The message was loud, clear and broadcast from the away end for some time after the final whistle. “Sign him up,” it demanded, and there was no mistaking the subject. Youri Tielemans is Leicester’s best player and nobody of their persuasion will sleep especially soundly until talks over a new contract are concluded successfully. He was the difference between a smash-and-grab away win and what would have been a deserved defeat in west
London, scoring a tremendous opener and prising open Brentford’s defence in the buildup to James Maddison’s second-half winner. The home side were vivacious as ever but, for the second weekend running, were left to regret a combination of missed chances and inspired goalkeeping.
Ultimately, Brentford could not find anyone to rival Tielemans’ incisiveness. In Leicester’s win over
Manchester United, the Belgian had caused jaws to drop with a gorgeous chip that drifted beyond David de Gea in slow motion. To break the deadlock here, he dispensed with the subtlety and produced an equally exhilarating finish. When a backpedalling Rico Henry half-cleared Maddison’s free-kick, Tielemans was lurking some 20 yards outside the Brentford box and took a longjumper’s run-up towards the bobbling ball. The subsequent connection was sublime and David Raya could do nothing about a long-range blast that roared to the left of his futile dive.