s astute through pass.

Southampton’s excellent form on the road continued in terms of performance if not in front of goal immediately from the restart, as…