Leicester City v Crystal Palace: Premier League – live!

4.04pm EDT 16:04

Alpesh Patel writes: “Classic Palace to turn over an in-form Leicester. City next week (hold on tonight and win there leaves us just six points from our highest ever PL points tally).”

I like that stat! And that optimism!

Updated at 4.04pm EDT

4.03pm EDT 16:03

Ok, a minute or two now until the second half. Is the Champions League race about to be blown back open?

3.53pm EDT 15:53

“So Nick, can it be Brendan’s secret goal to finally make sure Liverpool play in the Champions League?” asks Bill Jones. Conspiracy!!

3.50pm EDT 15:50

Peter Oh sees Justin Kavanagh’s effort and raises him thus: “On their day, Palace’s creative players are capable of demonstrating an inspiring lesson in attacking football. From A(yew) to Z(aha), they can make it look Eze.”

3.49pm EDT 15:49

Half-time: Leicester 0-1 Crystal Palace

Palace scored clinically through Zaha; Leicester huffed and puffed to little end after that. This scoreline will be going down well at Anfield and London Stadium.

3.48pm EDT 15:48

45+2 min: VAR is checking a potential Ward clip on Ndidi near the edge of the area … but nothing doing.

Joel Ward jumps with Wilfred Ndidi. Photograph: Getty Images

Updated at 3.54pm EDT

3.46pm EDT 15:46

45 min: Another well-placed Leicester set-piece goes to waste, Maddison failing to find the delivery from a free-kick. They need to capitalise on these.

3.44pm EDT 15:44

43 min: Thomas clips a crossfield ball out of play now. Not a good couple of minutes for him and not a good almost-45 for Leicester.

3.43pm EDT 15:43

42 min: Thomas shanks a cross after a good run out from the back by Fofana. I was just about to write that Leicester were hinting at a *little bit* of rhythm.

3.41pm EDT 15:41

40 min: Vardy gets in behind down the right but his centre is defended. Then the same thing happens again, Milivojevic dropping in to clear. This is “classic away performance” territory and I don’t mean that pejoratively.

3.39pm EDT 15:39

38 min: Van Aanholt blocks after a sidefooter from range by Ndidi. Thomas, Maddison and Iheanacho all did well in the buildup, which was maybe Leicester’s most fluid attacking move of the game. It’s not saying a massive amount.

3.37pm EDT 15:37

36 min: “The Belgian midfielder looks sluggish tonight: Could it be an early Tea for the Tielemans. Sorry, I already have my Afghan coat on.” Justin Kavanagh disgraces himself.

3.36pm EDT 15:36

34 min: The Foxes have their latest left-sided corner. It flicks off a defensive head and Evans nods it down intelligently at the back stick, but Soyuncu leans back and leathers the ball horribly over. He was under some pressure but a striker might have made something of it.

3.33pm EDT 15:33

32 min: You sense Leicester need a goal before half time. They’re not going to throw away a Champions League place at the last once again, are they?

James Maddison with an effort on goal. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated at 3.40pm EDT

3.31pm EDT 15:31

30 min: Now Milivojevic takes out Iheanacho, getting a load of ball but thundering through the man. Palace won’t get away with this for all 90.

3.30pm EDT 15:30

29 min: A second Leicester corner. They’ve been pushing if not exactly bashing on the door. Tielemans inswings but Guaita, with a big “keepaaaaaarrrgh”, claims.

3.27pm EDT 15:27

26 min: A late one is left on Maddison, but play waved on. Palace aren’t messing about with a few of these challenges now they’re ahead. In fairness they haven’t really been stretched since that early Vardy chance.

3.23pm EDT 15:23

22 min: If I were Palace then, given who I’ve got on the pitch, I’d go for another goal rather than sit in for the next 70 minutes. They concede a corner and Evans heads it down, but he’s adjudged to have tugged Dann.

3.20pm EDT 15:20

19 min: Tielemans has a go, running around the ball and flipping it over the wall, but it’s an easy claim for Guaita.

3.19pm EDT 15:19

18 min: Booking for Riedewald after a scythe on Tielemans. Not a good challenge at all, he really flew in. Another free-kick in a good area …

3.17pm EDT 15:17

16 min: Leicester have a dangerous free-kick out to the left, a few yards beyond the edge of the area. Tielemans is over it but it’s poor, blocked at the near post by Milivojevic.

Updated at 3.17pm EDT

3.15pm EDT 15:15

14 min: That was a surprise but also not because, as I said, Palace do have some attacking talent out there. Here, three of them combined in a lethal counter after Tielemans dallied.

