Fosse Posse: All Posts by Jake LawsonA bog covering Leicester Cityhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52737/favicon.ico2024-03-17T09:22:05-07:00https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/authors/jake-lawson/rss2024-03-17T09:22:05-07:002024-03-17T09:22:05-07:00FA Cup Match Report: Chelsea 4 - 2 Leicester City
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<img alt="Chelsea FC v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ukWP_Jbbe9ZkCracgpJkbetMXvw=/0x0:8018x5345/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213308/2091473356.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Two goals in extra time mean heartbreak for 10-man City</p> <p id="0vb9HK"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="WZPzog"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> bowed out of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> with a 4-2 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. The hosts took a deserved 2-0 lead at the half through goals from Marco Cucurella and Cole Palmer, with Raheem Sterling seeing a penalty saved by Jakub Stolarczyk. An Axel Disasi own goal gave the Foxes hope early in the second period, and a brilliant effort by Stephy Mavididi levelled the tie. Callum Doyle saw red for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity midway with fifteen minutes to play. City defended stoutly, but injury-time goals from substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke ended the Foxes’ cup run.</p>
<p id="O9YCE6">In all honesty, the hosts should have been home and dry after the first half. Naive defending saw us opened up again and again. A top side would have had four or more in the opening period. With a wholly undeserved lifeline via an own goal and a wonderstrike, we had two goals from one shot on target and were level into injury time. We were outshot 26-5 (8-1 on-target). It would have been hugely against the run of play to win the match, but at 2-2 on 90’, you start to hope, don’t you?</p>
<p id="ZkSQoV">It’s the hope that kills you. </p>
<p id="lIj2RI">KDH was the obvious standout today but I really don’t think anyone outside of Fatawu had a terrible match. Stolarczyk was mostly brilliant. Daka had no service but ran hard. Doyle was poor in the first half but strong in the second...until he wasn’t. Faes and Vestergaard did their thing. Choudhury was tidy with his passing and often wildly out of position. Winks and Ndidi were pretty good. Chelsea were just the better team and deserved the win.</p>
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<img alt="Chelsea FC v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iJneN315ywzclhJhZgq2z8YmStY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25340843/2091288958.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>And Andy Madley? Well done. That was one of the best-refereed matches I’ve seen all year.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="0227S1">The defeat ends our FA Cup run but has no effect on our league standings other than postponing a match and giving <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> the opportunity to go top, which they will do if the current scoreline at Elland Road holds. Bother. We go into the international break with a lot of work to do. Our next match (and all our remaining matches) will be in the Championship. We host Norwich City on April Fool’s Day. The following Monday, we’ll see Birmingham City at the King Power. </p>
<p id="SS8K6U"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="YG6BPh">Leicester City: Jakub Stolarczyk, Hamza Choudhury (C), Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, Calum Doyle, Wilfred Ndidi, Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Patson Daka</p>
<p id="kD9Nyh">Chelsea: Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, Axel Disasi, Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Mykhallo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling</p>
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<p id="6Fd2RS"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="dQZHvG">3’- The hosts win a couple of early corners. Mudryk sticks a leg out behind him and it loops across the six-yard box and off the base of the post. Doyle finally deals with it after whiffing on his first attempt. It was “close,” but it wasn’t really close if that makes sense.</p>
<p id="Z3QvP1">14’- GOAL! Fatawu loses the ball on the edge of the Chelsea area and the Blues are off to the races. Jackson carries it down the left channel. He holds off Vestergaard and fires in a low cross which is met by an unmarked Cucurella at the far post. He taps home for his first Chelsea goal.</p>
<p id="2jX3CD">17’- Close! Daka closes down Sanchez and nicks the ball off the keeper and he only has to control the ball and slot home. His first touch is heavy and it goes out for a goal kick.</p>
<p id="sHwczn">19’- The pitch is really slippery today. Players from both sides are losing their footing left and right. </p>
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<img alt="Chelsea FC v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cXJaNy0YALqc-A_Cwx5lM79WgjI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25340857/2091418742.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>OK, this might not technically be a “slip” but you get the idea.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="uq2Wdh">23’- Close! Fatawu crosses from the wing and finds Daka at the far post. He stretches to get his head to the ball and can’t quite get it on target. Perhaps leaving it for KDH would have been the better call, but no striker is going to pass up that chance.</p>
<p id="9UBQLk">26’- Penalty Saved! Fatawu challenges Sterling in the box and the former <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com">Manchester City</a> man goes down. The commentators aren’t sure it was a foul, but I’m pretty sure it was. Sterling takes it himself and it’s not great. Stolarczyk saves easily.</p>
