Leicester City 0; Fulham 2: A penny for the thoughts of Micky Adams. Having been forced to shop in football's equivalent of the car-boot sale to recruit a squad capable of staying in the Premiership, the Leicester manager saw his team's chances of survival blighted by two goals from Collins John, an unpolished gem from the Harrods camp.

Until John's intervention, Leicester had looked the more likely winners.

With two accomplished crossers in Muzzy Izzet and Steve Guppy, and the indefatigable Steffen Freund's prodigious throw-ins, they favoured an aerial approach.

Yet their two best chances, aside from Marcus Bent's knock-down that resulted in Paul Dickov firing against the underside of the bar, had their origins on terra firma.

Bent created one, turning Martin Djetou then rolling the ball into the path of Jamie Scowcroft who scooped a shot over the bar. Later, Dickov, one on one with Edwin van der Sar, shot straight at the goalkeeper.

"We had enough chances to win the game but did not take them," said Adams, who refused to criticise the referee for two decisions which went against his side.

Not so Izzet, the aggrieved on both occasions. The midfielder thought they should have been awarded a penalty after he was flattened by Luis Boa Morte.

He also believed his challenge on van der Sar, which resulted in the ball ending up in the net, was legal.

"The referee told me he thought it was the same as when Thierry Henry challenged Blackburn's Brad Friedel a few weeks ago," Izzet said. "But I thought it was legit - the referee did not, so there's nothing you can do."

Izzet, like Adams, refuses to concede that Leicester, on 28 points, are doomed: "There are three teams on 31 points and one win will put us back in contention, especially as we've got to play two of them - Portsmouth and Blackburn. We've also got to play Man City and if we can win all three, then we've got a good chance."

So has John. Signed from FC Twente in January, the 18-year-old Liberian appeared for only the second time from the bench and hoisted Steed Malbranque's lofted pass over Ian Walker for his first goal before applying the coup de grace with injury-time imminent.

Guardian Service