There have been a number of unlikely league winners in football over the years. However, Leicester winning the Premier League title in 2016 is one of the biggest underdog stories in recent football history. Leicester had only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship in the previous season. So how did they win the most unlikely Premier League title ever?
From the Brink of Disaster in the 2014-15 Season
It is important to establish proper context by discussing Leicester City’s 2014-15 season, the season before when they won the Premier League title. Many teams that go on to win Premier League titles finish in the top four in the season before they win the title. This was not the case for Leicester City.
Leicester City was in major danger of relegation to the Championship for much of the 2014-15 Premier League season. The Foxes lost 18 of their first 29 Premier League games of the season. They were glued to the bottom of the Premier League table before their final nine matches of the season.
The match before their incredible comeback run was a devastating 4-3 away loss against Tottenham Hotspur. Many people expected them to be relegated at this point, but Leicester City refused to accept that fate.
The Foxes went on to win seven of their last nine games. Leicester also drew 0-0 with Sunderland away from home in this run. Leicester’s only defeat in these nine games was a 3-1 defeat at home against that season’s champions, Chelsea.
As a result of this unexpected run, Leicester City finished comfortably outside of the relegation zone. The Foxes finished 14th in the Premier League that season, just above West Ham United in 15th. Jamie Vardy signed a contract extension in 2014 to keep him at Leicester City until 2018.
This would prove vital for the following season.
Leicester City Begins Their March to Glory
Quite a few pundits and many Leicester fans worried about Leicester City’s survival in the Premier League ahead of the 2015-16 season. This is understandable, given the unlikely escape from relegation in the previous season. Several Leicester players were also involved in a pre-season controversy, bringing further negative press to the club.
No one expected Leicester City to win the Premier League title. The Foxes were a 5000-1 betting underdog to win the title that season.
However, Leicester City began the season strongly, with two wins and two draws in their first four Premier League fixtures. Additionally, Leicester also breezed past Bury 4-1 in their second-round League Cup match. Vardy scored two goals in Leicester’s first four Premier League games of the season.
That was a sign of things to come for the English striker. He scored again as Leicester rallied from 0-2 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at home.
Despite this promising start, Leicester City did not do very well in either of the two domestic cup competitions. Many teams that go on to win the Premier League title do well in at least one cup competition.
Let’s briefly discuss how Leicester City performed in the League Cup and the FA Cup during the 2015-16 campaign.
Leicester City Lost Early in the FA Cup & League Cup
As a Premier League team, Leicester City entered the FA Cup in the third round of the competition in the 2015-16 season. They got an unlucky draw and had to face Tottenham Hotspur in their first FA Cup game of the season. The match ended 2-2 in London. This meant that the match had to be replayed since one team must advance in a domestic cup competition.
Leicester City hosted this replay, but unfortunately, they lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur and were therefore knocked out of the competition. It is fair to say that Leicester City’s performance in the FA Cup was a bit disappointing, given that Leicester City had knocked Tottenham out of the FA Cup in the previous season.
Leicester City’s League Cup Campaign
In any case, the Foxes did perform a bit better in the League Cup. Leicester City entered the competition in the second round and immediately beat Bury convincingly 4-1 to move on to the next round. After that, the competition would stiffen as Leicester City returned home to host a fellow Premier League side, West Ham United.
The match was tied 1-1 after the first 90 minutes and the game went to extra time. Thankfully for Leicester, Andy King scored the winning goal for them in the 117th minute to the delight of the home fans in the King Power Stadium. Leicester City advanced to the fourth round of the League Cup where they would play Hull City away from home in the KC Stadium in Hull.
As with Leicester’s previous League Cup game, their fourth round match against Hull City ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. This time, however, extra time failed to separate the two teams. A penalty shootout would decide who advanced to the next round.
Hull City and Leicester City went back and forth in the penalty shootout. It was anybody’s guess as to who would emerge victorious in Hull. However, Hull City converted all five of their penalties while Leicester City missed one of their first five penalties. As a result, Hull City advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup while Leicester City were eliminated from the competition.
Hull City were knocked out in the next round of the competition by eventual cup winners Manchester City in a 4-1 thrashing.
Leicester City quickly recovered from these disappointments in the domestic cups to focus on their Premier League campaign.
Leicester City Win Three Games in a Row
Following Leicester’s exit from the FA Cup, some expected that this would affect their performance in the Premier League. However, this was not the case at all. Leicester City won their next three Premier League games in a row. In those three games, Leicester beat Stoke City 3-0, Liverpool 2-0, and Manchester City 3-1.
Jamie Vardy continued his excellent individual season, scoring once against Stoke City and scoring both of Leicester’s goals in their 2-0 win against Liverpool. It is important to point out that the 3-1 win against Manchester City was quite a significant win for the Foxes. The win increased their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points.
