Norwich City vs Leicester City: Jamie Vardy and Jeffrey Schlupp strikes earn Foxes victory over spirited Canaries

Norwich City 1 Leicester City 2

Jeffrey Schlupp turns away in celebration after his second half strike (Getty Images)

No sign yet of Leicester’s high tempo start to the season slowing, despite having come down to earth with the 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal last week that took away their unbeaten record.

Only Manchester City have scored more times than Claudio Ranieri’s team this season and no set of fans have seen more goals.

In eight matches, Leicester have scored 17 and conceded 15. Every match seems to pass in a breathless flurry of excitement, with Jamie Vardy inevitably at the heart of the action.

Jamie Vardy is congratulated by teammates after his opening strike

Vardy, who will hope to add to his first England cap in the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers, won and converted the penalty that gave Leicester a first-half lead at Carrow Road before Jeff Schlupp’s first goal of the season gave Norwich just too much to do to salvage a point.

Alex Neil’s side, who give away goals almost as readily as Leicester but struggle to score with the same regularity, fought back gamely once their backs were against the wall and their Congalese striker, Dieumerci Mbokani , on as a substitute just minutes before, gave them hope with his first goal for Norwich.

Yet Leicester, who had a third goal disallowed, were just solid enough at the back to hold on to their lead and record a second away win, moving back into the top four as a result.

Vardy, playing with a heavily strapped right wrist to protect two broken bones, has six goals in his last five Premier League games, seven for the season.

“He is in a special moment right now, the kind strikers live for, where everything he does brings a goal,” Ranieri said.

Norwich felt Vardy had bought the penalty, running across defender Sebastian Bassong, who clipped the attacker’s heels .

“He played for it, but I’m not complaining about penalties given or not,” Neil said.

“We lost because we did not hit the levels required.”

Schlupp doubled Leicester’s lead with a firm diagonal shot after exchanging passes with the impressuve N’Golo Kante, whose pass also lead to the penalty.

Dieumerci Mbokani celebrates his first goal for his new club (Getty Images)

Mbonaki stood out when he came off the bench, converting Jonny Howson’s cross after hitting the bar with a header, but Norwich found their feet too late.

Norwich City: (4-4-1-1) Ruddy; Whittaker, martin, Bassong, Brady; Howson, Dorrans (Redmond 50), Tettey, Jarvis (Mbonkani 59); Hoolahan; Jerome (Lafferty 76)

Leicester City: (4-4-2) Schmeichel; Simpson (benalouane 64), Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Albrighton, Kante, Drinkwater, Schlupp (King 76); Okazaki (Ulloa 70), Vardy.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Man of the match: Kante (Leicester)

Match rating: 7/10