<p id="IBtrU3">31’- Close! Dewsbury-Hall wins a corner and Fatawu whips it into the box. Sanchez is nowhere near it and it finds Faes at the far post. It’s not a free header, but all he has to do is get it on target as the keeper is out of the play. He does not get it on target. </p>
<p id="ORS7Hs">34’- Another Chelsea attack down their left sees Mudryk find some. His shot has plenty of venom and it’s on-target, but it’s right at Stolarczyk.</p>
<p id="KvvCtW">43’- You could count the touches Daka has had on one hand and have fingers left over. It’s not the striker’s fault; the service just hasn’t been there.</p>
<p id="xUa8If">45’- Close! How has Sterling scored? He’s behind the entire Leicester defence and only has Stolarczyk to beat. He curls it wide. </p>
<p id="Tbckk1">45+2’- GOAL! Sterling decides not to shoot and puts it on a plate for Palmer. Where was the defence? Caught in a clump between Sterling and Palmer and defending exactly no one.</p>
<p id="Dakm5Z">HALF-TIME: Chelsea 2 - 0 Leicester City</p>
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<p id="klni80">46’- No changes to either side to start the second half. The Foxes need goals and it’s hard to see where they’ll come from. The King of the FA Cup remains on the bench.</p>
<p id="MRgEEb">51’- GOAL! Daka closes down Disasi following a throw. The defender tries to go back to his keeper and somehow lobs his own keeper from 35 yards. I’d like to think former Leicester (and Chelsea) defender Frank Sinclair would be proud.</p>
<p id="FLih4G">58’- It just isn’t happening for Fatawu today. He’s cutting inside every time he touches the ball and Cucurella has his measure.</p>
<p id="E26iod">61’- GOAL! Oh my, take a bow Stephy Mavididi. He’s struggled against Malo Gusto all day, but he cuts inside and curls it magnificently into the inside of the side netting. 2-2 at the Bridge.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fair to say <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LCFC</a> fans enjoyed Stephy Mavididi’s stunning leveller <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EmiratesFACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EmiratesFACup</a> <a href="https://t.co/lieKuwXrzA">pic.twitter.com/lieKuwXrzA</a></p>— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmiratesFACup/status/1769367109392298292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="08pvDK"><em>Thank you, official FA Cup account. That video looks like it was taken on a 3rd generation Galaxy.</em></p>
<p id="4DhbMq">62’- Maresca makes his first change. Yunus Akgun is on for Fatawu. The Galatasaray man hasn’t been on the wing lately but I think that’s the right move.</p>
<p id="Undn4X">67’- Mavididi sees yellow for hauling back Gusto. 100% deserved.</p>
<p id="rau8zW">73’- RED CARD! Callum Doyle brings down Jackson and the referee points to the spot. VAR determines, correctly, that it’s just outside the area...yay! But, because it’s not a penalty, it’s the dreaded DOGSO and a red card for Doyle. James Justin comes on from Mavididi as the Foxes are down to 10 men.</p>
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<img alt="Chelsea FC v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ERSQvd2XHMJuLDhYPDLRqjZbnfU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25340846/2091435668.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>In the words of St. Patrick himself: “Whoopsie!”</em></figcaption>
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<p id="ffPHpr">74’- Sterling takes the free kick. It’s an almost impossibly poor effort. It’s taken from the centre of the “D” and flies over the corner flag.</p>
<p id="GFecf0">78’- Conor Coady comes on for Wilf. Not wholly sure what our shape is now. 5-3-1?</p>
<p id="U6JXKm">87’- Close! There’s a melee in the Leicester box and Madueke pokes it towards goal through traffic. Stolarczyk sees it late but gets down well to parry and then Choudhury cleans up.</p>
<p id="baNd0R">90’- EIGHT minutes of time will be added on.</p>
<p id="aWnudd">90+2’- GOAL! Palmer slides a beautiful backheel to find substitute Carney Chukwuemeka’s run. Unlike the man he replaced, he can’t miss from this range. </p>
<p id="eknaVr">90+8’- GOAL! Justin gives it away deep in Chelsea territory and the Blues are off to the races. Gusto finds Madueke who beats four defenders and then finds the far corner with the last kick of the match.</p>
<p id="dyOf2S">FULL-TIME: Chelsea 4 - 2 Leicester City</p>
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https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/3/17/24103750/fa-cup-match-report-chelsea-4-2-leicester-cityJake Lawson2024-03-09T09:46:08-08:002024-03-09T09:46:08-08:00Match Report: Hull City 2 - 2 Leicester City
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<img alt="Hull City v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WTW3DNLMjrpNFQyDURbi6_coakU=/0x0:3945x2630/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73194454/2071093274.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by George Wood/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Vardy braces rescues a point, but it’s a disappointing result for the Foxes</p> <p id="90z915"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="JAjmZI"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> came from behind twice to rescue a draw against Hull City in a fiery encounter in Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon. Mads Hermansen rescued the Foxes with an early penalty save, but he could do nothing about Fabio Carvalho’s strike from the edge of the area following a Wout Faes error. Jamie Vardy’s penalty saw the sides go into the tunnel level at the half. The Tigers took the lead in the second half through a long-range Anass Zaoury effort, only to see City level a minute later through Vardy.</p>
