Already relegated after desperately disappointing seasons, and despite an estimated difference of £2.8m in ‘merit payments’ to play for, with the hosts picking up just one win from their last 13 PL matches (D2, L10), and Ipswich faring even worse with one win from their last 17 league games (D4, L12) – this was not set to be a classic.
It was the visitors who started brightest, controlling much of the early possession and recording four attempts on goal within the first 15 minutes.
However, having absorbed the early pressure, it was the Foxes who made the breakthrough in the 28th minute with their first shot on target, following a quick counter attack, which saw James Justin lay up club legend Vardy to fire home into the bottom-left corner, marking his 500th appearance for the club with a 200th goal.
Despite responding well to going behind and continuing to notch up efforts on goal (eight), the Tractor Boys failed to hit the target, and it remained 1-0 to the hosts at HT.
From the restart, it was yet again the visitors who started stronger, and after good work by Sam Morsy, Julio Enciso forced a decent save out of Jakub Stolarczyk to notch Ipswich’s first shot on target.
Now riding the momentum, the visitors continued to press, and it was yet again Enciso who went close when his shot on goal was blocked following a dangerous cross by Jens Cajuste.
However, the Foxes were sitting back and waiting for their chance to break, and when they did, Kasey McAteer hit the post from outside the box on 63 minutes to keep Ipswich on their toes.
That proved to be a taste of what was to come, as Leicester doubled their lead on 69 minutes when, following good work by Wilfred Ndidi, McAteer found his range with a fierce shot from a difficult angle into the top-right corner.
Ipswich coach Kieran McKenna had seen enough and immediately made four substitutions in the hope of sparking a response with less than 20 minutes remaining, but the damage had been done, and aside from a few more blunt efforts on goal, the visitors were seemingly spent.
However, today was Vardy’s day, and there was a special moment in the 80th minute when he was given a guard of honour departing the field for Patson Daka on his final appearance for the club.
The Foxes held out to record just their third clean sheet of the season and all but seal 18th place, to leave Ipswich languishing in 19th and on a winless run of seven.
Flashscore Man of the Match: James Justin (Leicester City)
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