Leicester City climbed eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, courtesy of a slender 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The visitors scored the only goal of the game 10 minutes before the interval, as Riyad Mahrez turned home Jamie Vardy's cross to earn another vital victory for his side.
Palace really upped the ante in the second half in search of a leveller, and they so nearly found it in added time when Damien Delaney's strike cannoned back off the crossbar.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in South London with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Crystal Palace and Leicester City at Selhurst Park. The hosts are currently on the worst run of form in the top flight, having failed to win a single league game in 2016, while no other side can boast a better streak than the Foxes heading into this one.
However, both Manchester City and Liverpool have slipped up here in the past during the business end of the campaign when chasing the title, so the current leaders must approach this fixture with caution. Victory will lift Claudio Ranieri's men a whopping eight points clear, but Palace will themselves be desperate to claim a win on home soil to arrest their alarming slide.
TEAM NEWS!
CRYSTAL PALACE XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Zaha, Cabaye, Jedinak, Ledley; Bolasie, Adebayor
LEICESTER CITY XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Kante, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy
Starting with the visitors, and Claudio Ranieri has decided to name an unchanged starting lineup on the back of Monday night's narrow victory over Newcastle United. The Foxes have had no injury issues to contend with the build-up to this game in terms of their star names, meaning that the division's most settled outfit remains the same once more.
Andy King may have been in contention for a start after impressing when brought into the lineup recently, but a mixture of illness and injury has seen him miss the last two games now. Matty James is another who remains unavailable after damaging his cruciate knee ligaments, though they key for Leicester is that they have N'Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez all available for selection.
It is a similar story for the hosts, too, as they remain unchanged from the FA Cup win over Reading eight days ago. While Andy King failed a fitness test for Leicester, Mile Jedinak was declared fit late on and will therefore retain his place in a settled starting lineup for the Eagles, alongside the mercurial Yohan Cabaye in central midfield.
Connor Wickham and James McArthur were the other two major doubts for the home side, and both rather inevitably miss out through their respective injury problems. Marouane Chamakh is the other absentee this afternoon, meaning Palace will field the same XI that ran out against Reading at the Madejski Stadium a little over a week ago in a 2-0 FA Cup triumph.
BENCH WATCH!
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Speroni, Kelly, Mutch, Sako, Puncheon, Campbell, Gayle
LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Schwarzer, Amartey, Schlupp, Gray, Ulloa, Wasilewski, Inler
An attacking feel to the Palace bench once more, as Bakary Sako, Jason Puncheon, Fraizer Campbell and Dwight Gayle are all among the home side's back-up choices this afternoon. In terms of the visitors' options, Leonardo Ulloa will likely play some part as the game wares on, but the aforementioned Andy King is not fit enough for a place in the 18-man squad due to a failed late fitness test.
Crystal Palace and Leicester City name unchanged sides from their last outings, with stability clearly the key for both teams on the back of respective wins against Reading in the FA Cup and Newcastle United in the Premier League. Danny Drinkwater is therefore among the Foxes' starters this afternoon, fresh on the back of earning his first international call-up for England this week.
So another big afternoon, and indeed weekend, ahead of Premier League leaders Leicester City. The Foxes can move eight points clear of the chasing pack with a win in South London, with just seven games left to play after this one. The gap on fellow challengers Arsenal - currently 11 points - is likely to be cut to eight by the time kickoff comes around, though, as the Gunners lead Everton 2-0 in the day's early fixture at Goodison Park.
That is a big margin to have at this stage of the campaign, of course, but with Tottenham and Arsenal now both out of Europe and with just the Premier League to focus on between now and May, the title race could indeed heat up a little more. There has been another big debate this week about where this would rank among English football's greatest achievements should the Foxes go all the way, with many - including Robbie Savage - suggesting that this really would top the lot. The finishing line is fast approaching.
Leicester are currently third in the overall form table, taking into account the last six results, but their form is on par with that of Spurs and West Ham above them. Far from feeling the pressure, the Foxes have recovered from the slightest of wobbles at home to West Brom recently to get their title push firmly back on track. One defeat in 12, coming in the most unfortunate of circumstances against Arsenal last month, has left them at the top of the pile.
Furthermore, City have picked up seven wins during that spell to ensure that they have remained fairly comfortable at the top over the past month or so. Ranieri's men are certainly able to carve out wins against stubborn opponents, too, as witnessed against Newcastle five days ago, with 12 of their victories this term coming by a single-goal margin. Expect more of the same over the remaining games of this incredible Premier League season.
