Soccer Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - April 26, 2025 Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha in action with Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss REUTERS/Chris Radburn
WOLVERHAMPTON, England (Reuters) -Wolverhampton Wanderers extended their remarkable winning run to six Premier League games as Matheus Cunha scored one goal and set up two others in a comfortable 3-0 win over already-relegated Leicester City at Molineux on Saturday.
Wolves' superb form has propelled them away from the relegation zone and up to 13th with 41 points from 34 games, while Leicester are second from bottom with 18 points.
Cunha’s side-footed finish after 33 minutes gave the hosts a deserved lead, before Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes added almost identical goals in the second half, both put on a plate by the brilliant Brazilian.
Leicester’s Jamie Vardy missed a penalty - in the week the former England striker announced he was leaving the club at the end of the campaign after 13 seasons - as the hapless visitors slipped to a 17th loss in their last 19 league matches.
Leicester looked like a team defeated before kick-off, with little energy and verve, and were picked apart by the hosts.
Defender Wout Faes' goal-line clearance denied Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri, who met Nelson Semedo's cross at the back post.
But the home side went ahead when Ait-Nouri was afforded acres of space on the left wing and his low cross was turned into the net from close range by Cunha, who steered the ball between the legs of Leicester defender Conor Coady.
Strand Larsen’s blushes for firing over from point-blank range were saved by the offside flag, but he did double the home side’s advantage in the 55th.
Bilal El Khannouss missed a good chance for Leicester at the other end and, as Wolves broke upfield, Cunha played a delightful pass to split the visitors’ centre-backs and allowed Strand Larsen to score his 13th league goal of the season.
Leicester were given a lifeline with a penalty when goalkeeper Jose Sa was adjudged to have brought down Vardy, who made sure there was contact as he leant into the challenge.
But Sa will feel justice was done as he saved Vardy’s spot-kick, diving low to his right to deny the striker a 199th Leicester goal.
The third for the home side after 85 minutes was almost identical to the second as Cunha picked up the ball on the left from a break and slipped a pass between the Leicester defenders for Gomes to rifle low into the bottom corner.
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Ken Ferris)
