London, March 20 (IANS): English Premier League leaders Leicester City took another big step towards the title with a 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace.

Winger Riyad Mahrez's first half goal was enough to secure three points for the Foxes on Saturday.

It was an evenly contested game though. Yannick Bolasie proved to be quite a threat to Leicester’s defence and only goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s fine save could deny him the equaliser.

Palace enjoyed plenty of possession in the second half but found it hard to create clear-cut chances against a disciplined Leicester side who were content on counter-attacking.

Striker Bakary Sako was denied late on and Damien Delaney struck the bar as Leicester held onto their one-goal advantage for a win.

After a cagey opening, Mahrez missed a golden chance to grab the opener in the 18th minute but his low shot was blocked by Palace’s Wayne Hennessey before being cleared.

It was Wilfried Zaha for Palace who tried to net his volley but his shot was way of target and the hosts were punished for that miss after 34 minutes.

Jamie Vardy turned into space in the area and drilled the ball across the box, and Mahrez arrived to sweep home from close range.