Dismal for 45 minutes, this match became a beautiful dawn to the new year for Leicester City. The transformation was inspired by Riyad Mahrez, who illuminated the game with a brilliant goal early in the second half before creating another for Islam Slimani, the club’s record signing who was finally entrusted with a first league start since Claude Puel took charge in October. Marc Albrighton added a third goal and, to top off the hosts’ satisfaction, there was a belated appearance for Adrien Silva, who was at last allowed to play for Leicester four months after joining them.

All that would have made for a perfect start to 2018 for Leicester if not for the fact that their captain, Wes Morgan, was forced off in the first half with a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out of action for several weeks. And then there is the worry that Mahrez’s latest exhibition may attract bids this month from bigger clubs looking for a slinky and sharp attacker.

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“That is just speculation,” said Puel. “I want to keep all my best players. I am happy to play him and I think he is happy too. He was fresh and had quality and intensity to his play. It was a complete game from him.”

The Algerian has been in gleaming recent form, seemingly revelling under a manager who declared on his appointment that he hoped to introduce a playing style that would “seduce” Mahrez into resisting offers from elsewhere. Asked how he has coaxed the best out of a player who wanted to leave last summer, Puel quipped: “I speak French”.

The Mahrez show did not get under way until the second period, as the first half unfolded like a demonstration in support of a winter break. Both teams were playing a fourth match in 10 days and could not mask the ill-effects of a gruelling schedule, with players looking jaded and imprecise. They were also vulnerable to injury, as Morgan proved when hobbling off in the 27th minute following a lumpish tackle on Steve Mounié.

Jamie Vardy was absent because of a slight groin strain suffered in Saturday’s defeat at Liverpool but Silva was a notable inclusion among the home side’s substitutes after four months of suspended animation. Leicester paid Sporting Lisbon £22m for him on transfer deadline day in August but submitted the paperwork 14 seconds too late for international clearance to be granted, meaning the midfielder had to bide his time in a bureaucratic limbo until the Premier League could rubber stamp the deal as soon as the January’s window opened. He appeared, to tremendous acclaim, in the 86th minute, pointedly clad in the No14 jersey.

Before that Silva and all other spectators watched a misleading start to proceedings when Chris Löwe forced a save from Kasper Schmeichel in the first minute. There followed no other shots on target in the first half. Danny Williams had two chances but fluffed them. The first came when he chugged on to a pass by Aaron Mooy but, instead of shooting, he went to ground under mild pressure from Harry Maguire. Huddersfield’s manager, David Wagner, delivered an admirably honest verdict, saying: “I thought he could really go for a goal with the right desire. It wasn’t even a foul.”

Mahrez came to the fore in the 53rd minute, depositing the ball into the net with a wonderfully controlled volley from 12 yards. Albrighton had set up the chance by hooking a clever pass to Mahrez after weak defensive headers by Mathias Jorgensen and Mounié.

Mahrez created his team’s second goal on the hour, splitting Huddersfield’s defence with a neat pass to his compatriot, Slimani, who produced an equally deft finish, dinking the ball over the advancing Jonas Lossl.

After that Huddersfield never looked like averting their first defeat in five matches and were grateful that a late header by Wilfred Ndidi bounced out off the crossbar. They were not so fortunate in stoppage time, when Albrighton scored from close range after strong work by Slimani and Demarai Gray.