With a 1-0 win Sunday against Southampton, Leicester City moved to seven points ahead of Tottenham at the top of the Barclays Premier League table. Wes Morgan netted the game's lone goal, his first of the season, and Leicester took another step closer to completing its fairytale. In a league that's dominated by titans of the game, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc., Leicester has defied the 5000-1 odds and held the top spot for much of the season.
The story that is unfolding before us is one the Premier League has never experienced. Parity is a word solemn used when referring to the league except to say that there is none. 47 clubs have competed in the Premier League since it's inception in 1992, but only five have won the league. Manchester United's dominance is well-documented as the Red Devils have won the league 13 times. Chelsea has won four times, Arsenal three times, Manchester City twice and Blackburn once.
The league is more predictable than deciphering who the villain is in a Scooby-Doo episode. Leicester has defied the normal script though. The Foxes have a star in Jamie Vardy, who trails only Tottenham's Harry Kane in goals scored with 19, and they have a defense that has orchestrated 12 clean sheets, which is good for second in the league.
When did the world know Leicester was for real? The Foxes got off to an incredible start, losing only two games before the turn of the calendar. The losses came to classic heavyweights, Arsenal in the sixth game of the season, and Liverpool on Boxing Day at Anfield. Still, the dream seemed to be just that - a dream.
Since we welcomed in 2016, Leicester has gone 9-1-3 with the lone loss at Arsenal. For anybody still doubting, Leicester reeled off wins over Tottenham, Stoke, Manchester City and Liverpool by a combined score of 9-1 from January 13 - February 6. The Foxes' favorable schedule since the Arsenal loss has led to five wins and a draw, and the 1-0 win Sunday over Southampton was yet another victory over a team fighting for a Champions League spot.
Six matches remain for Leicester, including dates at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, but there's no debate anymore: the Foxes are for real and this fairytale is in its final chapter. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, Leicester will win the league. It's an improbable story because of this: Leicester, before a promotion to the Premiership last season, hadn't even played in the BPL since 2004. The Foxes finished 14th last season and were at 5000-1 odds to win the title this year.
But the dream season is almost complete. Leicester is prepared to rewrite the narrative of the Premier League, quelling any leftover doubters in the final six weeks of the season. In a league dominated by clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal, LCFC will be crowned champion.
Who would have ever thought?
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