Flashback: Leicester City's great escape from relegation

On April 3, 2016, Leicester City beat Southampton 1-0 to stretch a seven-point lead at the Premier League's summit, edging toward a title that not even the most deluded and optimistic supporter could have foreseen.

A year earlier, things were very different, as the Foxes were stuck in the relegation mire - and on the verge of an incredible escape.

Premier League bottom 7 - April 3, 2015

An edge past West Ham - April 4, 2015

There had been signs of improvement in Leicester's previous outing - a 4-3 loss at Tottenham Hotspur - but it wasn't enough for manager Nigel Pearson. In desperate need of points, the Nottingham native pulled oft-injured defender Matthew Upson from his lineup and handed another opportunity to Riyad Mahrez, the mercurial Algerian winger bought for £400,000 from Le Havre 15 months earlier.

An early goal from skipper Esteban Cambiasso was cancelled out by West Ham United's Cheikhou Kouyate 20 minutes later. With the clock ticking down, it looked like a damaging draw - until Jamie Vardy laid on a goal for Andy King, and a small hope was instilled in the Foxes' faithful.

3 wins in a row - April 18, 2015

Two goals in the last 10 minutes from Robert Huth and Vardy secured a 3-2 away win at West Bromwich Albion, followed by an economical 2-0 dismissal of Swansea City on April 18, 2015.

The relentless work-rate of Vardy - shunted onto the left and playing through injury - and influential performances from 34-year-old Cambiasso and fan favourite King lifted Leicester off the bottom of the table for the first time since November.

The Clarets see red - April 25, 2015

Leicester was almost pushed deep into the relegation scrap once again after left-back Paul Konchesky felled Burnley's fellow veteran Matthew Taylor in the area, and the midfielder dusted himself off to take the penalty.

It rebounded off the post, and Leicester's resulting breakaway ended with Vardy bundling the ball over the line for his third goal in five games. The Foxes clung on for a telling 1-0 victory at Turf Moor that took them out of the bottom three.

'You are an ostrich' - April 29, 2015

Chelsea stormed back from Marc Albrighton's opener at the end of the first half to a 3-1 victory at the King Power Stadium. The evening's biggest headline was the fact the Blues were just a win away from securing the Premier League title.

At least, until Pearson addressed the media after the match.

"I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand," Pearson told journalist Ian Baker, who had asked the gaffer to elaborate on the criticism directed towards the Foxes.

"Is your head in the sand? Are you flexible enough to get your head in the sand? My suspicion would be 'no.'"

The ornithological outburst puzzled many, and marked the beginning of the end for Pearson's fractious relationship with the club's owners.

Geordies and Saints hit for 6 - May 5, 2015

Suggestions that Pearson's tirade may have blown the wheels off Leicester's survival drive were dispelled by two consecutive wins against Newcastle United and Southampton.

An ill-disciplined Newcastle was sent packing with a 3-0 defeat. The Magpies were free-falling under the management of John Carver, who criticised his defender Daryl Janmaat after the match for apparently getting sent off on purpose.

Leicester then recorded an improbable sixth win in seven games when Southampton visited. Mahrez, slowly forging a strong understanding with Vardy, bagged a brace within 20 minutes, and Pearson's side held on.

"I don't know why it's changed for us," said Pearson, puzzled by the sudden upturn in form.

Leicester had stretched a three-point gap above the relegation zone with two matches to play.

Battling goalless draw on Wearside - May 16, 2015

Three thousand travelling Leicester fans, filled with a free breakfast laid on by the club's owners, were as concerned with the news filtering through their handheld radios as they were with the events in front of them on the Stadium of Light's pitch.

The Foxes took on Sunderland while Hull City, sat in 18th, faced a tough test at Tottenham. Leonardo Ulloa was unlucky not to hand Leicester the lead in the second period, but a 0-0 draw secured its top-flight place for 2015-16, thanks to goals from Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose at White Hart Lane.

Incredibly, Leicester's determined run of form managed to vault a seven-point deficit and earn the club top-flight safety with a game to spare.

Premier League bottom 7 - May 24, 2015

The Foxes took the party back to the King Power Stadium for the final tilt of the season: a 5-1 rout of Queens Park Rangers.

Pearson was ousted at the end of the season as his relationship with the club's hierarchy reached its breaking point. With Claudio Ranieri appointed in his stead and captain Cambiasso's departure for Olympiacos, however, many observers were skeptical that Leicester could stay up for a second season ...