Leicester City were ruthless in a 3-0 victory at Preston North End on Monday night to clinch a record-breaking eighth EFL Championship title and spark delirious celebrations from a huge away following.

Jamie Vardy’s brace, one in each half, takes his 2023-24 tally up to 20 goals, while Kasey McAteer’s header made sure on a vintage night for the visitors. City’s 31st league win of the campaign keeps their bid to reach 100 points alive and puts them seven clear at the summit with one game still to play.

Academy graduate McAteer’s first start since early February – due to injury – was one of the headlines from four changes to the XI which thumped Southampton 5-0 last Tuesday.

There were also returns for Jakub Stolarczyk, Conor Coady and Yunus Akgün in Maresca’s line-up in Lancashire. In front of 5,275 members of the Blue Army – armed with blue and white balloons and streamers – the champions elect made their arrival to an enormous roar from the Bill Shankly Stand.

The Foxes fans were here to party and that’s exactly what they did, bringing the noise all night. On three occasions, referee Sam Allison had to pause play to remove beachballs from the field of play. “We want our ball back,” sung the noisy visitors from Leicester. It was hardly beachball weather, mind you, with the unseasonably cold and damp weather continuing into City’s penultimate match of the season.

The fantastic away fans were on their feet on 36 minutes – Maresca’s men deservedly going in front. It was a silky move, too, with Harry Winks working the ball out of pressure and giving it to Wilfred Ndidi, who raked it across field to Fatawu. The Ghanaian threaded it through to Yunus and he squared it to Vardy.

City’s No.9 had his back to goal but he corkscrewed his body and tucked it away into the bottom corner. At the age of 37 and in his 12th year at the Club, there’s no stopping one of Leicester’s greatest-ever players.