- Jamie Vardy - 51'
- Junior Stanislas - 1'
Jamie Vardy leveller saves point for Leicester against Bournemouth
Jamie Vardy rescued a point for Leicester as the outgoing champions ended their campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth.
The England striker netted his 16th goal of the season as Leicester finished 12th after a turbulent year.
Junior Stanislas opened the scoring for Bournemouth after just 57 seconds but the Cherries could not hang on and needed Ryan Allsop to deny Vardy, who also had a goal disallowed for offside, a winner.
The draw sealed ninth place for Bournemouth -- the highest league position in their 118-year history.
Leicester's attention now turns to resolving the future of manager Craig Shakespeare, with talks expected this week over whether he will stay as boss beyond June.
Shakespeare signed a deal until the end of the season when he replaced Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked in February.
Owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha offered no hints over their plans, but Shakespeare will be heartened by Leicester's fightback after conceding so early.
He wanted a response following Thursday's 6-1 thumping by Tottenham but was left shell-shocked by Bournemouth's lightning start.
Lys Mousset turned Christian Fuchs inside out to burst into the area, and continued his run after Ryan Fraser was taken out by Danny Simpson.
The 21-year-old's shot then deflected into the path of Stanislas to tap in from 10 yards for his third goal in three games.
There was little in the way of instant response from Leicester, with Bournemouth content to keep the ball.
But the Cherries' dominance was not rewarded with another goal, although Dan Gosling's 25-yard drive drew a flying save from Kasper Schmeichel after 25 minutes.
Mousset fired at Schmeichel as Bournemouth continued to dominate, although Allsop was finally called into action when he saved Riyad Mahrez' effort nine minutes before half-time.
That woke subdued Leicester up and they almost grabbed a leveller five minutes before the break when Yohan Benalouane's shot deflected just wide and Islam Slimani nodded the resulting corner across goal.
Allsop then claimed the ball after it hit Gosling as Leicester finally got going and they made their growing momentum count six minutes after the break.
Vardy won the ball in midfield and laid it to Ben Chilwell, who crossed for Slimani to nod back for Vardy to bundle in at the far post.
The England man was then denied a second on the hour by the offside flag after stabbing in from close range as Leicester continued their improvement.
Gone was Bournemouth's cool and Vardy had come alive, with Allsop needing to get a firm hand on his low 66th-minute effort before turning a header over.
The Cherries had wilted in the second half and were left hanging on, and Slimani missed a glorious chance with five minutes left, heading a Mahrez free kick wide with the goal gaping.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Lee Mason
- Lee Mason
English Premier League Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liverpool | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | +21 | 39 |
Chelsea | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | +18 | 35 |
Arsenal | 17 | 9 | 6 | 2 | +18 | 33 |
Nottingham Forest | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | +4 | 31 |
AFC Bournemouth | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | +6 | 28 |
Aston Villa | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 28 |
Manchester City | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | +4 | 27 |
Newcastle United | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | +6 | 26 |
Fulham | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | +2 | 25 |
Brighton & Hove Albion | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | +1 | 25 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | +14 | 23 |
Brentford | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 23 |
Manchester United | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | -1 | 22 |
West Ham United | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | -8 | 20 |
Everton | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | -7 | 16 |
Crystal Palace | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | -8 | 16 |
Leicester City | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -16 | 14 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -13 | 12 |
Ipswich Town | 17 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -16 | 12 |
Southampton | 17 | 1 | 3 | 13 | -25 | 6 |