How Leicester City, mired in sluggish
Premier League form, reeling from the disappointment of their Europa League exit at Napoli on Thursday and with their squad buffeted by Covid positives and general illness, needed something to lift them. James Maddison provided it.
![James Maddison leads way as Leicester demolish Newcastle United](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/02d8e2968a86627b0da6fe5e98809e4882129079/0_0_4492_2697/master/4492.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=4b73267732a20cd131e45a075cd657cc)
The playmaker had already won the 37th-minute penalty from which Youri Tielemans gave them the lead – a little dubiously, it should be said – when he made a pre-assist of such quality that it not only shredded Newcastle’s backline but broke their collective spirit.