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Leicester logo
Premier League
Aug 8, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Sunderland

4-2

Vardy (11'), Mahrez (18', 24' pen.), Albrighton (66')
FT(HT: 3-0)
Defoe (60'), Fletcher (71')

Player Ratings: Leicester City 4-2 Sunderland

strong>Sports Mole looks at who shone and who struggled as Leicester City beat Sunderland 4-2 in their Premier League opener at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City got their 2015-16 Premier League campaign to the perfect start as they cruised to a 4-2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez shared three goals between them before half time to leave the Black Cats reeling.

Despite Jermain Defoe and Steven Fletcher's second-half replies, Marc Albrighton's 66th-minute strike confirmed a comprehensive victory for the hosts.

The result sees the Foxes soar to the top of the nascent Premier League table, with the Black Cats propping up at the bottom.

Sports Mole assesses each of the players who took part in the game to see who shone for their team and who let the side down.


Leicester City's English midfielder Marc Albrighton reacts after scoring Leicester's fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Sunderland at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on August 8, 2015© Getty Images

Leicester City

Goal

Kasper Schmeichel: Was on the ball early on and helped keep things level while his side clicked into gear, but was exposed for Sunderland's second goal. (7/10)

Defence

Robert Huth: Sturdy in defence on the whole, but was second best against Fletcher and Defoe for their respective goals. (6/10)

Wes Morgan: Strong and composed in the first half, but could have cost his team for an apparent handball in the box in the latter stages of the game. (6/10)

Ritchie De Laet: Offered little going forward but kept Lens quiet. (6/10)

Jeffrey Schlupp: Always eager to get forward on the overlap and linked up well with Albrighton. (7/10)

Midfield

Marc Albrighton: Had a hand in all three of his side's goals from open play, with two excellent deliveries and a goal of his own to calm nerves after Sunderland pulled one back. (9/10)

Andy King: Nearly made it 2-0 with a good run to get on the end of Mahrez's cross. Confident and composed in midfield. (7/10)

Danny Drinkwater: A committed and strong performance as he connected defence and midfield well. (7/10)

Riyad Mahrez: A sterling performance from the Algerian, who tore the opposition defence apart on the flanks and was rewarded with two goals. (9/10)

Attack

Shinji Okazaki: A promising debut as he held the ball well and linked up well with his teammates. (7/10)

Jamie Vardy: Was a constant thorn in Sunderland's side alongside Mahrez and was rewarded with a goal, though he could have had one or two more but for more clinical finishing. (8/10)

Substitutes

Christian Fuchs: Helped his team see the game out with composed, cool play. (7/10)

Yohan Benalouane: Little time to make a mark but despite this he nearly added a fifth from a corner. (7/10)

Ngolo Kante: Came on a bit too late to have much of an impact but managed to set Okazaki up with a chance late on. (6/10)


Jermain Defoe of Sunderland celebrates scoring his team's first goal with his team mate Sebastian Larsson and Jack Rodwell during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Sunderland at The King Power Stadium on August 8, 2015© Getty Images

Sunderland

Goal

Costel Pantilimon: Despite conceding four, he was at little fault for each of those, given the lack of quality of his defenders on the day. Made a number of great saves to stop the scoreline getting embarrassing. (6/10)

Defence

Younes Kaboul: Was given the runaround by Vardy time and time again and he sloppily gave the ball away to Schlupp to help set up Albrighton's late goal. (4/10)

Sebastian Coates: Little composure in defence, careless in possession and failed to close down gaps. (4/10)

Patrick van Aanholt: Had no answer to Mahrez's marauding play and failed to track down his run on the way to the second goal. (4/10)

Billy Jones: Torn apart by the dominance of Albrighton and Schlupp. (4/10)

Midfield

Jack Rodwell: Read the game poorly and was ineffectual when performing defensive duties. (5/10)

Sebastian Larsson: Lacking creativity and poor from set pieces and dead balls. (5/10)

Adam Johnson: Did well to play Defoe in for his side's first goal but didn't help out Jones in defence. (6/10)

Lee Cattermole: A shocking day for the skipper as he took out Mahrez in the box, leading to the opposition scoring their third from the spot, and offered nothing else as he was embarrassingly hauled off on the half-hour mark. (3/10)

Attack

Jeremain Lens: A decent run and cross for Fletcher's goal, his side's second, but was rendered ineffective by the stifling opposition midfield and defence. (6/10)

Jermain Defoe: Probably the best outfield player for the Black Cats, he made the most of some poor service and could have possibly had more were it not for an inspired performance from Schmeichel. (7/10)

Substitutes

Adam Matthews: Provided some more stability in defence. (6/10)

Steven Fletcher: Headed home from Lens's cross to help his side to a somewhat respectable scoreline. (6/10)


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Shinji Okazaki of Leicester City during the pre season friendly match between Mansfield Town and Leicester City at the One Call Stadium on July 25, 2015
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