Maddison eases Leicester to win to deepen Nottingham Forest’s woes

James Maddison turned in an irresistible display as Leicester City routed rivals Nottingham Forest to move off the bottom of the table and pile the pressure on Steve Cooper. Maddison was the architect as Brendan Rodgers and Leicester recorded their first win of the season to trade places with Forest, who have lost five games in a row for the first time since 2004, conceding 18 goals across their wretched run.

Maddison scored twice and Harvey Barnes and the substitute Patson Daka also got on the scoresheet as Leicester purred. By the end there were Oles as the home supporters crowed about the ease of victory. It felt significant that the Forest fans present gave Cooper their unadulterated backing, loudly singing his name with 20 minutes to play but whether owner Evangelos Marinakis still holds a manager who led them back to the Premier League after 23 years away in the same esteem remains to be seen.

There was no masking the magnitude of the occasion for both teams, or indeed both managers. Rodgers acknowledged the heat was on but insisted his players would thrive in what proved an electric atmosphere. Before kick-off Leicester’s supporters unfurled a giant tifo that depicted Wes Morgan lifting the Premier League title in 2016, seconds after the home support relived that iconic moment courtesy of a moving prematch montage on the big screens.

Leicester cannot begin to think about trophies anytime soon but with 35 minutes on the clock the mood was akin to that unparalleled season after Maddison curled home Leicester’s third goal with a superb free-kick. Jamie Vardy was enjoying himself, sticking his tongue out as Leicester hunted a fourth. By that point a huddle Forest players had started an inquest of their own as