Leicester 0-3 Wolves: Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha strike as visitors claim huge three points in relegation battle

By the end you simply felt sorry for Danny Ward. Booed and then mocked by the Leicester supporters, perhaps it would have been kinder to take him off after his incredible first-half clanger.

Because this game was done by the interval. A pathetic defensive display from the home side handed Vitor Pereira victory in his first game after replacing Gary O’Neil as Wolves manager.

It was only their third of the season and takes Wolves to within two points of safety. Given they play Manchester United, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest next, these were vital points, especially as star forward Matheus Cunha faces a ban for his altercation with an Ipswich staff member at Molineux last weekend.

But what about Leicester? This looked the ideal fixture for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team to put distance between themselves and the bottom three. Instead they blew it completely with a performance that raised all the old questions about the attitude and mental strength of this squad. There were swathes of empty blue seats long before full-time and those who stayed jeered.

Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Cunha were the scorers and Leicester were culpable for all three. Ward’s error for the second was the worst as he slumped inexplicably to his haunches and watched Rodrigo Gomes’ toe-poke slide beyond him.

That was when the fans turned. First came the catcalls and then, even more cruelly, the widespread cheers when Ward performed the absolute minimum expected of a professional goalkeeper. Mads Hermansen has been Leicester’s best player this term and Van Nistelrooy desperately needs him back from a hip problem. Either way, it is hard to see Ward keeping his place for the game against Liverpool on Boxing Day.