While the whole squad deserves praise, as well as wily manager Claudio Ranieri, a few players in particular have stood out across the course of the season. N'Golo Kante has proved to be the most astute of purchases, producing 128 tackles so far this campaign to top that particular chart; Jamie Vardy is just one goal away from 20 for the season, meanwhile, which is a feat last achieved at this club by Gary Lineker in 1984-85; and Riyhad Mahrez has himself remained consistently brilliant all term.
Leicester were also top at this stage of the season in 1962-63, before a poor end to the season saw them finish in fourth place. With games against Southampton (H), Sunderland (A), West Ham (H) and Swansea (H) to come after this one, you get the sense that the impossible task may just be pulled off by Ranieri and his charges over the remaining two months of the season. The Foxes end the campaign at Stamford Bridge, remember, meaning a chance for the Italian to potentially lift the title at the home of his former suitors.
The most incredible aspect about this wonderful story is the fact that Leicester were still bottom this time 12 months ago. Pulling off the great escape ranked among the English top-flight's greatest ever achievements; this title win really would be something else, though. Paramount to the Foxes' success has been their ability to find the net regularly, having scored in 27 of their 30 games thus far en route to claiming the division's best away record.
DID YOU KNOW? All three of Crystal Palace's victories in 2016 have come in the FA Cup, with last Friday's 2-0 win over Reading sealing their passage into the final four of the competition. The Eagles remain the only team in England's top-four divisions yet to win a league game this calendar year, in fact, following an alarming run of form in the Premier League.
Leicester City have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League fixtures, claiming three points in seven of those, but they face a potential banana skin this afternoon - the first of many between now and May. Selhurst Park has proved to be a tough hunting ground for fellow title-chasing sides Liverpool and Manchester City in the past few years, with both slipping up in the final stretch of the campaign to be dealt a sickening blow.
Leicester are very much maintaining their impressive form deep into the season, then, but it is a different matter entirely for Palace. The Eagles were tipped with a Europa League place following a decent start to the campaign, capped with a rare victory at Stamford Bridge in the opening stages of the term, yet since Christmas time things have gone badly wrong for Alan Pardew and his men.
Far from looking up at a top-six finish, Palace now have one eye on a relegation battle at the other end of the table. Bottom of the form table and without a win in 12 league games now, the Eagles have somehow slipped to within eight points of the danger zone. It is a comfortable enough margin to not get too caught up in the mix just yet, though Pardew knows that this dire run has to end soon if his side are to end the season on somewhat of a high.
That aforementioned win over Reading last week, which Palace secured thanks to two goals late on, ensures that supporters can look forward to at least one trip to Wembley over the coming weeks. That will go some way to compensating for a poor league campaign, which showed so much promise at one stage thanks to the solid work of Pardew. Palace have lost five in a row at Selhurst Park, however, with a loss today enough to equal a club record.
To add to Pardew's league woes, his side have kept just the one clean sheet in 10 outings, conceding 23 goals during that time. Attention has been elsewhere this week, though, with a long-running legal battle finally coming to an end with the news that former boss Tony Pulis must pay back £2m in bonus payments, on top of a further £1.5m in legal fees, after losing his case against chairman Steve Parish.
This poses yet another tough task for Palace in their desperate hunt for some momentum, with today's game being followed up by fixtures against West Ham United, Arsenal and Manchester United in three of their next four outings. Should the sides below them finally pick up some points, then the Eagles really could be in trouble once the final few weeks of the season come around. Plenty to play for before then, of course, and Pardew will no doubt be confident that his charges can claim a win here today.
Kickoff at Selhurst Park is now a little over 10 minutes away, so let us check out the pre-match thoughts of both managers heading into this huge showdown in South London.
Alan Pardew: "We are disappointed to come off a defeat with Liverpool, then we won at Reading, and in those two performances I saw a lot of positives. We need a win in the league and I think we can do it today. In every phase of the game we need to be excellent."
Claudio Ranieri: "We are ready to have a battle because Crystal Palace will produce a strong one. But I feel the same from the start of the season, the team is with my character, they are fighters and I love this kind of people.
Pardew emphasising the importance of his side getting back to winning ways at long last, then, knowing that certain players may now very well up their game as they seek a starting spot at Wembley next month. Plenty for Palace to play for this season, with an FA Cup final berth up for grabs, but in terms of their league position anything other than relegation will now be seen as an achievement of sorts.
