Jamie Vardy scored at The Hawthorns for the third season running to earn Leicester City a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
The Englishman tucked home 43 minutes into the match from the Foxes' only real attempt on target all afternoon.
Albion just about had the better of things but could not truly test Kasper Schmeichel, making it four defeats on the spin and five games without a goal.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns. This match may appear to have little riding on it at face value, but both teams still have targets to achieve - Albion looking to hit their record points tally and Leicester still not technically assured of safety.
Both teams head into this match on the back of some disappointing form, particularly in Albion's case as they have won just one of their last seven matches since hitting their target of 40 points. That has very much been a trait of Tony Pulis sides down the years, seemingly switching off once achieving their main goal for the season. A chance for the Welshman to prove the doubters wrong this afternoon, then, by picking up three more points.
TEAM NEWS!
WEST BROMWICH ALBION XI: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom, Yacob, Livermore, Morrison, Brunt, Chadli, Rondon
LEICESTER CITY XI: Schmeichel, Simpson, Benalouane, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy
Starting with a look at the visiting side, manager Craig Shakespeare has made just the one change from Wednesday evening's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. Shinji Okazaki has returned to the starting fold, taking the place of Leonardo Ulloa in attack where he will join Jamie Vardy. The Englishman has netted seven in 11 games under Shakespeare, as many as he managed in 32 under former boss Claudio Ranieri this season.
That one change means that skipper Wes Morgan misses out once again, having failed his latest fitness test to feature in the West Midlands. Morgan has been struggling with a hamstring and back injury, featuring just three times in all since the beginning of March and again being made to watch this one from high up in the stands. Yohan Benalouane fills in alongside Robert Huth, like he did at the Emirates Stadium.
Shakespeare appears to have gone with a 4-1-4-1 formation, starting Okazaki just off Vardy, while in midfield Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton get the nod over Damarai Gray. Islam Slimani was pushing for a recall this afternoon following three games out with a groin injury, but he is only on the bench from the off. Ahmed Musa not only misses out on the starting XI once again but also on the squad altogether.
Switching attention to the home side now, I make it three changes from the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool here two weeks ago. The big news is that Darren Fletcher only makes the bench - the first time that has happened since he joined the club in January 2015, ending a run of 86-consecutive starts. Not sure if that is down to a slight knock or if Pulis wants to simply change things around following a three-match losing run.
Matty Phillips and Hal Robson-Kanu drop out after picking up hamstring injuries in training on Tuesday that will also likely keep them out of the Burnley game next weekend. Solomon Rondon, James Morrison and Allan Nyom are the players to take their places. Phillips in particular will be missed today, having scored eight goals and set up four more in the Premier League this season.
It gives Rondon another chance to impress up top, though, as he goes in search of a first goal in 19 matches. Not since netting a hat-trick of headers against Swansea City before Christmas has the Venezuelan managed to add to his tally, which currently stands at seven for the season. Nacer Chadli and Chris Brunt will provide the attacking ammunition from wide positions.
BENCH WATCH!
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Wilson, McClean, Fletcher, Harper, Leko, Field
LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Chilwell, King, Amartey, Slimani, Zieler, Gray, Ulloa
Ulloa the man to drop down to the bench for Leicester, as Shakespeare makes just that one change from last time out. Slimani is back in the squad, as touched upon a little earlier, with Musa missing out on the squad entirely. The aforementioned Gray will perhaps be a little aggrieved to have been overlooked again, while the visitors have Fletcher among their back-ups after being dropped for the first time in over two years.
For the first time since joining West Bromwich Albion in January 2015, a run spanning 86 games, Darren Fletcher has been left out of the starting lineup. The other two changes made by Tony Pulis are enforced, as injured duo Matty Phillips and Hal Robson-Kanu make way. There is just the one change as far as Leicester City are concerned - Shinji Okazaki replacing Leonardo Ulloa in a like-for-like swap.
West Brom head into this game sitting eighth in the table, 14 points adrift of seventh place with a game in hand to play. That margin is insurmountable, but looking in the other direction Southampton can close the gap to just one point if they win their game in hand. Should things go to form, Albion will secure their highest position in four years and just a third top-half finish.
