Jamie Vardy passed 100 career goals in the Premier League by scoring twice as Leicester beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday to ignite its ambitions to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
By netting for the first time since the restart of the league, Vardy also moved back as the outright top scorer in England’s top flight with 21 goals — two more than Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Vardy reached the 100-goal milestone with a tap-in in the 77th minute after a square ball by substitute Harvey Barnes.
Leicester's Jamie Vardy scores his teams third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at the King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2020. (Jason CairnduffPool via AP)
The striker then added his second of the game in the fourth minute of injury time to cap a dominant performance by Leicester, which has struggled for rhythm since coming back from the three-month suspension.
Kelechi Iheanacho put Leicester in front in the 49th.
Leicester has seen its cushion in third place trimmed after it failed to win any of its first three games since the resumption. The team stayed three points ahead of Manchester United, which also won Saturday, while fellow Champions League hopefuls Chelsea and Wolverhampton play later Saturday.
Leicester's Jamie Vardy scores a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at the King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2020.(Michael ReganPool via AP)
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports