In the end you just felt sorry for Danny Ward. Booed and then mocked by the Leicester fans, perhaps it would have been kinder to take him off the field after his incredible first-half strike.
Because this game is over in the interval. A pathetic defensive performance by the home team gave Vitor Pereira victory in his first game after replacing Gary O’Neil as Wolves coach.
It was only the third of the season and takes Wolves to within two points of safety. Given that they will play Manchester United, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest next, these were vital points, especially as star striker Matheus Cunha faces a suspension for his altercation with a member of the Ipswich staff at Molineux last weekend.
But what about Leicester? It seemed like the ideal match for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team to put distance between themselves and the bottom three.
Instead, they completely blew it with a performance that raised all the old questions about this team’s attitude and mental toughness. There were swaths of empty blue seats long before full time and those who stayed were booed.
Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Cunha were the scorers and Leicester were guilty of all three. Ward’s mistake in the second was the worst, as he inexplicably fell to his crouch and saw Rodrigo Gomes’ kick slide past him.
Wolves picked up a huge three points against fellow relegation team Leicester
The visiting team moved to within two points of safety with a 3-0 win at the King Power.
Foxes goalkeeper Danny Ward had a day to forget as the home team suffered defeat.
That’s when the fans turned. First came the boos and then, even more cruelly, widespread applause when Ward performed the absolute minimum expected of a professional goalkeeper. Mads Hermansen has been Leicester’s best player this season and Van Nistelrooy desperately needs him with a hip problem. Either way, it’s hard to see Ward keeping his place for the game against Liverpool on Boxing Day.
Not even Jamie Vardy could make it this round, although he could have put the home team ahead in the eighth minute.
A deep pass from Bilal El Khannouss surprised Wolves and Vardy beat Santi Bueno but failed to fire past José Sa, who had run from his penalty area to reduce the angle.
Sa’s gamble had paid off and he did well to block Jordan Ayew’s follow-up. Luckily for Wolves, Leicester’s defense is just as weak, as demonstrated by the visitors’ first goal.
A simple header would have solved Nelson Semedo’s long pass. For some reason, Jannik Vestergaard decided not to jump and when the ball went over his head, Guedes did well to hook it past Ward.
The locals tried to respond and Sa was alert again to anticipate Stephy Mavididi’s shot. However, their efforts to equalize were quickly ruined by the kind of defending that would embarrass veteran pub players after a difficult night.
It was bad enough that James Justin let a Matt Doherty cross pass go through him, not realizing Rodrigo was lurking.
Although Rodrigo’s control was imperfect, it was enough to unnerve Ward, who strangely fell to the ground as the ball slid past him. A simple push of Rodrigo’s toe was enough to send the ball into the net.
Wolves fans had been chanting against chairman Jeff Shi and now Leicester fans followed with their own chorus, directed first at director of football Jon Rudkin and then at Ward.
Gonçalo Guedes (right) opened the scoring for Wolves just 19 minutes into the match.
Rodrigo Gomes then doubled the lead towards the end of the first half.
Matheus Cunha added a third to end any hope of a comeback for the home team.
Wolves had conceded a league-high 40 goals this season, so there was always the chance they would make life difficult for themselves. Mavididi crossed from the left, Toti Gomes missed his clearance and Vardy shot on the turn, but Toti returned in time to clear the line.
It gave Wolves the platform to extend their lead, thanks to more desperate work in the Leicester defence. Without pressure, Guedes received another high pass from Semedo and found Cunha. With Ward’s confidence shattered, all Cunha needed to do was find the target and Wolves were three up.
Ward has proven time and time again that he is not a competent goalie at this level, but we still feel sorry for him. The Wales international was booed by his own fans when he received a back pass and there was mocking cheers when he made a routine claim.
Coach Ruud van Nistelrooy headed towards the tunnel after the third goal, but reappeared on the bench in first-half stoppage time. He must have been tempted to send Daniel Iversen on for Ward for the second half.
Ward kept his place and was still ridiculed by his own followers. By the 54th minute four changes had been made and the Foxes fans cheered when Justin was replaced at right back by Hamza Choudhury, a central midfielder.
The arrival of Van Nistelrooy in place of Steve Cooper gave Leicester a shot in the arm, but these days the atmosphere here never takes long to turn ugly.