Leicester City 1-0 Sunderland: James Justin’s first-half header is enough for the Foxes to move 14 points clear of third place and take 12 wins from 13

Leicester celebrated their eighth consecutive league win to move eight points clear at the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Sunderland, with James Justin’s first-half header proving decisive.

Justin rose highest to head Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner home after 12 minutes, securing the points as the full-back scored his first league goal for the club in over two years.

The Foxes hit the post twice in the first half and missed a number of chances to extend their lead, but were enough to secure their 12th win from 13 league games and continue their impressive start to the season.

Sunderland have now lost their last three league games and should have equalized at the crucial moment but Abdoullah Ba fired over from close range as Tony Mowbray’s side struggled to penetrate the league’s weakest defence.

The Black Cats had the first chance of the game when a cross from the right side found Jack Clarke at the back, but the midfielder saw his shot deflected by the legs of Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Leicester took 12 wins from 13 in the Championship as they beat Sunderland 1-0 on Tuesday

James Justin scored the winner when he headed home unmarked at the near post after 12 minutes

But in the 12th minute, Leicester broke the deadlock with their first significant shot on goal when Justin jumped unmarked at the near post and headed in an excellent corner from Dewsbury-Hall from the left.

Shortly afterwards the home side almost scored a second goal when Foxes winger Stephy Mavididi made his way into the penalty area and saw a low shot off the foot of Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson superbly directed onto the post.

Towards the end of the first half, Leicester hit the woodwork again when Kelechi Iheanacho fired a shot against a post after Wout Faes played a wonderful pass to Cesare Casadei, who in turn nodded the ball into the striker’s path.

Chelsea loanee Casadei wasted a number of chances to extend Leicester’s lead after the break, first shooting straight at Patterson after the ball had kindly fallen to him in the penalty area, before turning the Sunderland keeper’s low shot into the goal shortly afterwards.

A few minutes later, Casadei became the provider and brought Iheanacho to shoot on goal, but the Nigerian missed the ball a few meters wide in a one-on-one with Patterson.

Sunderland enjoyed their best spell of the game in the final 20 minutes when Dan Neil went wide after a mistake from Harry Winks, despite having time and space to secure his place.

Shortly afterwards, the visitors missed another chance when Dennis Cirkin, after excellent build-up play, shot over the goal from the left edge of the penalty area and thus created a shot opportunity.

However, the Black Cats’ best chance to equalize came in the final minutes when substitute Ba somehow shot over the bar from inside the box with the goal at his mercy and Foxes goalkeeper Hermansen lying on the ground.

League leaders Leicester moved 14 points ahead of third-placed Leeds United with the win

Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland side have now lost three games in a row and sit in ninth place