<p id="cACLSN">It was an ugly match, but an entertaining one. Both sides had chances to win, both made some foolish mistakes, and referee Samuel Barrett was so out of his depth it was comical. The two penalties were soft (and one was outside the area), and he seemed to struggle mightily with the laws of the game. I wish him well in his future endeavours, but I’m hoping that those future endeavours don’t involve refereeing a Leicester City match.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This has been an incredibly poor showing from the ref so far and it’s only been 10 minutes. <br><br>Same ref who denied <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a> a stonewall penalty at Portman Road on Boxing Day….</p>— Jamie Thorpe (@thorpie54) <a href="https://twitter.com/thorpie54/status/1766482045394440376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2024</a>
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<p id="gR4Tpy"><em>It’s not just me?</em></p>
<p id="HOkwH7">Who stood out? Vardy. This brace represented the first goals he’s scored against Hull. Fatawu was an absolute menace yet again. I thought Justin was excellent, especially in the second half, and Choudhury is really growing into the Ricardo role. It wasn’t a terrible performance overall, it was just one of those unfortunate matches where the referee had so much say in what happened that it’s difficult to determine who <em>should</em> have been the winner. You take a draw and deal with it.</p>
<p id="ccrYjS">The draw gives us 82 points from 37 matches played. We remain top of the table, 3 points ahead of <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> and 4 in front of Ipswich Town. We shouldn’t forget about <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a>, who are 9 points back with a game in hand. Speaking of the Saints, we host them next Friday at the King Power. Just two days later, we travel to London to face Chelsea in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> quarterfinals.</p>
<p id="6DbjXH"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="co7lIC">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Hamza Choudhury, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, James Justin, Yunus Akgun, Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Jamie Vardy (C)</p>
<p id="gIt7KP">Hull City: Ryan Allsop, Jacob Greaves, Alfie Jones, Ryan Giles, Lewie Coyle, Abdulkadir Omur, Jean Michael Seri, Regan Slater, Fábio Carvalho, Jaden Philogene, Anass Zaoury</p>
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<p id="FB13WW"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="k0wbRk">3’- It’s going to be a battle between Mavididi and Coyle on the Leicester left. The winger is visibly frustrated by the amount of contact referee Samuel Barrott is permitting.</p>
<p id="6aeqrA">6’- PENALTY SAVED! The hosts win a penalty from a Mavididi foul to stop a Regan Slater run. Carvalho steps up to take it, but Hermansen guesses right and pushes it wide. The foul, a shove in the back, was a good yard outside the area, so justice done?</p>
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<img alt="Hull City v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zIu0SnByxiD1rFDtUHl05aBl4D0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25326975/2063395808.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>He probably just saved it in this photo. Who knows? I wish they took more pictures of him.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="4JR20B">9’- Close! KDH wins the ball deep in the Hull half and it drops to Yunus. He winds his way into the box and he does everything right but put it in the net. Unless, of course, the supporters behind the net have a net of their own, but even then, it would be the <em>wrong</em> net.</p>
<p id="thWVST">15’- GOAL! Faes is caught in possession by Zaroury just outside his own area. The ball falls to Carvalho and the <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> loanee has only Hermansen to beat. Beat him he does, with a low shot. </p>
<p id="mH1Ej5">19’- Close! KDH has his back to goal just outside the “D” which doesn’t seem to ring any warning bells for Allsop, but it should have done. The midfielder turns and shoots so quickly that the keeper has no chance. It’s only the inside of the post that keeps the Foxes from equalising.</p>
<p id="SkS6qE">25’- Phew. This match has been anything but dull.</p>
<p id="k6kYji">31’- GOAL! A throw-in goes to Fatawu and he collapses under a shove from Seri. Vardy takes the penalty. He blasts it past Allsopp to level the match. Was it soft? Maybe, but no softer than the one Hull were awarded. </p>
<p id="fRvCjl">38’- Yunus wins a free kick just outside the area with a lovely bit of individual skill. That skill is not matched by KDH’s free kick which is directly into the wall.</p>
<p id="ZvXaHO">45+1’- No one will be happier to hear the halftime whistle than Faes. It was his error that led to the Hull goal. He nearly made the same mistake again on 40’, and he now picks up the most obvious yellow card in the history of ever.</p>
<p id="44vngX">45+2’- The whistle sounds, much to Wout’s relief. Interestingly, Vardy is having a very heated chat with Vestergaard as they go into the tunnel. No clue what that’s about.</p>
<p id="Aq3ykX">HALF-TIME Hull City 1 - 1 Leicester City</p>
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<p id="GisLpf">46’- Any changes at the half? Why yes, for once, we have one. Wilfred Ndidi is on for Yunus. The Galatasaray man didn’t really do much wrong, but it’s always good to see Wilf out there.</p>
<p id="zPnfFB">50’- Zaoury turns his ankle as he comes down from an aerial challenge and requires extended treatment. Almost immediately after the restart, Winks gets a knee to the face and needs help as well. We’re going to have some time added on.</p>
<p id="UEM9vi">60’- GOAL! A bizarre refereeing decision gives Hull a free kick in their own half. The Foxes fail to deal with the long ball and it’s worked out left to Zaoury, who shoots across Hermansen. He couldn’t have possibly placed it better.</p>
<p id="glJLZa">61’- GOAL! Almost immediately, the Foxes charge down the pitch. It’s worked to Fatawu on the right. He threads a diagonal ball to Vardy and the GOAT is in. He takes a touch to control the ball and chips it over Allsopp to restore parity.</p>
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<img alt="Hull City v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WVQksfSNbCfjkOu-yEu0lU5BAz4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25326984/2071179709.jpg">
