Leicester City was back at home at the King Power after two miserable away games, and a victory would not do. This

was our opportunity to reunite and overtake our competitors for promotion. Although it wasn’t nice, the Foxes defeated West Brom, a team we do want to defeat, 2-1.

It’s been difficult not to consider the alternate scenario in which our promotion would have been assured for some time and we could look forward to these warmer, springtime games with less anxiety, after a few weeks in which we have faltered just to witness Ipswich and Leeds slip too.

But that’s just not who we are. I firmly believe that if you were to analyze our emblem, you would find a hidden code or phrase that reads, “We’re Leicester City, we don’t do things the easy way.”

Pre-match anxiousness is something I normally try not to get too worked up about because the games bring me plenty of it! However, today was a little difficult. The amount of games left is decreasing, adding to the strain. We’ve rekindled interest in the title battle after letting our sizable lead fade.

Not least of all, playing the first of the final three home games at the King Power. Not always the benefit some anticipate, considering the anxiety and annoyance. In order to calm a lot of people down, something had to happen early.

I saw a lot of the away fans on my journey, and I couldn’t help but worry about how they would do. West Brom is a team that plays a similar style and needs momentum because they want to make the playoffs. They also appear to have the most percentage of supporters with customized WBA license plates that I’ve seen. They had no intention of coming and playing defense for ninety minutes.

The music, which was purportedly on shuffle in the playlist, seems to exacerbate the anxiety as well. My lyrics foretold impending disaster and doom.

For ninety minutes, the game was like being strapped into a rollercoaster ride for all football fans. It was weirdly reminiscent of the Everton home game from the previous season, even though it proved that our ruthlessness would not go away and relegation was almost certain. On the other hand, this was a different performance from the Maresca side, with less emphasis on being precise and elegant and more on just finishing the task in any manner.

However, this game was intense from beginning to end, with three goals, a missed penalty, and other close calls. No one could claim they were bored. How many recent games did both teams have several goal line, last-ditch clearances and double digit chances? Possibly, this had

Low numbers on the bingo card for LCFC

After the concerns about injuries and illnesses, we understood that this lineup might look a little different, but to be honest, none of us had our fullbacks, Hamza Choudhury at right back and Wout Faes at left back, set to start. If you think you could have foreseen this, please show me the receipts.

Conor Coady’s inclusion in the starting eleven gave most of us what we wanted, but many anticipated that to come at the expense of Faes rather than just moving him to the left. That was achieved by Enzo Maresca. The arguments about who would win—Daley or Justin—were settled rather fast. There were a few raised eyebrows, but I doubt that helped calm anyone’s anxiety before the game. However, it was successful. Faes managed to insert

Jamie Vardy, the favorite villain of West Bromwich, was also added back into the starting eleven in an attempt to carry on his historically productive goal scoring streak against the West Midlands team. Otherwise, Ricardo was healthy enough to make the bench, and Dewsbury-Hall recovered from his illness.

The away team got off to a strong start, somewhat assisted by some extremely bad passing in our box that resulted in an early opportunity. But they were unable to store it, and this story continued. We got off to a much the same start as we’ve had recently, with the tension building and cries and screams creeping in from a really boisterous and upbeat pregame.

Although both teams were making a few careless passes and errors, West Brom appeared to have a better chance of scoring. The

The crowd’s tempo increased as a result of this goal, and we finally felt like our luck might be turning. Although Jamie Vardy had won the penalty and Alex Palmer had saved his less-than-stellar shot, we could have seen ourselves leading 2-0 at the half.

Waiting for a Hero from Hamza

Since Ricardo has played such a significant role in our season-long success, his absence always seems like a loss. It would have been reasonable for Maresca to ask James Justin to substitute and cover right back, but since Hamza Choudhury usually fills in, it makes more sense. However, the results have been inconsistent; in certain games, he has performed well defensively, and in others, not so much.

Not today, though, and some people should apologize to him for not believing he was the right choice. We wanted someone who wasn’t usually on this team to dive deep, show up everywhere, and beg the darker arts of football. Choudhury exceeded expectations by delivering a trio of goal line