Pulis, despite the loss of form, has one again achieved a good job at The Hawthorns this time around and is seemingly ready to push on in the summer with the addition of a couple of new players. The Baggies started the season off slow, remember, winning just two of their first 10 games to find themselves down in a lowly 15th place come the start of November, but they soon found their form and are now expected to finish in eighth.
As is often the case when it comes to Pulis, results have tailed off quite alarmingly since hitting the magic 40-point mark - usually the target teams battling relegation aim for. That has led to accusations that the Welshman is better suited for a team looking to keep afloat at the bottom end rather than a side, like Albion, aiming to break into the higher echelons. Either way, he still deserves praise after a more-than-solid campaign on the whole.
The Baggies have won just one of their last seven games, albeit with that victory coming against Arsenal in an impressive manner here, followed up by a battling point away to Manchester United. If that suggested that Pulis wanted to put this '40-point' myth to bed than results since then have damaged his reputation; three defeats on the spin following, going down to Watford, Southampton and Liverpool.
Furthermore, Albion have also failed to score in those three defeats, taking their scoreless run to four games in all following the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. They are still to face Manchester City and Chelsea, too, although three games against teams in the lower reaches of the division - including today's opponents Leicester - provides hope that they will make this their best-ever Prem season in terms of points won.
DID YOU KNOW? Not since December 2014 have West Bromwich Albion lost four games in a row, while it is 14 years since they lost four on the spin without finding the net. It has also been a year since they lost three in a row at The Hawthorns, which could be the case with defeat today, with the Baggies' home form pretty mixed on the whole - nine wins and six defeats in their 17 Premier League outings.
Plenty of pressure on Rondon to find his scoring touch again this afternoon, then, and boss Pulis admitted as much in the build-up to the game. Others need to chip in with goals, too, as Albion are at risk of going five matches without scoring a goal for the first time in their history. All it takes is one goal and one win to improve the mood around The Hawthorns, though, knowing that a club-record 50 points is just two wins away.
As well as hitting the record 50-point mark, which will surely make certain of eighth place, Pulis will also have a more personal target in sight - one more win required from the remaining five games to match his previous-best points tally at this level, achieved with Stoke City in 2010. The Welshman certainly has some ammunition to get his players motivated, but whether or not they use it is another matter.
West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis, pictured here in the reverse fixture with Leicester City earlier in the season, is just one win away from hitting his record points tally in the Premier League. The Baggies require two victories from their remaining five games to reach 50 points, meanwhile, which will also make this their best ever campaign in that regard.
Leicester find themselves 15th in the table and six points above the relegation zone with one game in hand to play, essentially needing a victory from their remaining five fixtures to get themselves over the line. The sooner they achieve that the better, knowing that they are still to face Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, and today's meeting with Midlands rivals Albion will be seen as one of those winnable remaining matches.
The Foxes' magical European campaign came to an end earlier this month at the hands of Atletico Madrid, so focus is now purely on the league for the remaining four weeks. A five-match winning run, coinciding with Shakespeare's promotion to first-team manager, eased City's relegation worries and you would expect them to now get the job done from their current standing of 15th place.
Shakespeare has earned plenty of praise from his players, particularly from striker Vardy who is quoted in the press today as saying that he and his teammates want their former assistant to keep the job permanently. A few weeks back that would have seemed a certainty, with Shakespeare leading the Foxes into the top half and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but results have since evened themselves out.
Since that previous impressive run of form, Leicester have now gone five without a win in all competitions, including three games in the league, courtesy of defeats to Everton and Arsenal either side of a 2-2 draw away to Crystal Palace. The 1-0 reverse at the Emirates Stadium in midweek was a little harsh, coming undone to a heavily deflected Nacho Monreal strike fairly late on to deny them another precious point.
There is still work for City to do, then, especially if Hull City and Swansea City can pick up points this weekend away to Southampton and Manchester United respectively. The good news for Leicester is that they have Watford and Bournemouth still to play at the King Power Stadium in the remaining month - two fixtures they probably would have hand-picked if offered, due to the clubs' current standings in the table.
