Leicesters Premier League title charge was built on exhilarating attacking in the first half of the season, but their mean defence is coming to the fore now. Ahead of their meeting with Southampton on Super Sunday, we take a look at how the high-flying Foxes have adapted… When Leicester sat top of the table at Christmas it was largely thanks to a formidable record of 37 goals in 17 games. Jamie Vardys record-breaking scoring run had propelled the relegation-favourites to unthinkable heights, but when his goals started drying up it was widely anticipated the magic would fade and the Foxes would start to slide.Their defensive record did not exactly cry out solidity, after all. Leicester had conceded 24 times in those 17 games - the same number as relegation-threatened Swansea - and it wasnt until late October that Claudio Ranieri had to come good on his promise of pizza to reward their first clean sheet of the season. Three months on, however, and Leicesters players are dining on pizza almost every week. Last weekends victory over Crystal Palace was their fourth 1-0 win in five games, and Premier League viewers have become accustomed to seeing them at the top of the pile.The Foxes are now just seven games away from making history with a title challenge that is rapidly gathering momentum. Leicesters Premier League record before and after Christmas Leicester 2015/16 Before Christmas After Christmas Games played 17 14 Wins 11 8 Draws 5 4 Losses 1 2 Goals scored 37 17 Goals conceded 24 7 Clean sheets 3 9 Leicester remain a deadly force on the counter-attack, but the statistics illustrate how the emphasis has shifted since Christmas. Before then, the Foxes were averaging 2.2 goals per game, but they have only netted 17 times in 14 outings since then at a rate of just 1.2 goals per game.Despite the drop-off in goals scored, however, Leicesters results have remained consistent, with their average points per game only falling slightly (from 2.4 before Christmas to 2.0 afterwards) while their lead at the top of the table continues to grow. Leicesters Premier League record before and after Christmas Leicester 2015/16 Before Christmas After Christmas Goals per game 2.2 1.2 Shots on target per game 5.1 3.9 Goals conceded per game 1.4 0.5 Shots on target faced per game 4.2 3.4 Points per game 2.2 2.0 A run of four shut-outs in five games has highlighted their defensive resilience in recent weeks, but the stinginess has been apparent for months. Since Christmas, and with help from midfield enforcer NGolo Kante, a first-choice back five of Kasper Schmeichel, Danny Simpson, Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs has only been breached seven times.Once we got that first clean sheet, it cemented the idea in peoples heads that keeping a clean sheet is a great foundation to build upon, said back-up goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on Sky Sports News HQ. Weve got players who will always score goals, so if you can keep a clean sheet when the season gets tighter and the pressure starts to mount, you can win games by the odd goal. Mark Schwarzer highlights Leicesters defence as the key to their recent form Having found defensive shut-outs so hard to come by at the start of the campaign, Leicester have now kept nine in their last 13 games. In the same period, no other Premier League side has managed more than seven. They have the look of champions about them, noted Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in his Daily Mail column - and hes not the only one to have been impressed.They dont give a lot away, said Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew after Riyad Mahrezs first-half strike settled last weekends game at Selhurst Park. Theyre underestimated defensively. Theyve got energy and theyre up to the ball all the time. Theyre tight and its difficult to create against them. Most Premier League clean sheets since Christmas Team Clean sheets Leicester 9 Southampton 7 Arsenal 6 Manchester City 6 The two centre-halves are confident in possession, they rarely make mistakes and they dont slash at clearances. They make good clearances from their defensive third and theyre fast. They have a lovely balance to the team and you have to admire them.Leicester have also had to adapt to their opponents attempts to nullify their goalscoring threat. The Foxes thrived in the first half of the season by ceding possession to their rivals, waiting for mistakes and springing forward on the counter-attack, but since their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal the likes of Norwich and West Brom have played them at their own game. Kasper Schmeichel, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs have shone in recent weeks The Foxes have therefore averaged 53.4 per cent possession in the last five games compared to 40.5 per cent earlier in the season. The enforced change of approach has resulted in fewer opportunities for Ranieris attackers to get in behind, but their defensive solidity has made the difference at the other end.Leicester are now within touching distance of one of the most extraordinary achievements in football history, and while Mahrez and Vardy are likely to battle it out for the player of the year gong, they are certainly not the only individuals who are due a considerable share of the credit. Leicesters remarkable stats We look at the numbers behind Leicesters Premier League title charge Also See: Leicesters remarkable stats Leicester to slip up? Ranieri remaining grounded Mahrez: Title getting close Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys . Observant Muslims avoid food and liquids from dawn to dusk during Ramadan but can, and often do, skip it if travelling or doing hard physical labour. Some devout Muslim athletes choose to fast during training or competition, but it can create selection difficulties for the coaches in team sports. Authentic Daniel Brickley Jersey . Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. 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The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park.DALLAS - A judge threw out a sexual assault lawsuit filed against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Thursday, saying the claims were barred by Texas law limiting the time in which a case can be filed.Jana Weckerly had accused Jones of grabbing her genitals and forcibly kissing her in 2009. Weckerly also alleged an attorney for Jones took a memory card with photos and destroyed it, and that she was paid hush money for several years after the incident. Jones denied the allegations.State District Judge Dale Tillery ruled that the allegations, even if true, fell outside the five-year statute of limitations for civil sexual assault cases.Tillerys order also redacted certain allegations made by Weckerly in court filings, and it banned attorneys on both sides from discussing the case with the media even after its dismissal.Weckerlys attorney, Thomas Bowwers, said his client did not receive any money from Jones or the Cowboys as part of the case ending.dddddddddddd. He declined to comment further.An attorney for Jones, Levi McCathern, said in an email that Weckerlys allegations were false and that he was pleased with Tillerys order. McCathern was also sued by Weckerly.Bowers argued in court last month that Weckerlys case wasnt past the deadline because she was receiving payments and feeling pressured not to report the alleged incident. But McCathern denied that any payments were made to Weckerly and said that even if they were at first, Weckerly could not have felt pressure for several years afterward not to go to authorities or file a lawsuit.___AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.___Follow Nomaan Merchant on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nomaanmerchant cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '