Mahrez scored what proved to be the winning goal at Vicarage Road, but was forced off late on with what looked like a hamstring strain.
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Mahrez’s goal was his 15th in the Premier League this season. Another victory for Leicester in its bid to become the English Premier League’s most unlikely champion.
Tottenham and Arsenal drew 2-2 in a typically frenetic north London derby Saturday, allowing Manchester City to trim the gap in the Premier League title race with a 4-0 win over last-place Aston Villa.
“It was very tough, we knew coming here would be a tough ask”, Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told Sky Sports. “If we get too far ahead of ourselves, we risk blowing it”.
Leicester lead the standings on 60 points with Tottenham on 55, Arsenal 52 and Manchester City 50.
Sergio Aguero scored twice, and later missed a penalty, while Yaya Toure and Raheem Sterling also netted as City ended a run of three straight losses to move to within five points of second-place Spurs, with a game in hand.
West Ham staged a superb fightback to remain in the hunt for a Champions League berth with a 3-2 win at 10-man Everton.
Bournemouth piled more pressure on beleaguered Newcastle manager Steve McClaren with a 3-1 win over the crisis-torn Magpies at St James’ Park. “Riyad has come up with a bit of magic so we are delighted”, Schmeichel said. “I think all the way through we have had the belief that we have the players going forward to do something special”.
“A tough match against a strong solid team”, admitted Ranieri.
Within seven minutes, Spurs had gone in front on goals by Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane, who curled a brilliant shot in off the post from the side of the penalty area, but they couldn’t hang on.
Police said two men were arrested for separate public-order offenses ahead of the derby match as fans clashed with police near the stadium.
Manuel Pellegrini’s fourth-placed side remain 10 points behind Leicester, while woeful Villa are slipping closer to playing in the second tier for the first time since 1988 after their fourth consecutive defeat.
Romelu Lukaku struck in the 13th minute and, despite Kevin Mirallas’s dismissal, Aaron Lennon doubled Everton’s lead in the 56th minute. The Hammers put in a fine display and hit back with goals from Michael Antonio, Sakho and Dimitri Payet in the 90th minute.
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But fourth bottom Sunderland were frustrated when van Dijk struck three minutes into stoppage-time.
