Abdul Fatawu’s hat-trick was instrumental in Leicester City’s dominant performance, which took them one step closer to an immediate return to the Premier League. Southampton’s hopes of automatic promotion were ruthlessly dashed by the Foxes.
Leicester now only need to win one of their remaining two matches against Preston or Blackburn to secure their promotion. However, their place in the top flight could be secured even earlier if Leeds suffer a defeat against QPR on Friday.
Fatawu’s composed and precise finish in the first half gave Leicester a well-deserved lead against a struggling Southampton side. The Saints found it difficult to cope with Leicester’s relentless pressing and purposeful play.
Although Southampton showed improvement immediately after half-time, they were overwhelmed by Leicester’s clinical performance. Wilfred Ndidi’s powerful header doubled Leicester’s lead, and Fatawu added a stunning second goal. He then assisted Jamie Vardy for his 18th goal of the season, and Vardy returned the favor by setting up Fatawu to complete his hat-trick.
With this victory, Leicester now sits four points clear at the top of the table and remains on track to reach 100 points.
Southampton, currently in fourth place, still has a mathematical chance of finishing level on points with second-placed Leeds. However, Leeds would need to draw against QPR on Friday or Ipswich would need to win against Hull on Saturday for Southampton to be consigned to the play-offs.