Jamie Vardy grabbed his 10th league goal of the season as Leicester City saw off Crystal Palace to go third in the Premier League table.

The striker reached double digits for the campaign late on after Calgar Soyuncu broke the deadlock following a goalless first half.

Palace, who remain in ninth place with 15 points after 11 games, could have risen to as high as fifth in the table had they snatched a surprise win.

Vicente Guaita returned between the sticks, while Jeffrey Schlupp replaced the injured Andros Townsend, as Roy Hodgson made two changes to the side which drew 2-2 with Arsenal last weekend.

Leicester almost took the lead when Guaita denied Vardy at his near post, following a sublime James Maddison through ball, in one of the first half’s best chances.

The visitors looked in control for large periods – Jonny Evans’ glanced header grazed the roof of the net and Patrick van Aanholt’s last-ditch tackle stopped a dangerous counter-attack – but had to remain vigilant against Palace.

After Soyuncu’s vital block denied Jordan Ayew at close-range early on, James McArthur went close before goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was forced to tip a deflected Schlupp strike over his crossbar.

Although the two sides couldn’t be separated before half-time Palace threatened to break the deadlock when Ayew nearly reached Cheikhou Kouyate’s driven cross, with Ricardo Pereira eventually hooking it away.

Leicester went in front after 56 minutes when Soyuncu headed home Maddison’s corner, with Guaita’s brilliant one-handed stop denying Evans from the same situation moments earlier.

Palace tried to respond quickly but narrowly avoided disaster when James Tomkins’ last-ditch tackle stole the ball away from Vardy, who almost pounced on a pass back from van Aanholt.

Leicester again threatened, this time through a Wilfried Ndidi piledriver from outside the box, as the hosts tested Schmeichel through Joel Ward and Wilfried Zaha. Hodgson’s three changes in four minutes signalled Palace’s intent to get something from the game.

Despite that, the visitors extinguished hopes of a comeback when a well-worked move saw substitute Demarai Gray tee up Vardy for a cool finish inside the box after 87 minutes.

And Leicester could have added a third a minute into stoppage time when Ben Chilwell’s effort bounced out off the post.

Crystal Palace team: Guaita; Ward, Tomkins, Cahill, van Aanholt; Milivojevic, Kouyate (Meyer, 74), McArthur (McCarthy, 78); Zaha, Schlupp, Ayew (Benteke, 78).

Subs not used: Hennessey, Dann, Camarasa and Kelly.