Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi was among the goals as Leicester City roared to their biggest win of the season – a 4-0 triumph over Plymouth Argyle at King Power Stadium – to remain top of the EFL Championship table on Saturday.
Stephy Mavididi’s 14th-minute penalty put City on course for victory, although Enzo Maresca’s men had to ride a mild storm at the end of the first half to preserve a clean sheet on Filbert Way. Zambia international Patson Daka’s maiden goal of the season, on his first 2023-24 league start, doubled the advantage, before a second from Mavididi and Ndidi’s stylish finish – three goals in 10 minutes at the start of the second period – saw Leicester’s quality come to the fore.
The Foxes remain top of the pile in the second tier, still a point clear of Ipswich Town and eight ahead of third-placed Leeds United. They have 49 points after 20 matches, winning 16 of 20, with a goal difference of +26, 10 better than any other side.
Daka’s inclusion was the pre-match headline, while Hamza Choudhury deputised as skipper for the suspended Ricardo Pereira, and Abdul Fatawu – who ended the day with two assists to his name – also returned to the City XI. Two of the new faces in the line-up nearly combined in 10 minutes, although Daka couldn’t get a header on the end of Fatawu’s cross. Ndidi also nodded a high ball over Michael Cooper’s crossbar soon after.
The deadlock was about to be broken in any case. Mavididi’s dart into the box was cut short by Julio Pleguezuelo, illegally in the view of referee Sunny Singh Gill. Plymouth’s players pointed to an earlier alleged handball from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but the decision stood.
With neither Jamie Vardy nor Kelechi Iheanacho in the squad, Mavididi himself stepped up, rolling a low spot-kick into Cooper’s bottom right corner. A rare early goal on Filbert Way for City, who more often than not strike in the second half of home games this term.