Abdul Fatawu was a class apart as he found the back of the net three times in Leicester City’s 5-0 demolition of Southampton in the Championship on Tuesday night.
The Foxes were 2-1 winners over West Bromwich Albion last time out which took them back to the summit of the log.
Ghanaian Fatawu put them in front against the Saints in the 25th minute with his first touch from a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall assist.
It remained 1-0 to Leicester until the 62nd minute when Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi sent a header in for his second goal in as many games.
Fatawu made it 3-0 with another precise finish in the 75th minute before assisting veteran forward Jamie Vardy for the fourth goal four minutes later.
The Sporting Lisbon loanee completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute with a close range finish, this time with an assist from Vardy.
It took Fatawu’s tally to six goals and 12 assists in the Championship and Leicester manager Enzo Maresca praised his performance.
All about ABDUUUUUL! 🎶 😁 pic.twitter.com/8mpIQDQiLy
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 23, 2024
“His performance was fantastic,” the Italian tactician said after the game. “But I think all the team was very good. We would like to score goals always, but the opponent is always there. We took our chances tonight.
“I don’t think it was our best performance. I think we had some games in which we played better than tonight, but in the end most of the time people will judge the result and 5-0 but we analyse the complete performance.”
The victory puts Leicester four points clear at the top of the table and are a just win away from securing instant return back to the Premier League if they defeat Preston North End at Deepdale next Monday.
