Leicester City beat Watford 4-2 in the game of Claudio Ranieri's return to the King's Court, reporting and free highlights; Josh King's penalty cancelled James Madison's opener; Jamie Wadi's double kill gave the hosts the lead; and Emanuel Dennis pulled a goal back before Ademora Lockman made the game safe
Claudio Ranieri's return to Leicester ended in disappointment as Brendan Rodgers' side re-won the Premier League victory with a 4-2 victory over Watford on a snowy day at the Kings Power Stadium.
The former Leicester boss, who led the club to a Premier League title in 2016, was heroically welcomed by home fans before the match, but his side trailed in the 16th minute after James Madison took advantage of William Echoon's mistake.
However, Watford reacted well and when Josh King was knocked down by Wilfred Ndidi inside the penalty area, Josh King scored into the net from a penalty spot to equalise in half an hour.
Snow began to fall heavily in Leicester and conditions became difficult, but that didn't stop Jamie Vardy as his rapid-fire doubles (34, 42) gave the home team a lead into the break.
Watford returned to the game in the 61st minute when Dennis pounced on the point after Aimothy Castagne's misstep, but they failed to keep scoring, and just seven minutes later, when Adamola Lukeman scored his first Premier League goal for the Foxes, Leicester made the game safe (68).
The victory saw Rodgers' side go three games straight in the top flight, rising to ninth in the table, while the defeat put Watford at 16th, four points above the drop zone.
Jamie Valdi beat Leicester 2-1
Watford have shown enough to suggest they may be concerned about Leicester's lack of confidence in defence and only Ranieri's side can give home a lead in the 16th minute.
Johnny Evans fired a harmless ball forward, which should have been comfortable for Easy Air, but the defender hid underneath, expecting Daniel Bachmann to receive the ball. He didn't see Maddison stealing the ball behind him and the midfielder seized the opportunity to find the corner of the net.
Still, Watford weren't intimidated, with Caspar Schmeichel rejecting Dennis before Cuccio Hernandez's 20-yard shot hit Caguera Soyunku and went around the inside of the post.
If Leicester thought they had escaped, they were wrong because Watford continued to pressure and receive rewards from the scene after half an hour. Ndidi's reckless trip to Dennis left referee Andrew Madry with little choice, with King beating Schmeichel to score his fifth goal of the season.
However, the Hornets were devastated by a brilliant blow from Madison four minutes later. The 25-year-old made a wonderful pass for Vardy, who held the ball past the advancing Bachmann from one angle and celebrated in front of his old boss.
Eight minutes later, the former England striker teamed up again with Madison to rewrite the score to 3-1.
When Ranieri led Leicester city to a title in 2016, Vardy scored 24 goals, reminding the Italian of his talent.
However, after Hernandez should have tried the shot himself, the Foxes needed Schmeichel to stop Kim from close range, and he should have kicked him off shortly after the break.
As the snow got worse, so did Leicester's defence, and when Dennis robbed Castagne to put Schmeichel in the lurch, Watford grabbed the lifeline.
But it was another false dawn as Lukeman added a fourth place to the Foxes, and soon after he took the cross from Harvey Barnes.
With 6 minutes left in the game, Aozan Tufan's shot deflected off Watford but there was no way back.
Leicester City Manager Brendan Rogers: "It's great, you can see the quality of Madison, he's a real inspiration for us.
"Every day we always have a point to prove. For him, it's watching his game, he knows it's a game and a level and you're always looking to prove yourself. You can never calm down, you always have to be intense.
"You see the work, not just with him, but with the confidence to come back to the team. It's not about a player, it's about the team, but he was very good today.
"It was a very good performance and we were a real threat. We were facing a dangerous team that scored five points at Everton and four in their final game against Manchester United. That's an important three-pointer. ”
Watford boss Claudio Ranieri: "The reception was great and I want to say thank you to all the fans, Leicester fans and Watford fans. They're here on this very tough day and I want to say thank you because I want them to be proud of us.
"We fought until the end. We created more chances than Leicester City, but they scored and we didn't. I'm optimistic because it's important for the team to try to create opportunities.
"We conceded four goals so we could have done better but they won the game because they were more aggressive and determined than we were.
"That's the condition for Christmas. It's not the pitch and we lost because we made mistakes and Leicester Got their chances. ”
James Madison scored a goal for Leicester
It looked like the old Madison.
He was at the heart of all Leicester City's outstanding performances, scoring one in the team's opening game before scoring two goals for Vardy before half-time.
He has always posed a threat to Watford with his clever positioning and passing and Leicester City are hoping he can keep that in good shape during our approach to a busy holiday season.