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End-of-season report: Leicester City

Sports Mole looks back on Leicester City's remarkable 2014-15 campaign.

The thought of Leicester City surviving in the Premier League would have seemed ridiculous at the start of 2015 as they languished at the foot of the table.

A string of disappointing results made it look as if the Foxes were heading straight back to the Championship after gaining promotion last season.

However, a miraculous turnaround during the final two months of the campaign saw Nigel Pearson's side pull off one of the most impressive escapes of recent times.

Sports Mole takes a closer look at the team's 2014-15 campaign, which ended on the most unlikely of highs.

August

A busy summer saw Leicester spend big but also work shrewdly in the transfer market, with club-record signing Leonardo Ulloa complementing free agents such as Esteban Cambiasso and Matthew Upson.

The Foxes' return to the top flight of English football got off to a dramatic start as they fought back twice to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Everton thanks to Chris Wood's late strike, with Ulloa also on the scoresheet.

Their first taste of defeat followed soon after with a 2-0 loss to Chelsea, but another point was picked up at the end of the month when they held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on home soil.

Despite a relatively solid start to life in the Premier League, Leicester's League Cup campaign came to an abrupt end as they were knocked out in the second round by lowly Shrewsbury Town.

September

Pearson's side recorded their first victory of the season at the beginning of September when another strike from Ulloa saw them leave Stoke City with a 1-0 triumph. What came after in their next match was to prove extraordinary.

When Manchester United and their wealth of global stars rocked up to the King Power Stadium on September 21, few could have predicted what was to come. With the likes of Wayne Rooney, Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao all taking to the field for the visitors, an away win was expected.

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Manchester United at The King Power Stadium on September 21, 2014© Getty Images

However, Leicester registered one of the most incredible wins in their history as they came from two goals down twice to end up winning the match 5-3 - a result that moved them up to sixth place in the table.

Unfortunately for the Foxes they were not able to follow this up with another victory. Instead, a 2-0 defeat away to Crystal Palace heralded the start of a 13-match winless run.

October

One point from a possible nine pushed Leicester further down the table in October. The month almost began on a winning note as they led Burnley 2-1 at the King Power Stadium, but Lee Wallace's last-gasp free kick meant that the points had to be shared.

Two damaging defeats were around the corner, with a 1-0 loss at Newcastle United coming before a 2-0 reverse against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium. From a decent opening to the season, the Foxes were now heading quickly towards the relegation zone.

November

The defeats kept coming as 2015 lurked on the horizon, with Leicester losing three out of four games during November.

A point against Sunderland proved that there was still some life in the team, though defeats to West Bromwich Albion, Southampton and fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers saw them end the month at the bottom of the standings.

Leicester boss Nigel Pearson on the touchline on March 29, 2013© Getty Images

Despite finishing the match with nothing to show for their efforts, Leicester's defeat to QPR was an entertaining affair as Charlie Austin's goal 15 minutes from time sealed the hosts a 3-2 triumph at Loftus Road after both teams had shared over 50 shots between them.

December

There was little festive cheer to be had for Leicester in December, though they finished 2014 having put to bed their poisonous winless run in the Premier League.

However, this little nugget of joy came after five defeats in a row, starting with a 3-1 loss at home to Liverpool.

Aston Villa, Manchester City, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur all beat Leicester after that before Pearson's men picked up their first league victory in over three months on December 28 with a crucial 1-0 triumph at Hull City.

January

The Foxes enjoyed a positive run of form at the beginning of 2015, winning three out of six matches in all competitions.

New Year's Day brought an impressive point at Anfield as they fought from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Liverpool, David Nugent and Jeffrey Schlupp with the goals for the visitors.

Leonardo Ulloa of Leicester City celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the FA Cup Fourth Round match against Tottenham Hotspur on January 24, 2015© Getty Images

A vital win over Aston Villa was then followed by defeats to Stoke City and Manchester United, but there was more positive news in the FA Cup.

Leicester got their campaign off to a winning start thanks to a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United before a shock 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur put them into the hat for the fifth round. Andros Townsend's penalty looked to have given the hosts the win, only for late goals from Ulloa and Schlupp to turn the tie on its head.

February

A worrying return of one point from nine in February kept Leicester near the foot of the table with time running out.

A 1-0 reverse at home to Crystal Palace came before a 2-1 loss at Arsenal, while the month was completed with a 2-2 draw at Everton. The Foxes were on the verge of leaving Merseyside with three precious points, only for a late own goal by Upson to spoil their afternoon.

There was more bad news in the FA Cup midway through the month as a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa brought the curtain down on their cup dreams.

March

Relegation looked like a certainty for the team as the months passed by, with two defeats and a draw coming in March.

The only point that they earned between losses to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur came at the King Power Stadium as they played out a goalless draw with Hull City.

April

A remarkable April was where it all turned around for Leicester, with the side winning four of their five matches in the Premier League.

West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion, Swansea City and Burnley were all defeated by the resurgent Foxes, who suddenly found themselves out of the relegation zone and looking up the table.

David Nugent of Leicester City celebrates scoring their first goal with Leonardo Ulloa of Leicester City during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns on April 11, 2015© Getty Images

Arguably the most significant result in that run came at The Hawthorns when goals from Robert Huth and Jamie Vardy in the last 10 minutes earned the visitors a dramatic 3-2 win over the Baggies.

The month concluded with a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea, which inspired Pearson to launch into his now-infamous 'ostrich' tirade at a journalist, but by this point Leicester had the bit between their teeth.

May

Big victories over Newcastle United and Southampton got the final month of the season off to a strong start for Pearson's side, with five goals scored and none conceded during those two games.

Against the odds, the Foxes secured their survival on May 16 with a 0-0 draw at Sunderland. Having spent so much of the campaign propping up the standings, Leicester had finally sealed their place in the top flight for another season.

With their short-term future sorted, Leicester ended a remarkable campaign in remarkable fashion as they hammered Queens Park Rangers 5-1 at the King Power Stadium.

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Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers at The King Power Stadium on May 24, 2015
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds38257670284282
2Leicester CityLeicester37264774334182
3Ipswich TownIpswich38249580493181
4Southampton36227773472673
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom381991059362366
6Norwich CityNorwich381871369541561
7Hull City371610115346758
8Coventry CityCoventry3715121059431657
9Preston North EndPreston37168134954-556
10Middlesbrough38166165352154
11Cardiff CityCardiff38165174351-853
12Sunderland38146184845348
13Watford381212145351248
14Bristol City38138174245-347
15Swansea CitySwansea381210164858-1046
16Millwall381110173650-1443
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn38119185164-1342
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth381011175462-841
19Stoke CityStoke38118193553-1841
20Queens Park RangersQPR381010183650-1440
21Birmingham CityBirmingham38109194259-1739
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38815154261-1939
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds38115223061-3138
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham38311243077-4720


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