<cite>Photo by George Wood/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>Frame it.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="CZyHNr">72’- There’s a huge melee in the Hull box. Justin finds Vardy who tries to turn and shoot but can’t, so he taps it to Fatawu who is, and I am not exaggerating here, dragged back with a two-handed grapple. The referee isn’t interested. He’s not calling much of anything today, and he’s been consistent in that, but this seemed a bit much. I <em>really</em> hate it when the ref is a talking point.</p>
<p id="ZggcjO">83’- Am I the only one who hears Michael Jackson’s voice when the commentators mention Philogene? “Philogene is not my lover...” Just me, huh?</p>
<p id="amyKMC">84’- The referee has absolutely bottled it. Faes wins a free kick and tries to take it quickly. Seri tries to prevent it so the defender takes it against the former Fulham man. He was already on a yellow, and by the laws of the game, this should be a second yellow but he seems to have forgotten his job. Shocking.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’ve seen some bad refereeing displays but that one takes the biscuit.<br><br>Absolute shambles</p>— Get Carter (@LCFC1884VERDICT) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFC1884VERDICT/status/1766510410180550902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2024</a>
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<p id="CvYnXa"><em>Definitely not just me.</em></p>
<p id="TWUSYG">87’- Patson Daka is on for Vardy. The commentators had only just said that neither side had made any changes. Am I the only professional involved with this match? No. I am not remotely professional. You knew that, right?</p>
<p id="MSQkvt">89’- Giles makes a fantastic run behind the Leicester defence and he’s in..or is he? The flag goes up for offside. He wags his finger at the assistant, but the replay shows he was a good yard off.</p>
<p id="uIEnT9">90’- NINE minutes of time will be played. No surprise there.</p>
<p id="CUHBrh">90+3’- Mavididi finds Daka with a cutback but the Zambia man hits it about a mile from ten yards. </p>
<p id="wvGkbu">90+6’ - Mavididi is setting up to take a corner but the referee doesn’t like the position of the ball. It is absolutely in a legal position, but he wants it moved anyway. No clue what that’s about.</p>
<p id="Q59sGg">90+8’- This is getting farcical. Slater shoves KDH over and the free kick is given. The Foxes try to take it quickly but they’re stopped again. This time it’s the ref who stops it for...reasons? </p>
<p id="Fqnpju">90+10’ - The whistle goes.</p>
<p id="k0yMIG">FULL TIME: Hull City 2 - 2 Leicester City</p>
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https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/3/9/24095339/match-report-hull-city-2-2-leicester-cityJake Lawson2024-03-05T14:22:43-08:002024-03-05T14:22:43-08:00Match Report: Sunderland 0 - 1 Leicester City
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<img alt="Sunderland v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/klKHf3jb-T4fXPZGi7y5H4jF3q8=/0x0:3740x2493/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73184801/2061518215.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Foxes make hard work of it, but the points are all that matter.</p> <p id="Z7uqwP"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="YtrGn8"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> returned to their winning ways, edging past <a href="https://rokerreport.sbnation.com">Sunderland</a> at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday evening. The Foxes looked by far the better side in the first half and took a deserved early lead through Jamie Vardy. In the second half, the Black Cats were the better club but couldn’t find the equaliser that they probably deserved.</p>
<p id="64YvsA">Tonight’s match featured a tactical wrinkle from Maresca that seemed to work well. With the hosts in a 5-4-1 and looking to absorb pressure and hit the Foxes on the break, Leicester spent long spells knocking the ball around in their own half, inviting a press, and then launching an attack over the top. The scoreline may not show it, but it worked and, on another day, City could have had several more goals.</p>
<p id="Vkp0KM">But enough about the first half; let’s talk about the second. Leicester looked tired. The Wearsiders were winning all of the second balls and City no longer had the speed to sprint behind the defence. Losing Praet and Ricardo for an extended spell is only going to make this problem worse, although getting Wilfred Ndidi back helps a lot. My guess is that someone from the academy is going to wind up getting some key minutes in April and May.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big Win , Performance!, especially 2nd half… but we held on!! <br>Psychologically that’ll be huge after recent results!<br><br>In real time that looked like a peno tbf <br><br>I wanted <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a> to win tonight but I do love <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/safc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#safc</a> ❤️ Not the same team without Clarke though <br><br> </p>— Pipes (@_mattpiper) <a href="https://twitter.com/_mattpiper/status/1765134121599168741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a>
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<p id="o4qvyA"><em>I love Pipes so much I don’t even care that his summary is better than my match report.</em></p>
<p id="lQYqDf">Abdul Fatawu was probably our best player out there. In spite of not being involved in much attacking play, he was massive defensively and made life miserable for everyone in a red and white shirt in his vicinity. This was also one of Hermansen’s best matches as a conventional goalkeeper. His distribution was...how can I put this...” inconsistent?” But, he faced five shots on target and saved all five including one that looked sure to ripple the net.</p>
