West Brom 1 Leicester 4 - Report and pictures

There is currenlty no sign that this crop, who have been stuck on 20 points for several weeks, are even going to reach that.

This was groundhog day for Albion. They took the lead eight minutes in after a bright start through a glorious sweeping move rounded off by Salomon Rondon.

But Jamie Vardy's stunning volley levelled things up before half-time, and in the second-half Claude Puel's substitutes made the difference, while Alan Pardew's just baffled.

Grzegorz Krychowiak was removed before the hour mark, despite being one of Albion's most determined performers.

After that, goals from Riyad Mahrez and Kelechi Iheanacho condemned the hosts to their seventh straight defeat in all competitions and sixth straight in the league.

An injury-time header from Vicente Iborra rounded off the rout.

Once again Albion started fast, once again they faded, once again they were outfoxed by a superior team with a superior manager. By the end, they had given up.

Albion have now lost 21 points from winning positions this season, and the fans have lost faith.

The official attendance was 23,588 but there was nowhere near that many in the ground, which was full of empty blue seats before kick-off. Once Leicester's third went in, the stadium emptied.

Puel's side had only picked up one point from their previous five away games in the league, but as we've seen all too often this season, playing the Baggies is a sure-fire way of rediscovering form.

Vardy's pace has destroyed the Baggies before, and Leicester's talisman has now scored in each of the last four meetings between these two at The Hawthorns.

With that in mind, Alan Pardew brought Allan Nyom in for Jonny Evans, who missed out through a virus, and shuffled Craig Dawson inside to partner Ahmed Hegazi rather than make a straight swap for 38-year-old Gareth McAuley.

Even though the intent was sound, Dawson was at fault for Vardy's brilliant first-half goal.

Oliver Burke was handed just his second league start of the season, replacing top scorer Jay Rodriguez on the wing in a further effort to nullify Leicester's pace, and the raw 20-year-old struck up an unpredictable partnership with Nyom down that flank.

Ben Foster was captain for the day and he gathered the team into a huddle before kick-off to give them a rousing pep talk.

It seemed to work, because apart from a nervy moment when Foster's clearance hit Ahmed Hegazi and spun back towards his own goal, Albion started brightly.

They were pressing high and causing Leicester's backline problems, and in the eighth minute they took an early lead with a sweeping goal of precision and pace.

When Nyom clipped a perfectly-weighted ball down the line for Burke, the speedy winger was being dragged back by Ben Chilwell, but he held off his man before firing a first-time cross into the near post.

Rondon's finishing left a lot to be desired last weekend, but he made no mistake here, getting in front of his man and touching it past Schmeichel.

It was a goal more synonymous with Leicester than Albion, and it changed the mood inside the stadium.

Leicester nearly struck back immediately when Riyad Mahrez drifted in off the right hand side and floated a cross to the back post that Vardy and Demarai Gray both missed by whiskers.

But it was Albion who were causing the most problems early on, and most of the play was coming down Pardew's new-look right flank.

A few minutes later Nyom and Burke combined again before the right-back's cross popped out to Chris Brunt, who dragged his shot wide.

Albion were playing well and they so nearly added a second shortly after when Grzegorz Krychowiak and Rondon combined on the edge of the area.

The Polish midfielder, who hasn't scored for Albion yet, chested the ball down before unleashing a volley that deflected off Wes Morgan and looked destined for the net until Kasper Schmeichel touched it onto the bar at full stretch.

The Baggies looked rejuvenated, but mid-way through the first half they were stung with a sucker punch from a familiar foe.

There wasn't much on when Mahrez picked the ball up just inside his own half, but Vardy turned and ran in behind Dawson.

The 60-yard ball was inch-perfect, but it still took some skill from Vardy to watch it drop over his shoulder and hit it first time with his left foot into the far corner.

It may have been a poor goal to concede, but it was an absolutely stunning strike.

Referee Bobby Madley warned Vardy afterwards for goading the Albion fans in the Birmingham Road End, but left his cards in his pockets.

The goal sparked the visitors into life. They enjoyed a spell on top after that and ten minutes before the break, Vardy had the ball in the Albion net again.

It was another first-time finish after Chilwell had slipped him through but this time the Leicester man had strayed a yard offside and it was correctly ruled out.