For Ranieri, on the other hand, his pre-match thoughts have centred around the "fighters" in his side. This Leicester fairytale just does not look like coming to an end, despite many constantly writing the Foxes off right from the off. Eight games remain for City to pull off the most incredible footballing achievement, with this the latest potential banana skin that they must navigate past. Can they do it? It is almost time to find out.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Leicester have got the better of Palace just once in the last five meetings - a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture in November, courtesy of Jamie Vardy's key goal. The Eagles triumphed 2-0 here the last time they met in 2014, but so much has changed since then, particularly for today's visitors who have literally gone from the bottom to the top.
PREDICTION! Ominously for Palace supporters, I have been pretty spot on with my predictions of late - I'm backing Leicester to win 3-1 today. The Eagles have a big FA Cup quarter-final victory from last time out to push them on, but against the division's top side - and indeed the in-form team, too - I cannot see anything other than a a fairly comfortable away win.
Both sets of players have now made their way out onto the field of play, with kickoff less than a couple of minutes away. Will this one go the way of the form book, or will Palace pull off an upset to halt Leicester's charge for the title? It is time to find out...
KICKOFF! Leicester City, in their all-white away strip this afternoon, get proceedings underway in South London. Victory for the Foxes will take them eight points clear at the top, but Palace will be desperate to halt their opponents' title charge.
Really bright start by the visitors and Vardy in particular, who breaks to the byline by sees his cross cleared away from danger. Huth a little lucky to avoid a booking following a high boot moments later, as the atmosphere increases a few notches.
SHOT! It has taken less than five minutes for the first shot on target to be fired away, coming via the boot of Bolasie. The winger cut inside and got in a rather tame effort from range, which Schmeichel collected in a straightforward manner down low.
A real tussle already taking place between Bolasie and Huth, which is certainly one to keep an eye on for the duration. Mahrez has just whipped in his first cross of the afternoon from a right-sided position, but it failed to pick out a man in white. Positive start by both teams in South London.
A quiet spell over the past couple of minutes, as both teams struggle to find any real momentum. Still a good atmosphere around Selhurst Park, so Leicester's first task is to take the sting out of the game. Okazaki's cross into a central position could not quite be flicked home by the head of Mahrez - first half-chance of the game.
A very balanced start to this contest, as Ledley's searching ball towards Adebayor is plucked out of the air by Schmeichel. Looks likely to be a very tight and tense affair if the opening 11 minutes or so are anything to go by.
Leicester showing more intent to get bodies in behind the opposition defence, but it so far has not paid off. Okazaki's charge almost paid dividends when he lofted one into the box for Mahrez, which the Leicester attacker failed to truly make contract with. Still just the one shot on target so far.
Still minimum openings for both of these sides at Selhurst Park, which will not worry Claudio Ranieri too much at this stage. His table-topping side have started brightly enough, without being able to test Hennessey on a single occasion in the opening stages of this match.
CHANCE! Palace doing well to restrict the space afforded to their opponents in the final third, with neither Vardy or Mahrez seeing much of the ball in dangerous positions so far. That all changed when City mounted their first counter-attacking move of the game; Drinkwater sliding through Mahrez clean through, but the attacker saw his shot saved by Hennessey before being cleared off the line by Dann.
The first big chance of the game has fallen the way of the title challengers, then, which Mahrez uncharacteristically failed to capitalise on. Not all one way traffic, though, as Palace are mounting some pressure up the other end after winning a corner kick.
A really nice passing move from the visitors, which sees Vardy move out to the left to link play, culminates in Palace pushing their opponents back up the field to Schmeichel. Very equal opening quarter to the match, albeit one that Leicester should have taken the lead in through Mahrez's chance.
Zaha complains after a searching ball over the top has far too much on it and goes straight out of play. Roy Hodgson is watching on at Selhurst Park today, incidentally, keeping a close eye on Drinkwater as well as some potential other hopefuls in the Palace side.
It has been far from a classic so far in South London, with just the two shots on goal overall. Yannick Bolasie fired away a rather tame early strike for the hosts, which Kasper Schmeichel easily kept out, before Riyad Mahrez was denied by a mixture of Wayne Hennessey and Scott Dann up the other end a short time ago.
Rather chaotic at the moment in terms of Palace's play, with very little tempo to their play and no system of note. Leicester certainly looking the more structured of the two, with each player knowing exactly what they need to do, but there has been minimal chances so far.
Palace looking better all of a sudden, now looking to work the ball forward rather than playing in Bolasie and Zaha with long balls over the top. Leicester having to do more in defence as a result, which is restricting their movement up the other end.