<p id="3k0vNd">The win gives us 81 points from 36 matches. We remain top of the table, but with <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> and Ipswich winning, we haven’t extended our lead either. On Saturday, we’re off to East Yorkshire to face Hull at the...(looks up the current name of the stadium)...at the stadium where the Tigers play because that’s a terrible name. We play host to <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a> on the Ides of March. </p>
<p id="LzhKmc"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="DvYRRw">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Hamza Choudhury, Wout Faes, Conor Coady, Callum Doyle, Yunus Akgun, Harry Winks Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Jamie Vardy (C)</p>
<p id="E8kDfG">Sunderland: Anthony Patterson, Luke O’Nien, Danny Ballard, Jenson Seelt, Daniel Neil, Pierre Ekwah, Leo Fuhr jelde, Trai Hume, Luis Semedo, Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="yQZv83">
<p id="1ckNQt"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="g04t9S">1’- My friend Lynn is a big Sunderland supporter so I’ve been looking forward to this fixture. It’s been a disappointing year for the Black Cats and I hope they right the ship. Not tonight, of course, but after that.</p>
<p id="KjxkMe">8’- The Foxes have been playing a very slow, patient buildup and then a long ball over the top to great effect. Mavididi gets in behind the entire defence and is one-on-one with the keeper. Instead of shooting, he tries to pull it back for either Vardy or Fatawu and winds up splitting the difference between them.</p>
<p id="JJcoN0">9’- Close! A magnificent through ball sends KDH on his merry way. He has to wait for support and picks out Vardy in the centre of the area. Patterson parries it to Yunus, whose shot is goalbound but the keeper gets a trailing leg to it.</p>
<p id="0rkE2a">13’- GOAL! Doyle wins a free kick from a handball near the left corner flag. KDH finds Faes, whose header is well-saved by Patterson, but he can only parry it to Vardy who nods home from close range. That’s been coming.</p>
<p id="XL5U7t">21 ’- Sunderland have been much better since the goal. There’s a strange dynamic at the Stadium of Light. The supporters are roaring when they press the Foxes, which is to be expected, but they’re audibly expressing disappointment when there’s no press. </p>
<p id="Jz0mV1">24’- Hermansen kicks it straight out of play trying to find Callum Doyle on the left. That’s the second time he’s done it on the trot. Must be a narrow pitch. The Foxes are looking a little sloppy now.</p>
<p id="Da4Uqm">30’- Close! O’Nien gets forward and gets a free header 10 yards from goal. Hermansen gets down well and gathers, but that was a real chance. His parents missed a trick by not naming him <a href="https://www.roland.com/global/products/rc_tr-909/">Roland Nien O’Nien</a>.</p>
<p id="lf3ici">31’- Vardy’s called for a foul when O’Nien tried to drag the striker down and missed. That’s the second time referee Sunny Gill has denied a Leicester OGSO has been denied for a phantom foul. The standard of refereeing in the Championship is a notch below that of the Premier League, but here’s what I find interesting: There’s been little difference between the performance of the EPL refs and their Championship counterparts. Paul Tierney’s performance was probably the worst of the lot. I suspect what we’re seeing here is just human nature. Rather than let things go and have VAR sort it out, they have to make the call in the heat of the moment and they just get it wrong sometimes. I don’t blame the referees; we’re just seeing what happens when they’re denied the best tools available.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Sunderland v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CRPqSXihNhKXuwedePx0tsFfqKI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25320163/2061552784.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>32 fouls over the course of the match, including 20 against the Foxes.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="PBREpV">40’- Mavididi is scythed down in full flight by a Hume challenge. There’s no whistle, and there shouldn’t have been; it was a brilliant tackle. Ref got that one right.</p>
<p id="6njuFZ">45+1’- Hermansen blasts another diagonal ball over Coady’s head and straight out of play.</p>
<p id="qUf1xA">HALF TIME: Sunderland 0 - 1 Leicester City</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="laAlHF">
<p id="drB1Le">46’- No changes at the half. Well, that’s not quite true. The teams swapped halves, so they’re attacking different goals. I don’t know why I felt the need to explain that. Something for my therapist, I suppose.</p>
<p id="807rJi">57’- The Foxes take a short free kick to Fatawu and he delivers a peach of a ball into the 6-yard box. The keeper and the defenders know nothing about it, but Coady and Doyle can’t react quickly enough to turn it home.</p>
<p id="ljiLJJ">63’- Close! Winks gives the ball away and Sunderland have a chance to break. Hume breaks forward and has a go from distance and Hermansen just gets a fingertip to it to turn it on to the bottom of the crossbar. That was millimetres from going in.</p>
<p id="jJeBW4">69’- The hosts are well on top and Maresca wants to shut it down. He sends on Wilfred Ndidi for Yunus. In other news, WILFRED NDIDI IS BACK ON THE PITCH!!!</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Sunderland v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FS1nvXIEFI9BPmUJpDCTFEX_maQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25320166/2054031044.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>That’s not the pitch, Jake.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="hX7G06">70’- Leicester get away with one. A curling free kick comes in and it pinballs around before being controlled by Coady with the inside of his elbow. VAR gives that one. </p>
<p id="YcKKuQ">78’- Kelechi Iheanacho is on for Vardy. Nigeria represent! </p>
<p id="6wBNpm">86’- Maresca hauls off Fatawu for James Justin to see out the match. I’m not sure why; Fatawu has easily been our best defensive player.</p>
