Leicester 4-0 Nottingham Forest: James Maddison scores twice as Foxes win first game of season

Leicester secured their first win of the season as they hammered Nottingham Forest to dump their local rivals on the bottom of the Premier League and pile the pressure on manager Steve Cooper.

James Maddison scored twice and created another for substitute Patson Daka, with Harvey Barnes curling home a superb effort as Brendan Rodgers' side recorded their biggest home win since December.

For Forest, this first top flight East Midlands derby since 1999 was a night to forget.

Cooper's side never recovered from conceding twice in as many minutes not long after striker Taiwo Awoniyi had struck a post when clean through on the home goal.

The Forest fans bellowed their support for Cooper as they sang songs of defiance with the game gone and their team slipping to a fifth straight defeat in a single season for the first time since January 2004.

However, after celebrating a long-awaited return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence, owner Evangelos Marinakis did not sanction the outlay on 23 summer signings in a belief Forest were about to go straight back down.

Cooper must hope his boss shows him more patience than former Huddersfield manager Carlos Corberan, who was sacked after 11 games at Marinakis' Greek club Olympiakos earlier this month.

A 'Top' night for Leicester

The evening was significant enough for Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha to fly in from Thailand to watch the team his family bankrolled to their memorable Premier League title in 2016 but cut spending on this summer, something he described as a "difficult short-term decision".

In his programme notes he spoke of how a positive result could "galvanise" the club but as the game started, he had the expression of a man who could be a couple of hours away from having to make a very big decision.

As it turned out, by half-time the man affectionately known as Khun Top by Foxes fans was high-fiving supporters, who were ecstatic at how the evening was turning out.

Leicester's opening goal required a couple of bits of fortune through Jesse Lingard's mis-control and Scott McKenna's deflection but the efforts that followed were moments of unquestioned quality, with Daka's flick from Maddison's cross to round off the scoring 17 minutes from time particularly impressive.

Rodgers certainly enjoyed them as he hugged his coaching staff, the joy at gaining that precious win obvious.

Player of the match

MaddisonJames Maddison

Leicester City

Squad number10Player nameMaddison

Squad number20Player nameDaka

Squad number7Player nameBarnes

Squad number22Player nameDewsbury-Hall

Squad number3Player nameFaes

Squad number8Player nameTielemans

Squad number42Player nameSoumaré

Squad number2Player nameJustin

Squad number27Player nameCastagne

Squad number6Player nameEvans

Squad number26Player namePraet

Squad number25Player nameNdidi

Squad number1Player nameWard

Squad number9Player nameVardy

Squad number11Player nameAlbrighton

Nottingham Forest

Squad number20Player nameJohnson

Squad number10Player nameGibbs-White

Squad number1Player nameHenderson

Squad number24Player nameAurier

Squad number14Player nameO'Brien

Squad number26Player nameMcKenna

Squad number5Player nameMangala

Squad number7Player nameN Williams

Squad number9Player nameAwoniyi

Squad number22Player nameYates

Squad number3Player nameS Cook

Squad number25Player nameDennis

Squad number32Player nameRenan Lodi

Squad number21Player nameKouyaté

Squad number23Player nameFreuler

Squad number11Player nameLingard

Line-ups

Leicester

Formation 4-1-4-1

1Ward

27Castagne6Evans3Faes2Justin

25Ndidi

10Maddison8Tielemans22Dewsbury-Hall7Barnes

9Vardy

Substitutes

Nottm Forest

Formation 4-2-3-1

1Henderson

7N Williams3S Cook26McKenna32Lodi dos Santos

21Kouyaté14O'Brien

20Johnson10Gibbs-White11Lingard

9Awoniyi

Substitutes

Live Text

Match ends, Leicester City 4, Nottingham Forest 0.

Second Half ends, Leicester City 4, Nottingham Forest 0.

Foul by Harvey Barnes (Leicester City).

Emmanuel Dennis (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Foul by Harvey Barnes (Leicester City).

Sèrge Aurier (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Steve Cook (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Boubakary Soumaré (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Foul by Steve Cook (Nottingham Forest).

Marc Albrighton (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Renan Lodi (Nottingham Forest).

Attempt saved. Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Emmanuel Dennis with a cross.

Attempt missed. Emmanuel Dennis (Nottingham Forest) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Sèrge Aurier with a cross.

Substitution, Leicester City. Marc Albrighton replaces James Maddison.

James Maddison (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Foul by James Maddison (Leicester City).

Renan Lodi (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by James Maddison (Leicester City).

Orel Mangala (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Patson Daka (Leicester City).

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