Wes Morgan epitomises Leicester spirit as impossible dream moves closer

Draped from the top tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, next to images of his many trophies, is a banner that reads: “The Impossible Dream.” And so it was, for a manager arriving at a club without a league title in 19 years to win 13, plus a couple of Champions Leagues.

Manchester United may soon need to downgrade those sentiments, however. If that was the impossible dream, what about Leicester City’s impending achievement? They are the 5000-1 shot who may be two points, or one day away, from recording the sort of feat that seems plucked not from sleep but the realms of fiction, if not a parallel universe.

A 1-1 draw meant Claudio Ranieri could not join the select band of Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the managers who have clinched the Premier League title at Old Trafford. It was one distinction denied him, but admission to the ranks of the legends beckons belatedly, 30 years and 17 jobs into a managerial career that seemed to place him firmly in the second rank of coaches.

One who has touched the heights this season may be at 35,000 feet when his elevation to the pantheon is confirmed, should Chelsea deny Spurs victory on Monday. “I will be the last man to know,” said Ranieri. “I'd like to watch the Tottenham match but I'm on a flight back from Italy so I might not know the result until I land.”

A trip to visit his 96-year-old mother beckons instead. Mama Ranieri was nine years old when Leicester last finished in the top two, in 1929. Her smiling son is almost a history maker, a charming figure who has captured the imagination with his exploits and his quirks alike. The prospect of Leicester winning the league at the home of its most storied club drew tourists to the press box, incongruous figures in half-and-half scarves ready to report on something they don’t really understand. Then again, who does? Explaining Leicester’s progress from relegation favourites is no easy task. "It is logical they are the future champion," said the illogical Louis van Gaal.

The unlikely newcomers heard Ranieri’s name ring around Old Trafford, just as a bell rang in the away end. It was brought in by an enterprising Leicester fan, inspired by the 64-year-old’s endearingly weird catchphrase, “dilly ding, dilly dong”, which feels as strange as this season.

Ranieri had called for Leicester to provide a Hollywood ending to it. A bona fide film star duly turned up, even if the watching Eric Cantona’s allegiances lie elsewhere. One who used to share a pitch with Ryan Giggs now shared a directors’ box with Jamie Vardy. They witnessed more of a gritty drama, in keeping with the northern gloom, where such resolutely unglamorous figures as Christian Fuchs and Wes Morgan excelled. A Hollywood ending would have seen Danny Drinkwater, the set-piece supremo and United alumnus, supply a title-deciding winner. Instead, he departed early, his second appearance back at Old Trafford taking a former season-ticket holder’s tally of cards on this stage to three.

Ranieri being Ranieri, he refused to criticise referee Michael Oliver. Van Gaal searched for a scapegoat as United’s prospects of a top-four finish receded and alighted on the official, calling for a penalty for an incident outside the box. Robert Huth ventured where others, many a barber included, would fear to touch and grabbed a handful of Marouane Fellaini’s hair. “Only with sex masochism, then it is allowed but not in other situations,” said Van Gaal, without suggesting how informed that particular comment was.

He also defended the Belgian, who had responded by elbowing his assailant. “Fellaini is reacting like a human being because when I grab you with your hair and pull it backwards, you shall do also something to me,” he said.

Huth has remained uncompromising, his centre-back ally unyielding. Morgan is a rumbling colossus who cancelled out Anthony Martial’s equaliser with a header from Drinkwater’s free kick and exerted such dominance in his aerial duels with Marcos Rojo that the Argentine ought to have been reassigned to mark a less formidable figure.

Not for the first time, Morgan epitomised Leicester. He was a giant figure with resolve and resilience. ‘Foxes Never Quit’, the slogan of their season, applies to him. His swift response to Martial’s goal showed why Leicester have only trailed for an hour in league matches in the last six months. “Psychologically it was very important to come back,” said Ranieri.

His side have held their nerve, just as he has held his. The Italian can intrigue and entertain alike. One with humour, an idiosyncratic grasp of English and a penchant for expressive gestures is a model of stillness in other respects. The Tinkerman has become inactive in his old age, rarely changing his team while transforming Leicester’s fortunes.

They were bottom for 140 days last season and have been top for 131 this. They have done so with a formula of such old-fashioned simplicity – set-pieces, clean sheets, team spirit, organisation, continuity of selection, consistency of performance – that it confounds a man like Van Gaal, who delights in complicating the game.

Their functional football is producing something beautiful. It should be garnished with the gleam of silverware. But perhaps the world will know that for sure before the architect of Leicester’s impossible dream discovers it has become reality.