Vardy was fired up though, and he was determined to be the villain of the piece. Soon after, he nearly capitalised on a defensive mix-up between Dawson and Nyom but couldn't get the ball out of his feet when Hegazi came across to cover.

Frustrated with himself, he hunted Nyom down and needlessly fouled him before picking up a yellow card.

Krychowiak was flying around just as much, and he set Rondon up for a good chance after a well-timed tackle from Burke sprung Albion on a counter.

The Venezuelan outpaced Vicente Iborra and drove into the box but his shot was deflected over the bar by Wes Morgan's leg.

It took ten minutes for the second half to spring into life when Foster made a superb reactionary save to stop Brunt from inadvertantly deflecting a cross into his net.

That sparked a disjointed spell of play when both teams lost their shape and fluffed chances to exploit gaps in the opposition.

Pardew was guilty of waiting too long to make his substitutes last week, but this time he brought Sam Field on before the hour mark.

However, his decision to remove Krychowiak was perplexing because the PSG loanee had been one of Albion's better performers and he didn't look too pleased to be taken off either.

Claude Puel followed suit and sent Kelechi Iheanacho on, but his change made a far greater impact, because the former Manchester City forward's first contribution was to lift the ball over Albion's backline for Mahrez.

The future Manchester City man stole in behind Hegazi and took the ball down before lifting it over the flat-footed Foster.

But moments earlier Morgan had somehow escaped punishment for blocking off Rondon after the Venezuelan had nodded the ball over him. It was a clear foul and a yellow card but referee Bobby Madley gave nothing.

Pardew turned to Rodriguez with 20 minutes to go, but it was Iheanacho who wrapped the points up soon after with a simple header.

Nobody picked up the diminutive striker's run into the box, allowing Chilwell to pick him out with ease with a floated cross, and even though Foster got a hand to his header, he couldn't stop it from nestling in the back of the net.

That prompted a mass exodus from the home fans that had decided to use their tickets, and who could blame them?

Hal Robson-Kanu came on for a cameo, but the game had gone, and it petered out with Leicester searching for a fourth.

That goal came in injury time, when Iborra nodded in a simple header from a corner.

The Albion fans that had stayed were singing by then, in support of the club they love, more than the players or the manager.

As Iborra's header went in, they didn't even break verse. It was a surreal atmosphere, an acceptance that this group is destined to go down.

Whether Pardew survives this, only time will tell. He needs to go, but is there any point sacking him?

The last eight games of the season are destined to be a long, drawn out, painful descent into the second tier.

Key moments

08 GOAL ALBION - Nyom clips a great ball down the line and Burke holds off his man before whipping a first-time cross to the near post wher Rondon gets in front of his man and touches it home.

16 Krychowiak hits the bar with a deflected shot that Schmeichel tips it onto the woodwork.

22 GOAL LEICESTER - Mahrez clips a 60-yard ball over Dawson's head and Vardy plucks it out of the sky with a sublime first-time left footed volley into the far corner.

36 Vardy puts the ball in the net again after Chilwell slips him through but the goal is ruled out for offside.

63 GOAL LEICESTER - Iheanacho's first contribution is to lift the ball over Hegazi to the onrushing Mahrez, who takes it down and lifts the ball over Foster.

76 GOAL LEICESTER - Iheanacho is left all alone in the box and he nods home Chilwell's cross even though Foster gets a hand to it.

94 GOAL LEICESTER - Iborra rounds off the rout with a simple header from a corner.

Man of the match

Riyad Mahrez - Set up Vardy's goal, scored the second, and gave Albion trouble all game.

Position in the table

20th, with 20 points from 30 games.

Teams

Albion (4-1-4-1): Foster (c); Nyom, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs; Livermore; Burke, Krychowiak (Field 59), Brunt, Phillips (Rodriguez 70); Rondon.

Unused subs: Myhill, McAuley, Yacob, McClean, Robson-Kanu

Leicester (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan (c), Maguire, Chilwell; Iborra, Ndidi; Mahrez (Diabate 88), Okazaki (Iheanacho 60), Gray (Albrighton 67); Vardy.

Unused subs: Jakupović, Dragović, Fuchs, James.

Referee: Bobby Madley (Wakefield)

Attendance: 23,588 (2,732 away)