CHANCE! Palace's best moment of the match so far, as Cabaye picks out Bolasie perfectly down the left. The winger managed to pick out a cross, too, which a slipping Ledley missed in front of goal, but Zaha was waiting at the back post. He was himself off balance, though, and could not divert goalwards.
YELLOW CARD! Kasper Schmeichel is shown a yellow card for dissent, rightly claiming that Bolasie handled the ball in the build-up to the Palace chance a few moments ago. Another half-chance for the hosts, as Ledley almost converts a Bolasie knockdown in the area.
GOAL! CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 LEICESTER CITY (RIYAD MAHREZ)
Just when Palace had upped the tempo of the game, Leicester capitalise up the other end and make a key breakthrough through star man Mahrez. Drinkwater played a vital part, slotting the ball through for countryman - and soon-to-be international teammate - Vardy, who smashed the ball into a central position for Mahrez to easily convert. As easy as you like!
SAVE! A potentially huge moment in this match, as Bolasie's effort inside the box deflects goalwards and forces Schmeichel into a wonderful save. The great Dane had to adjust his body late on to help the ball wide, keeping his side's advantage intact.
A chance to breath at Selhurst Park following a frantic spell in this match. Palace have had a couple of chances, both of which Schmeichel kept out, but the key moment came up the other end of the pitch where Mahrez smashed the ball home from six yards out.
SHOT! Vardy with his first on-target attempt, as he jinks inside and fires away a shot for Hennessey to push aside. Jedinak has just come back onto the field after receiving some treatment for what appears to be a broken nose.
YELLOW CARD! A second booking of the first half, this time for Pape Souare who brings down Jamie Vardy. The Leicester man was on his way to springing a quick counter, before being challenged in a cynical manner.
Just the one minute of added time to play, with this first half slowly petering out now. Both teams will be pretty happy to hear the sound of Mike Jones's whistle in around 60 seconds' time.
HALF TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 LEICESTER CITY
Leicester take the slenderest of leads into the half-time interval, then, courtesy of Riyad Mahrez's opener 34 minutes in. Prior to that, and indeed since the breakthrough, it has been a fairly evenly-matched contest on the whole between two teams desperately seeking a win.
Prior to making the breakthrough, Mahrez actually missed the game's best chance up to that point when seeing his one-on-one attempt kept out by a mixture of Hennessey and Dann. Bolasie's shot-to-nothing from range was about as close as Palace had come to scoring, but the Eagles' winger did force Schmeichel into a big save five minutes before the interval.
The only other chance of the half arrived shortly before the break, as Jamie Vardy looked to build on his earlier assist by testing Hennessey with a curled effort which was heading for the bottom corner if not for a vital save. City perhaps just about deserve their lead at this point, yet Palace have also done enough so far to warrant a point come full time.
BENCH WATCH!
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Speroni, Kelly, Mutch, Sako, Puncheon, Campbell, Gayle
LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Schwarzer, Amartey, Schlupp, Gray, Ulloa, Wasilewski, Inler
Both sides are now back out onto the field of play for the second half. Leicester, holding a narrow 1-0 lead from the first half, will no doubt be looking to build on their advantage early on at Selhurst Park.
RESTART! We are back underway in South London, where there is news of two half-time changes. Both have been made by Palace boss Alan Pardew, who has introduced Bakary Sako and Martin Kelly at the break in place of Adebayor and Souare.
Cabaye now looks to be further forward alongside Jedinak, while Ledley is sitting in front of the back four for the time being. Leicester quickest out of the blocks, coming close through Shinji Okazaki's shot on the turn which ended in the side-netting.
Moments after Okazaki's near miss, Mahrez takes on a shot from a similar position which drifts wide of the far post. Bolasie's cross up the other end is well defender by Huth to take the sting out of what looked to be a dangerous pass.
A couple of early Leicester attempts in this second half, which both ended wide of the target. Palace again showing some good intent, however, and the fans are feeding off that by increasing the atmosphere. City need a second before they can begin to breath a little easier.
Leicester not willing to sit back on their one-goal lead just yet, and are instead trying to get forward when allowed. Fuchs has a chance to provide a cross into the box, but his cut-back is instead cleared away before reaching a white shirt.
CHANCE! Out of absolutely nowhere, Okazaki gets in between two opposition defenders and heads wide of goal from a yard or two out. The striker did so well to time his run to perfection, but once on the end of a left-sided cross he could only divert wide.