<p id="PPaKPX">88’- Naughty. Styles flicks his elbow up and catches Mavididi’s chin. The foul is given, but that’s all.</p>
<p id="Th3FwQ">90’- Choudhury is really struggling out there. He was while making a clearance with his leg fully extended ten minutes ago and hasn’t looked right since. </p>
<p id="0cKDdS">90+1’- Hermansen makes a couple of nice saves. Nothing spectacular, but he does the job calmly. The Foxes are looking leggy out there.</p>
<p id="vMQQYf">90+4’- Shouts for a Sunderland penalty when Hjelde goes down in the box. To my biased eye, it looked like he decided to go down when he realised the ball had gone, but for some stupid reason, Hamza did put his arm on his shoulder. The referee doesn’t give it, and it’s perhaps the only foul all night that he hasn’t given. Right call, I think, but you’ve definitely seen ‘em awarded.</p>
<div id="CmvrxC">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’ve aged approximately 3 years in the last 10 minutes.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a></p>— Jamie Thorpe (@thorpie54) <a href="https://twitter.com/thorpie54/status/1765129543650533493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="HqAmGP">FULL TIME: Sunderland 0 - 1 Leicester City </p>
<p id="33XMBZ"></p>
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<p id="oktbEG"></p>
https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/3/5/24091482/match-report-sunderland-0-1-leicester-city-ndidi-is-backJake Lawson2024-03-02T09:38:27-08:002024-03-02T09:38:27-08:00Match Report: Leicester City 1 - 2 Queens Park Rangers
<figure>
<img alt="Leicester City v Queens Park Rangers - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8aHE-QteYSg3xZBJSIf3B9AOiC4=/0x0:4168x2779/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73178002/2046139130.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We’re going to make it interesting, aren’t we?</p> <p id="WRsGXx"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="veXPOH"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a>’s losing ways in the Championship continued as the Foxes dropped their third on the trot, this time falling to Queens Park Rangers by a score of 2-1 at the King Power on Saturday. Ilias Chair gave the visitors the lead in the first half when the Foxes’ offside trap failed to stop the build-up. In the second half, substitute Sinclair Armstrong scored with his first touch to double the Rangers’ lead. City got one back through Ben Nelson’s first senior goal, but they were unable to find a late equaliser. </p>
<p id="ASkLnL">Today’s match was both an absolute triumph of Puel-ball and a demonstration of Ricardo’s importance to this scheme. The Foxes had 74% of the possession and outshot QPR 18-3. Unlike the <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> match, this was no smash-and-grab; the better side won. You could argue that Leicester created zero chances from open play. I know I would. Meanwhile, both of the Rangers’ goals were from very good chances. Even the single shot they missed was a better chance than any we had made. They executed their game plan perfectly and we...didn’t. </p>
<div id="M1cvjr">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never want to witness football without Ricardo again in my life, might have a breakdown if his injury is serious</p>— Jacob (@LCFCJacob) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFCJacob/status/1763973191955792075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="w1cuwX">Did anyone stand out? Both wings looked dangerous, but neither were able to link up with their #8 and that is probably the main reason we didn’t make any chances. We didn’t have the creativity in the centre to break down an organized defence working hard to prevent balls into the channels. The defenders had very little to do, but when they had to do it, they didn’t. </p>
<p id="lyF3tu">Can you tell that this is the first defeat this season that’s really got me down? Oh, and it gets worse (but not as bad as it could be). The defeat leaves us on 78 points from 35 matches. We remain top of the table, but Ipswich’s victory over Plymouth means the gap is now only three points. Fortunately, Leeds drew in the matinee, but they reduced our advantage to five. Next on the docket is a trip to the Stadium of Light to face <a href="https://rokerreport.sbnation.com">Sunderland</a> on Tuesday. Next Saturday, we visit the Humber estuary to take on Hull City. </p>
<p id="f7TXGI"><strong>Lineup</strong></p>
<p id="QWEQw4">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Hamza Choudhury (C), Wout Faes, Ben Nelson, James Justin, Dennis Praet, Harry Winks (Yunus Akgun 15’, Tom Cannon 78’), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Patson Daka (Jamie Vardy 60’)</p>
<p id="26sPTk">Queens Park Rangers: Asmir Begovic, Jake Clarke-Salter, Steve Cook, Kenneth Paal, Jimmy Dunne, Lucas Andersen, Sam Field, Isaac Hayden, Lydon Dykes, Ilias Chair, Chris Willock</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="ZVFJzx">
<p id="Kmxwfk"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="mMUPrM">1’- This is a personal grudge match for me. My first internet friend hated QPR and she transferred that antipathy to me. It is not the most rational reason for disliking an opponent, but not the least either.</p>
<p id="P5s319">12’- Nelson gets away with one there. QPR play a ball over the top and Dykes is favourite to run on to it, but the Foxes’ youngster pulls him back with a tug of the shirt and the referee misses it. </p>
<p id="EShrgh">15’- Praet goes down and stays down. He doesn’t seem to be in a lot of pain, but he’s got a look on his face that suggests he knows his race is run today. I can’t tell if it’s a knee, or ankle, or hamstring, or what, but Praet’s visage suggests he’s going to miss some time. Yunus quickly gets ready and comes on immediately.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leicester City v Queens Park Rangers - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DTFqHKqQfb7oQLMlxbDhvtiJYW4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25314675/2045788546.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>In the Big Book o’ Ill Omens, losing a player to injury in the opening fifteen is in chapter one.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="KWoVaU">25’- Close! Mavididi finds Yunus on the underlap in the right channel. The Galatasaray man charges into the box and fires a low ball across the face of the goal. KDH is about to tap it in, but Paal makes a timely lunge to tap it out for a corner.</p>