The defeat to Arsenal a few days back was the first league game that Leicester failed to score in during Shakespeare's eight-match tenure, but even so they have still netted 17 in those outings - as many as they managed in the previous 20 under ex-boss Ranieri. Sixteen points from 24 under 'Shakey' also stands up impressively up against the 14 from the last 60 available when the Italian was in charge.
That said, recent results suggest that things are beginning to even themselves out again following the inevitable new manager bounce. Away from home, Leicester have picked up just one win in their last 19 outings, losing 12 of those. That leaves the Foxes above only Hull City and Burnley in that regard, so they will be looking to put things right in what is one of their final away outings of the campaign this afternoon.
With kickoff in the West Midlands now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match comments from both camps.
Tony Pulis: [Shakespeare]'s from this area, he played for Walsall as well. He's a good football man, been in football for a long time. He's got his first opportunity and he's done a good job since taking over."
Craig Shakespeare: "There are 15 points available and we want them all. I spent a large part of my career there [at West Brom] as a player and coach, so I have fond memories. But we're desperate to get a result."
Shakespeare admits that he is "desperate" to get a positive result at The Hawthorns this afternoon, targeting the victory required to all but make certain of Premier League survival. Albion have a club-record points tally in their sights, meanwhile, needing two wins from their last five matches to hit the 50-point mark. Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff just moments away...
KICKOFF! West Bromwich Albion get us up and running at The Hawthorns! This is the 100th fixture between these two clubs; Albion winning 46 of those compared to Leicester City's 32. The Foxes have won five of the last seven at this ground, though.
A corner is won by Leicester in the opening stages, which is volleyed well wide of goal when cleared as far as Drinkwater. The last two encounters between these two sides here have finished 3-2 in the Foxes' favour.
Bright start from the visitors, as Mahrez and Okazaki link up and lay the ball off for Ndidi. The midfielder's strike dropped a yard wide of the goal, but the Baggies were able to successfully defend the corner.
Albion more than happy to sit back in the opening stages of the match, soaking up pressure. The Baggies finally enjoy a little spell on the ball, but Chadli fails to pick out a teammate in the centre from played in behind.
Benalouane with a needless challenge on Rondon around 25 yards out, gifting Albion with a chance to take on the free kick in a promising position. Brunt gets his contact all wrong, though, sending it into the stands.
Yacob, who fouled Vardy a little too strongly earlier in the match, is caught by Ndidi's arm. A busy start for Clattenburg in what is expected to be his final Premier League outing before departing for the Middle East.
YELLOW CARD! Plenty of challenges and the odd stray elbow in the first 13 minutes of the match, but we have yet to see any sort of chance at either end. Drinkwater is shown the first yellow of the match for a poor challenge on Chadli.
Having seen a replay of that Drinkwater challenge, it is fair to say that the Englishman was lucky to get away with just a caution. He may have got the ball but he got far too much of Chadli, which so often leads to a red.
SAVE! First on-target attempt of the afternoon, as Brunt out-jumps Fuchs at the back post and forces Schmeichel into a big save. Good spell of pressure from the Baggies, who are no longer sitting back so much.
A nasty clash of heads between McAuley and Benalouane, which the former has come out second best in. A bandage around the head now being sported by the the Northern Irishman, as referee Clattenburg restarts the game with a dropped-ball.
YELLOW CARD! For the third time today a player leads with his elbow. Like with Drinkwater beforehand, Yacob should have seen red for catching Okazaki, needlessly leading with his arm and catching his opponent right in the face.
A quarter of the match now played and already a few big talking points. Drinkwater should have seen red for a strong challenge on Chadli, while Yacob's elbow on Okazaki was also worth more than a yellow. Busy afternoon for Mr. Clattenburg.
Aside from the controversial card incidents, it has been quiet in front of goal so far. Brunt with the only on-target attempt in the opening 25 minutes, forcing a decent save out of Schmeichel eight minutes ago.
SAVE! Another save for Schmeichel to make, this time far more comfortable as he gets behind Chadli's 20-yard drive with ease. Albion the side asking all the attacking questions at the moment in the West Midlands.