Sako with a superb cross from the left once again, which somehow makes its way through the box without a telling touch. Schmeichel was left stranded, grateful to see not a single home player gamble in a central position. Good Palace pressure!
The fresh legs of Sako really beginning to tell now. The half-time sub wins his side another corner to continue this spell of pressure, but Leicester stand strong and clear away the danger. Ranieri may now be thinking about a change or two as we enter the final 30 minutes.
Great burst forward from Drinkwater, whose cross has a bit too much on it for Vardy at the back post. End-to-end feel to the match at Selhurst Park now, with the next goal - if it arrives - likely to have a big say at both ends of the table.
Mesmerising stuff at the moment, as both teams continue to take it in turns to attack. Some superb defending at both ends has prevented any further chances, though, with just those two early Leicester shots to show for this good feel to the game.
Mahrez's 15th Premier League goal of the season is proving to be the difference in this one with 25 minutes remaining on the clock. Palace are the side just about on top at the moment, winning a couple more corners, but they cannot find a way through. Still no sign of a change for the visitors.
Leicester's turn to attack now, themselves earning a corner which is defended well enough by the hosts. No shots on goal in a cagey second half, which hangs perfectly in the balance heading into the final 20 minutes or so. City still refusing to sit back.
Yet another superb Sako cross is right on the money, between the goalkeeper and last line of defence. Just no Palace player on the same wavelength which is hugely frustrating for home supporters. This game surely has a second goal in it!
Riyad Mahrez's close-range strike halfway through the first half is proving to be the difference in this well-balanced match so far. Crystal Palace are knocking on the door for a leveller, but the visitors are themselves creating half-decent openings.
SHOT! Surprised that Ranieri has yet to make a change, with Sako proving a real threat down the Palace left. The first on-target shot of the half has just arrived, as that man Sako cuts inside and fires one down the middle.
LEICESTER CITY SUB! For the 18th time this season, Ulloa is brought off the bench in place of Okazaki. Ranieri finally rolling the dice, but it is a like-for-like change rather than a defensive alteration.
Tempo has dropped ever so slightly over the past five minutes or so, which is perhaps the reasoning behind Palace making their final change of the evening. Gayle will be without us shortly, looking to capitalise against a Palace side dropping deeper as the minutes tick down.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUB! Gayle, on the bench for Palace's last three games now, is brought on with 10 minutes left in place of Ledley. The Eagles will reshuffle the pack slightly now and go more attacking for the remainder.
A corner is deflected only as far as Fuchs, whose subsequent shot is blocked before reaching the target. Huth actually had the shirt ripped right off his back by Dann during the set-piece, but referee Mike Jones clearly did not see it.
You can almost feel the nerves in this Leicester side now as they continue to drop deep when conceding a corner. Palace need to make one of their set-pieces count, but there just appears to be no sign of that happening; no cutting edge up top in the Eagles' ranks.
LEICESTER CITY SUB! The man who is looking increasingly likely to be the matchwinner this afternoon, Riyad Mahrez, is replaced by Jeffrey Schlupp. That is a regular alteration for the Foxes now, and one used to help see out the game.
CHANCE! Vardy has been very quiet in this second half, but he turns on the afterburners to take the ball past four Palace players before a superb Delaney challenge denied him a goal. Vardy looked to have just Hennessey to beat, until the Eagles defender recovered to block the shot.
Three minutes of added time to play at Selhurst Park; three minutes between a five-point lead at the top and a potential eight-point lead. What a huge win this will be for City if they can just see out the remaining moments.
LEICESTER CITY SUB! Amartey is on in place of Vardy as we enter the final two minutes of the match. Perfect way to take the sting out the game, as Ranieri uses all of his managerial nous to get his side over the line.
OFF THE BAR! Oh my! Delaney chests the ball down and blasts it off the crossbar to give Leicester the biggest of let-offs. Fine margins, indeed, as the Foxes eventually clear their lines.
FULL TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 LEICESTER CITY
Referee Mike Jones blows his full-time whistle to the relief of those travelling Leicester City supporters. Delaney's strike came back off the bar two minutes into added time - the closest Palace came in truth to pulling off an upset at Selhurst Park.
Leicester go a whopping eight-points clear at the top as a result of their latest win, while Palace continue to look over their shoulder following a winless run no stretching back 13 games since mid-December. Well that concludes our live text coverage of events in South London, but stick around for some reaction over the coming hours. Thanks for joining!