<p id="rkL4Jb">26’- Close! The corner is cleared to the edge of the area, and Fatawu wins it in the air, sending the ball spinning into the air. The winger strikes it on the volley and blasts it just wide with Begovic well-beaten.</p>
<p id="fzinLX">31’- Tea’s on. Be right back.</p>
<p id="kgueTD">32’- Did I miss anything? No. </p>
<p id="ReY3Zy">37’- The referee is letting everything go today. Andersen wraps an arm around Yunus and pulls him away from the ball, allowing the ball to roll out for a goal kick. The Foxes can’t complain as Nelson’s done that a couple of times.</p>
<p id="WvTYOQ">39’- GOAL! QPR take the lead about as “against the run of play” as you can get. City think Rangers were offside twice in the buildup, but nothing is given and Dykes is away. He squares it for Chair, who is unmarked at the far post. </p>
<p id="KCDErR">HALF TIME: Leicester City 0 - 1 Queens Park Rangers</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="FqO2eg">
<p id="z1khb7">46’- Listening to Steve Walsh and Gerry Taggart dissecting the numerous errors made by the Leicester defence when QPR scored. #Brutal</p>
<p id="Ro1TZO">47’- No changes in personnel or shape. It’s worth noting that the Foxes didn’t create a single clear-cut chance. It’s all good and well to have a lot of the ball and take a half dozen shots outside the area, but I’d wager QPR have more xG from their single shot.</p>
<p id="lk0EXr">53’- A period of pressure from the Foxes results in a couple of corners and, eventually, a header from Daka. There’s no power behind it, but it was as good a chance as we’ve had.</p>
<p id="Ggnfp4">57’- GOAL! Sinclair Armstrong has just come on the pitch for QPR and he’s scored with his first touch. Daka surrenders a free in the Leicester half. It’s played long and headed into the area. Armstrong pounces and blasts it home. Two shots, and two goals for the visitors.</p>
<p id="mqmeRb">60’- GOAL! Winks wins a free kick just outside the area. It’s tapped to KDH whose shot is parried by Begovic. It finds its way to Nelson, whose pinpoint strike goes in off the post. Trust me on this description. Don’t watch the replay. Just trust me. Also, Vardy is on for Daka.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leicester City v Queens Park Rangers - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/amNuqlPmWBz16_ldBzzD0xvVJkg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25314682/2044938020.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>A man who is about to score a goal. The disappointed look on his face is due to the fact that Paula Roberts told him that Getty wouldn’t have any photos of the goal.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="vr96Yu">72’- It’s all Leicester right now, but it’s all Leicester slightly faster. There’s some urgency, but Rangers are doing well to absorb the pressure.</p>
<p id="9zCyFZ">78’- Tom Cannon is on for substitute Yunus. There’s a replay of Faes’ penalty shout from earlier. The QPR defender put his arms around Wout and swung him to the ground. It’s one of those things that’s both an obvious foul and you never see it called. Don’t blame him for complaining, though. </p>
<p id="BzZWN3">83’- For the third time, Fatawu tries to recreate his goal at Bournemouth and for the third time, he sends it high and wide. Maresca indicates that he does not agree with the decision to shoot.</p>
<p id="PTeVxk">90+5’- Chasing the game is not our thing. </p>
<div id="Wb39ea">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bottling is part of the clubs dna now unfortunately. There's only one thing left to try.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringBackUptownFunk?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringBackUptownFunk</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a></p>— tom pawley (@tom_pawley) <a href="https://twitter.com/tom_pawley/status/1763973330955075920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="2XDzn0"><em>Don’t believe it? Just watch.</em></p>
<p id="ASIJYO">FULL TIME: Leicester City 1 - 2 Queens Park Rangers </p>
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<p id="dThi5G"></p>
https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/3/2/24088444/match-report-leicester-city-1-2-queens-park-rangersJake Lawson2024-02-27T15:34:01-08:002024-02-27T15:34:01-08:00FA Cup Match Report: AFC Bournemouth 0 - 1 Leicester City aet
<figure>
<img alt="AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OwnJKm_YAr8FMdZdndIoqqNC78Q=/0x0:3389x2259/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73169217/2043800107.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I never get to put “aet” at the end of things. Give me this one. Anyway, Fatawu wins it with a wonderstrike.</p> <p id="HevG3I"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="EqadjV"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> overcame Premier League side AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday night to book a place in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> quarterfinals. Both halves of regular time were remarkably even, although the hosts were probably slightly on top. It all changed at the end of the first half of extra time when Abdul Fatawu scored an unstoppable curler from the right side of the area. It could have been a nervy final fifteen minutes, but the Foxes looked the more likely side to score up until the final whistle.</p>
<p id="TAOQHp">To say that the lineup was “much changed” would be exactly correct. No figurative speech here. It’s one thing for a Championship side to face a top-flight team, but quite another to do so with only one regular starter in the starting XI. Hats off to Wanya Marcal, Arjan Raikhy, Jakub Stolarsczk and the veterans who haven’t played much this year. This was a performance to build on. Enzo Maresca might even have a selection problem or two in the near future.</p>
