Report | Swansea City 1 Leicester City 3
Swansea City pushed Championship leaders Leicester City all the way but suffered defeat at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The Swans had taken the lead through a deflected strike from skipper Matt Grimes in the 20th minute as they defended with discipline and attacked with real energy against the promotion favourites.
They were pegged back just before the interval as Jannik Vestergaard fortuitously turned the ball in after a ricochet fell into his path, before Abdul Fatawu steered Leicester ahead just after the hour.
Kelechi Iheanacho then ensured an 11th win in 12 league games for the visitors with his effort four minutes from time.
It was harsh on the Swans, who had created further sights of goal through Jamal Lowe, Jerry Yates and Jamie Paterson, while Liam Cullen rattled the bar and Harry Darling headed just over.
But there will be plenty for head coach Michael Duff and his squad to take from this display as they worked their socks off without the ball but continually posed a threat with their dynamism with it, against a side packed with Premier League quality and experience.
The Swans had been unchanged from the win at Plymouth as they sought a fifth win in a row, while Leicester brought Wout Faes, James Justin, Wilfred Ndidi, Stephy Mavididi and skipper Jamie Vardy into their side.
Even with their fine run of recent form, the hosts were underdogs against a Foxes side that had won 10 of their 11 league fixtures this season.
But Swansea started smartly, great work by Josh Key, Yates, Cullen, Grimes ensuring the ball found its way to Lowe in the box, but the forward was crowded out.
Leicester responded with a sweeping attack of their own, which ended with Harry Winks firing well over the bar from just outside the box.
But Swansea gave as good as they got in the early exchanges, Josh Tymon made a vital block as Ndidi advanced into the area but the hosts swept up the other end thanks to a fine ball from Cullen to Yates they were able to win a corner.
And they took the lead from the resulting set-piece as Faes’ header came out as far as Grimes, who volleyed a firm strike that found the net via a deflection of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Leicester should have replied immediately but Ndidi wastefully steered wide with a host of black and blue shirts just waiting to be teed up.
Vardy was unable to turn in a Dewsbury-Hall cross a few moments later, while Swansea had penalty appeals waved away after another counter ended with Yates tumbling in the box while surrounded by defenders.
Carl Rushworth gratefully gathered in a close-range Dewsbury-Hall header, before the same player robbed Charlie Patino on the edge of the Swansea area and sent a ball across the area that none of his teammates could reach.
Yates then lifted a strike from distance over the bar after Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen had raced out of his area to beat Jamie Paterson to the midfielder’s toe ahead.
Instead the next goal came at the other end with just over a minute left of the first period.
Ndidi flicked on a Mavididi cross and, when it bounced up off Lowe, it hit the onrushing Vestergaard and rebounded into the net.
But there was still time for more drama before the interval, Cullen rattling the crossbar before Harry Darling nodded a corner agonisingly over the woodwork.
In the end the teams went in level at half-time but the lively nature of the contest continued as Vardy headed into Rushworth’s gloves.
A lovely ball from Paterson then isolated Patino against a defender, but the midfielder’s final effort was blocked away.
Mavididi dragged wide just before the hour mark, but Leicester did take the lead just a few minutes later.
Mavididi’s cutback into the area was left by Ndidi, and Fatawu fired the ball into the top corner with what proved to be his last action of the game as he was substituted before play restarted.
Rushworth then did superbly to drive Vardy wide of the target when the former England striker tried to round the keeper after racing in on goal.
Duff sent on Kristian Pedersen and Jay Fulton for Patino and Cullen as the Swans sought a response in the final 20 minutes.
Lowe was unable to free Yates after a fine run out of his own third before the Swans crafted a great chance.
Paterson picked out Key on the right and his pull-back was turned goalwards by Lowe. The ball eventually came back out to Paterson who unleashed a thunderous volley that appeared to strike Faes on the arm, but the referee was unmoved by the home side’s protests.
Hermansen then made a tremendous stop to deny Lowe, after Fulton had picked off a loose pass out of the Leicester defence.
But the visitors would put the game to bed when substitute Iheanacho coolly finished late on.
Swansea City: Carl Rushworth, Josh Key, Harry Darling, Matt Grimes (captain), Jerry Yates (Mykola Kuharevich 90), Jamal Lowe (Liam Walsh 80), Jamie Paterson (Ollie Cooper 80), Josh Tymon, Charlie Patino (Ollie Cooper 69), Liam Cullen (Jay Fulton 69), Bashir Humphreys.
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Kyle Naughton, Harrison Ashby, Cameron Congreve.
Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, James Justin, Wout Faes, Harry Winks, Jamie Vardy (captain) (Kelechi Iheanacho 84), Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu (Yunus Akgun 64) (Hamza Choudhury 90), Ricardo Pereira (Conor Coady 90), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jannik Vestergaard, Wilfred Ndidi.
Unused Substitutes: Jakub Stolarczyk, Cesare Casadei, Marc Albrighton, Harry Souttar, Patson Daka.
Referee: Anthony Backhouse
Attendance: 18,509