Albion eighth in table on 44 points with four matches remaining
- Jamie Vardy hands Foxes all three points (43)
- Baggies dominate play but cannot find leveller
- Darren Fletcher's run of 86 consecutive Premier League starts ends
- Attendance: 24,611
- Albion Star Man: Jonny Evans
ALBION suffered a fourth successive defeat as they were undone 1-0 by Premier League champions Leicester City.
Jamie Vardy scored the only goal of the game two minutes before half-time at The Hawthorns, racing on to Shinji Okazaki's throughball and slotting home.
The Baggies dominated the encounter but could not find the goal they deserved on the balance of play to grab a share of the spoils - Chris Brunt, Salomon Rondon, Craig Dawson and James Morrison all going close.
With just four matches of the campaign remaining, Albion remain eighth in the table on 44 points heading into next weekend's trip to Burnley.
Tony Pulis made three changes to his starting XI - Allan Nyom, Rondon and Morrison coming in for Matt Phillips, Hal Robson-Kanu and captain Darren Fletcher, whose impressive run of 86 successive Premier League starts came to an end.
Albion made a bright start to proceedings under impressive stand-in skipper - and man of the match - Jonny Evans, Brunt firing over a 25-yard free-kick before his header was superbly tipped over the bar by Kasper Schmeichel.
The City keeper made a comfortable low save to keep out Nacer Chadli and it looked to be heading towards a goalless interval until the Foxes pounced two minutes before the break.
Rondon's loose pass fell to Okazaki and he fed through for Vardy, who raced on and clipped the ball past Foster.
The Venezuela international almost levelled in first-half injury time but his near-post header flashed across goal, while Okazaki came almost as close soon after the restart yet he could not connect with Vardy's teasing ball.
Rondon turned and lashed at Schmeichel and Dawson headed narrowly over as Albion pressed for a leveller, Riyad Mahrez finding the side-netting at the other end.
Pulis turned to McClean and Fletcher off the bench and the former went close from a tight angle before Morrison's header was collected by Schmeichel as the hosts continued to search for an equaliser.
Jonathan Leko was introduced in a bid for further spark but Albion could not draw level and were left to taste defeat.
Albion: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans (c), Nyom (McClean 60); Yacob (Fletcher 69), Livermore; Morrison (Leko 79), Brunt, Chadli; Rondon.
Subs: Myhill; M Wilson, Harper, Field.
BOOKED: Yacob (foul, 22), Morrison (foul, 66)
Leicester: Schmeichel (c), Simpson, Benalouane, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez (King 81), Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki (Ulloa 67), Vardy.
Subs: Zieler, Chilwell, Amartey, Slimani, Gray, Ulloa.
BOOKED: Drinkwater (foul, 16), Benalouane (foul, 52)
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Durham)