A real battle at The Hawthorns so far, but no goals to show for both sides' efforts. Albion the better team on the whole, creating openings for Chadli and Brunt in the opening half-hour of this Premier League affair.
Fuchs with a superb cross from the left-hand side, which no player in blue can get on the end of. City do win themselves another corner, though, which goes short and is cleared away by Nyom when eventually crossed into the box.
Albion win a free kick around 35 yards out, which Chadli decides to take on when it is teed up. A poor attempt in the end, however, ending well wide of the target. The match has lost its bite over the past five or 10 minutes.
The hosts dropping deep again now to soak up the pressure. Rondon left all alone up top as the nine other outfield players force a solid shape at the back, with Benalouane lacking patience and giving the ball away.
A loose ball was pounced on by Rondon, but four players were quickly on him and he was unable to get a clean strike on goal. Leicester break but fail to create anything at the end of it in a match lacking any real quality in the final third.
Brunt's shot hits Huth and is easily swept up by the visitors. Albion still looking the more likely to make a breakthrough in the first half but it has been far from a classic at The Hawthorns, truth be told, as we enter the final five minutes.
Clattenburg plays a good advantage and Mahrez bursts into the opposition box, only for Livermore to get a toe to the ball to prevent him from getting a shot away at goal. Foster still yet to make a single stop in the first half.
GOAL! WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-1 LEICESTER CITY (JAMIE VARDY)
From pretty much nowhere Leicester take the lead, courtesy of a clinical Vardy strike. For the third year running the Englishman has netted here in the league, latching on to Okazaki's through-ball and tucking past Foster after Albion gave the ball away in midfield.
We are into the first of two added-on minutes and all of a sudden Albion are a little more urgent. That Vardy goal sets up a more entertaining second half, at least, because the opening 45 minutes had lacked quality up until that point.
HALF TIME: WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-1 LEICESTER CITY
Rondon close to levelling things up right at the end of the first half, glancing Chadli's corner narrowly wide of the target. A few jeers around The Hawthorns as the Albion players make their way down the tunnel, having fallen behind to a clinical Jamie Vardy strike 43 minutes in.
Albion just about had the better of an opening 45 minutes that lacked any real quality until Vardy's opener, testing Kasper Schmeichel through a back-post header from Chris Brunt and a Nacer Chadli attempt from the edge of the box. The two biggest talking points centered around referee Mark Clattenburg, officiating for the final time in the Premier League, as he showed yellows to Danny Drinkwater and Claudio Yacob when reaching into his back pocket would likely have been the right decision.
Drinkwater got some of the ball but followed through on Chadli, while Yacob needlessly caught Shinji Okazaki with a stray elbow soon after. Just when the half looked to be heading for a goalless conclusion, Okazaki pounced when Albion cheaply gave the ball away in midfield and set Vardy free to do the rest. The Englishman made no mistake up against Ben Foster, tucking the ball home for his third goal in his last three appearances at this ground.
With his side heading for a fourth defeat in a row without finding the net, could we see Tony Pulis make a change or two at the break? Here is a reminder of both sides' benches at the midway point.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Wilson, McClean, Fletcher, Harper, Leko, Field
LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Chilwell, King, Amartey, Slimani, Zieler, Gray, Ulloa
RESTART! We are back under way in the West Midlands, where both sides remain unchanged from the first half. Pulis no doubt going to wait until around the hour mark before taking action should things remain the same.
Positive start to the second half by the visitors, as Vardy is given space to run into and so nearly picks out Okazaki in a central position. The cross was near-perfect but his teammate could not quite stretch enough to reach it.
SAVE! Decent attempt from Rondon, and one that may give him a little more confidence. The striker - at fault for Leicester's goal - controlled the ball and blasted on target, where Schmeichel was waiting to collect.
Leicester dropping a little too deep now, allowing Albion to enjoy a spell of sustained pressure. The Baggies pushed but saw their attack come to an end with Yacob's rather poor effort high and wide of the target from range.