However, five points isn’t much of a lead early in such a long Premier League campaign. In their next game, Leicester traveled to the Emirates Stadium to face second-place Arsenal. Leicester went 1-0 up from the penalty spot courtesy of Jamie Vardy. Despite this, Arsenal fought back in the second half. Theo Walcott scored an equalizer in the 71st minute before Danny Welbeck scored a last-minute winner for the Gunners in the 96th minute.
This reduced Leicester’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to just two points. The title race was far from over.
Leicester City Enjoy a Nearly-Perfect March
The Foxes beat Norwich City 1-0 at the King Power Stadium on February 27th thanks to a late goal from Leonardo Ulloa. This capped off quite a good February. Their only negative result was the aforementioned 2-1 loss away against Arsenal. However, March would be an even better month for the Foxes and see them make further progress toward the Premier League title.
They drew 2-2 with West Bromwich Albion at the King Power Stadium. This would be the only time that Leicester conceded any Premier League goals in March during the 2015-16 season. The Foxes kept clean sheets in their next five Premier League games.
This run included a 1-0 win against Watford, a 1-0 win against Newcastle, and a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace.
Leicester City’s defense is often not discussed too much when discussing their title win in the 2015-16 Premier League season. Vardy and Riyad Mahrez seem to get all the plaudits. However, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, and the rest of the Leicester City defense deserve major credit for their excellent defensive performance, particularly in March. Of course, the standout defensive performer was arguably the Foxes’ best player, N’Golo Kante.
Leicester’s Title Run Continues Into April
Leicester started the month of April with a 1-0 win against Southampton. The Foxes followed that up with a 2-0 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. After that, Leicester drew 2-2 at home with West Ham United before routing Swansea City 4-0 at home.
As a result of their overall excellent results in March and April, Leicester City continued to close in on their Premier League title. However, it was not quite over yet. The Foxes would also have to keep an eye on how Tottenham Hotspur, in second place at the time, performed against London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester City had three remaining Premier League games to play in May.
The Foxes Go Unbeaten in May and Tottenham Falters
Leicester City’s match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on May 1st, 2016 started as poorly as it could have for Leicester. Antony Martial scored the opening goal for Manchester United in the ninth minute. Manchester United had won five home matches in a row at this point in the season.
Despite this setback, the Foxes fought back and equalized in the 18th minute via a Wes Morgan goal. They faced another setback after Danny Drinkwater was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. The two teams battled it out for the remainder of the ninety minutes, but the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Leicester’s attention turned to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea and Tottenham would face off in a potential title decider.
Anything other than a Tottenham win would confirm Leicester City’s unlikely Premier League title win.
As in their match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Chelsea-Tottenham match started quite poorly for Leicester City. Harry Kane scored to put Tottenham ahead before Son Heung-min doubled Tottenham’s advantage. Tottenham lead 2-0 at halftime at Stamford Bridge. This meant the title race might continue further into May.
However, Chelsea refused to accept a home defeat against their London rivals. Gary Cahill got Chelsea back into the match with his goal before Chelsea’s star man that season, Eden Hazard, netted a late equalizer. This brought an end to Tottenham’s hopes of winning the Premier League title that season.
The full-time whistle confirmed that Leicester City were the English champions. The 2015-16 Premier League title was theirs, despite the odds.
Who Was Leicester City’s Most Important Player in the 2015-16 Season?
When looking back at this Leicester City team, the two players that immediately come to mind for many people are Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. Both Vardy and Mahrez were vital to Leicester City winning the 2015-16 Premier League title. Vardy scored 24 Premier League goals that season, which included him scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League games. Vardy only finished with one fewer goal than that season’s Golden Boot winner, Harry Kane.
Likewise, Riyad Mahrez was crucial to Leicester City’s success. Leicester’s manager at the time, Claudio Ranieri, described Mahrez as ‘priceless’ before the January 2016 transfer window. Mahrez scored 17 goals in the 2015-16 Premier League season, including a hat-trick against Swansea City.
However, N’Golo Kante was the most important player in Leicester City’s 2015-16 title-winning team. Kante’s stamina, intelligence, and exceptional defensive ability allowed Leicester’s midfield to perform so well, and Leicester would not have won the Premier League title without him. In total, Kante had 175 tackles and 157 interceptions in the Premier League in the 2015-16 season. Both of those defensive statistics were the best in the Premier League that season.
Kante was named as part of the 2015-16 PFA Team of the Year in April 2016. Kante joined Chelsea in July 2016, winning multiple major trophies including the Premier League, Champions League, and the FA Cup.
Leicester’s 2015-16 Title Is A Story of Overcoming All the Odds
Leicester City winning the 2015-16 Premier League title is a reminder that it is possible to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve something exceptional. Premier League fans and especially Leicester City fans will never forget the 2015-16 Premier League season. The 5000-1 odds didn’t bother the Foxes that season. It only motivated them further in their quest for greatness.