3.14pm EDT 15:14

Goal! Leicester 0-1 Crystal Palace (Zaha, 12)

Fofana couldn’t stop Zaha there! Tielemans is dispossessed by Benteke on halfway and Eze sashays on, slipping a perfect pass beyond Fofana’s lunge for Zaha to run through and convert coolly. Game on!

Wilfried Zaha celebrates after firing the opening goal. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated at 4.01pm EDT

3.12pm EDT 15:12

11 min: Iheanacho tries some acrobatics in the box but can’t connect. Vardy can, though, belting a snap shot a metre off target from the loose ball. Not an easy chance but he’s buried those before. VAR might have spoiled it all anyway if Iheanacho’s foot was too high.

3.11pm EDT 15:11

10 min: Fofana is excellent again, outmuscling Zaha after the winger tried to take him on and shepherding the ball out for a goal kick.

3.09pm EDT 15:09

8 min: Eze tries a give-and-go with Ayew but can’t control the return. Much of the play is in Leicester’s half, which might feel odd to Palace.

3.07pm EDT 15:07

6 min: Fofana, who I *love* – what a player – flings himself in front of Benteke to thud a diagonal pass away.

3.05pm EDT 15:05

4 min: Ooh, Leicester create first though. Iheanacho slips Vardy in and he tries to nip around Guaita, who does very well indeed to stretch out a hand and claw the ball behind off Vardy.

Jamie Vardy’s in the mood. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated at 3.21pm EDT

3.04pm EDT 15:04

3 min: They start with a certain amount of intent. Ayew, Zaha and Eze around Benteke shouldn’t really scream “catenaccio” in fairness.

3.03pm EDT 15:03

2 min: I haven’t seen Palace since I went to Brighton and covered their incredible Benteke-led mugging. Rarely seen a smash and grab like it. What odds on same again?

3.01pm EDT 15:01

Peeeeep! Palace kick off

They’re shooting right to left. Here’s to a fun one!

2.58pm EDT 14:58

The players are striding out at the King Power. Must say, I *loved* being at Wembley yesterday with 8,000 noisy fans in there – feels a bit of a comedown going back to behind closed doors …

2.47pm EDT 14:47

The two ex-Liverpool managers are having a lovely old chinwag by the touchline. Leicester are unchanged; Palace bring in Dann for Cahill, their only change from the defeat to Chelsea several lifetimes 16 days ago.

2.40pm EDT 14:40

Michael Cosgrove writes:

“Before it’s replaced I’d just like to say that’s a lovely lead photo of Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson. Two wonderful footballing gents if ever I saw them and the photo makes a welcome and a positive change from all the recent shenanigans and skullduggery. That apart, Leicester 2-0 Palace is my prognostic, so it’s highly likely to be wrong.”

We replaced it. But here it is again, just for you Michael. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

Updated at 2.53pm EDT

2.29pm EDT 14:29

Today’s “in case you missed it” – could a tech billionaire and three club legends be about to take over at Arsenal? They are certainly serious about trying to.

Spotify’s Daniel Ek joins forces with Arsenal legends in bid to buy club

2.14pm EDT 14:14

Teams

Leicester: Schmeichel; Fofana, Evans, Söyüncü; Castagne, Ndidi, Tielemans, Maddison, Thomas; Vardy, Ịheanachọ. Subs: Ward, Ricardo, Amartey, Mendy, Choudhury, Praet, Albrighton, Ünder, Pérez.

Crystal Palace: Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Dann, van Aanholt; Ayew, Milivojevic, Riedewald, Eze; Zaha; Benteke. Subs: Butland, Clyne, Kelly, Mitchell, Schlupp, McCarthy, Townsend, Mateta, Batshuayi.

Back in a bit …

Updated at 2.15pm EDT

5.45am EDT 05:45

Hello

Here is some more football. Tonight it’s all about Leicester, who can really hammer home their credentials to hang onto third place if they win. It’d take them four points clear of Chelsea with five – including a visit to Stamford Bridge – yet so there’s a real imperative not to slip up. Last week’s demolition of West Brom was impressive, and got them on track again after a wobble, so Brendan Rodgers and company will be hoping for more of the same against Palace.

As for Palace … errrm … they are 13th but have a couple of games in hand on most teams above them so winning this one would give them a little glance towards a top-half finish. I can’t offer you a lot more than that. I suppose another three points would take them above the magical 40 point mark, although it rarely takes that much to make you safe these days and almost certainly won’t this time.

They’ll be awkward opponents though, as always. And very fresh because, bizarrely in the current schedule, they’ve only played four times since 3 March. Let’s see what they and their hosts can cook up – join me, and keep your emails and tweets flooding in!

Updated at 12.11pm EDT