YELLOW CARD! Far more urgency from West Brom already in this second half, inevitably, but that suits Leicester fine as they simply love counter-attacking. Yohan Benalouane unlucky to be booked as Morrison tripped and fell into him.
CHANCE! Dawson rises highest to meet a corner which he probably should have been burying, much like he did against Arsenal here recently. The contact was wrong and in the end he could not find the target.
Albion definitely looking the more livelier since the restart but that can be a little deceiving. Shakespeare's men more than happy to concede possession as they sit back on their lead, instead focusing on counter-attacks.
CLOSE! So close to a second for Leicester, as Mahrez steps inside and fires into the side-netting. The closest either side's come to adding to the scoring in this second period, with Pulis now springing into action.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! McClean is now on for Nyom as Pulis changes things around slightly. End-to-end feel to the match over the past few moments, but Schmeichel not being tested near enough at the moment.
Drinkwater pulls back on Morrison and concedes a free kick on the edge of the box. The Englishman happy to avoid seeing a second yellow, but a bigger punishment would have followed had Chadli's attempt been a little more precise.
YELLOW CARD! City with a good spell of pressure, which they ultimately fail to make the most of as the offside flag is raised. Shakespeare appears to be ready to make his first chance of the afternoon, as Morrison is shown a yellow for a challenge on Mahrez.
LEICESTER CITY SUB! Okazaki is replaced by Ulloa, as Shakespeare reverts to the side that started against Arsenal in midweek. Some fresh legs in attack to supply Vardy for the remaining 22 minutes of the match.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! Chadli and Morrison appear to have swapped positions, with the latter now playing just off Rondon. Fletcher is now on in place of Yacob as Albion look for that elusive opening goal.
Match of the Day should be a real classic tonight - just this one Vardy goal across all four 3pm kickoffs. Still a little under 20 minutes to go in this one but at the moment Leicester do not look too uncomfortable at the back.
Benalouane brings the ball out of defence and towards the half-way line, before attempting to pick out Vardy with a ball in behind. A little too much on it in the end and Foster is able to sweep it up. Albion cannot create any sort of openings.
McClean with a strong challenge on Fuchs which he somehow gets away with. Moments later a cross is perfectly weighted for Dawson, but he fails to bring it under control and the chance goes begging. Jonathan Leko now being readied to come on.
Good play from McClean, who goes direct and sees his cutback turned behind. Albion unable to make the most of the set-piece, though, and still their wait for a goal - now likely to stretch to a fifth game - goes on.
SAVE! McClean with a whipped cross from the left, sending it in earlier than expected, which Morrison meets and directs on target. The midfielder had plenty to do, but he managed to force Schmeichel into action.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! Huth with real stupidity, nudging Rondon off the ball inside the area. The striker was never going to get to the ball but, technically speaking, that is a penalty. Leko is now on for Morrison.
SHOT! Mahrez with a trademark attempt, cutting in from the right and curling one narrowly wide. That was his last act of the game, as Andy King is now on in his place to bolster central midfield in the closing stages.
West Brom probing away but they are no closer to finding a way through in this flat Midlands derby. Still no other goals in the Premier League this afternoon, so as things stand Leicester will - incredibly - be in the top half of the table.
A frustrated Chadli hauls down Ndidi to bring another attacking move to an end. Still a little over a minute of normal time to play here, plus presumably about four added on at the end - plenty of time for another goal!
Four minutes are indeed added on, so Albion have a chance to fashion one last chance. They have barely created anything all afternoon, however, and Shakespeare will be confident of his side seeing through these final moments.
Two more minutes to play at The Hawthorns and it is the Leicester fans making all of the noise. Vardy's 43rd-minute goal looking increasingly like being the winner on a day of very few goals in the Premier League.
FULL TIME: WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-1 LEICESTER CITY
Referee Mark Clattenburg blows for full time on not just this game but also on his Premier League career, with this expected to be his final outing before departing for the Middle East. Not the most eventful of games, in truth, with Jamie Vardy's goal proving the difference in the end in a Midlands derby that lacked serious clear-cut chances.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at The Hawthorns. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and the day's other games will be available elsewhere on the side in the next couple of hours. Thanks for joining!