<p id="Jp1d95">Probably not, though. </p>
<p id="eGdiEz">Of all the players fighting for playing time, I’d say Yunus Akgun probably did the most to help himself. His final touch let him down pretty much every time, but his contributions up to that point were impressive. I have no idea if he turned the gaffer’s head, but I’m a fan.</p>
<p id="xAWpPA">The victory puts the Foxes through to the FA Cup quarterfinals. We’ll discover our opponents when the draw is held on Wednesday evening. We square off against Queen’s Park Rangers at the King Power in League Championship action on Saturday in a match that I will absolutely guarantee we will win (so long as you don’t put any money on it). One week from today, we’ll travel to the northeast to face <a href="https://rokerreport.sbnation.com">Sunderland</a> at the Stadium of Light. </p>
<p id="GWgsoz"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="evWnXZ">Leicester City: Jakub Stolarczyk, Conor Coady, Jannik Vestergaard, Callum Doyle, Dennis Praet (Ben Nelson 115’), Arjan Raikhy (Ricardo Pereira 46’), Yunus Akgun, Marc Albrighton (C) (Abdul Fatawu 63’), Wanya Marcal, Tom Cannon (Kelechi Iheanacho 63’)</p>
<p id="xdtTXN">AFC Bournemouth: Mark Travers, Marcos Senesi, Illia Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez, Adam Smith, Philip Billing, Lewis Cook, Alex Scott, Enes Unal, Luis Sinisterra, Dango Ouatarra</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Ua3PUs">
<p id="wycgh9"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="j03SFK">5’- The Foxes are well on top here and moving the ball very briskly. It won’t stay this way for the whole match, but it’s a nice start.</p>
<p id="DDcNuZ">11’- This is going to be another open match, isn’t it? Let's hope we deal with it better than we did on Friday.</p>
<p id="UjC0ar">17’- Close! The Cherries were very close to taking the lead there. Sinisterra charged into the right channel and pulled the ball back for Unal. The Turkey attacker has ages to line up his shot. He beats Stolarczyk but Choudhury is on hand to clear it off the line.</p>
<p id="KvafIU">22’- Close! Sinisterra nips in behind Doyle and pulls it back for Scott. His first-time effort sails over the bar, but it didn’t miss by much.</p>
<p id="yBFbd6">26’- Unal goes down in a heap trying to get on the end of a cross from the left. There doesn’t appear to have been any contact; he slipped and seems to have done his shoulder. He goes off for treatment. Dominic Solanke is not in the side for the Cherries, so this would be a big blow for the hosts.</p>
<p id="uc3jow">29’- Rock your body right. Unal’s back alright.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Backstreet Boys DNA World Tour At The Grand Arena In South Africa" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hwDTRTLZyDHBO7rfFyIQaTH3ngI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25308604/1258502077.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Dereck Green/Gallo Images via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>And lo! The subtext becomes text!</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="jQnk1M">32’- Close! The Foxes make a rare foray deep into Bournemouth territory. Cannon sees his shot blocked, as does Vestergaard (no, really). It spins to Albrighton who delivers a peach of a cross into the area. Yunus gets up well and makes good contact, but he puts it wide.</p>
<p id="e2DAs6">38’- You can tell the commentators haven’t done their homework on the Foxes. They’re making a big deal of Cannon coming back to receive the ball from the keeper, but that’s standard operating procedure for City.</p>
<p id="ZUrX6E">40’- Close! Cannon wins a free kick near the right corner flag. Albrighton applies it directly to the striker’s forehead, but he can’t generate the power to beat Travers.</p>
<p id="0EsBfA">41’- Close! Close! The Cherries turn the ball over in their own half. Albrighton tries his luck from distance and sees it come off the inside of the far post. It’s worked back out to Wanya, who fires in a curling effort that Travers does very well to parry.</p>
<p id="5oNyys">45’- Choudhury gives up a free kick in the exact centre of the “D”. Ouatarra takes it but it comes off the wall for a corner. It comes in to Sinisterra, who glances it goalward but Stolarczyk stands his ground and palms it to safety.</p>
<p id="sfk5GM">HALF TIME: AFC Bournemouth 0 - 0 Leicester City</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Vkh5bK">
<p id="IefqwD">46’- Ricardo Pereira is on for Raikhy. Not the most eventful full debut for the former Villa man, but he held his own against a Premiership side. </p>
<p id="9aDiZo">49’- Cook charges forward and dives over Vestergaard’s knee without actually making any contact. He then kicks out at Choudhury and is extremely fortunate not to have made any contact.</p>
<p id="bEXEmE">50’- Close! Senesi whips in a cross from the right. Coady leaves it for Stolarczyk, but the keeper doesn’t come for it. It bounces untouched off the far post. Lucky.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nUGonXa9C35QAddZZryv6806xkM=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25308639/2036332978.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>“Great game, Conor. Come for the ball next time.”</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="CZDRx4">59’- Yunus does everything right but finish it. He carries the ball from deep in his own half down the left wing beating six Bournemouth players in the process. He cuts inside onto his left boot and fires a tame shot directly at the keeper. </p>
<p id="gFGEIX">63’- Maresca makes a double switch, withdrawing Cannon and Albrighton for Abdul Fatawu and Kelechi Iheanacho. You know him, right? The King of the FA Cup? That’s him.</p>
<p id="Mj8vsE">73’- The Cherries break down the right and it falls to substitute Ryan Christie. He tries a snapshot from a tight angle, but Stolarczyk bars the way.</p>
<p id="n9eWpG">77’- The Foxes look tired. There are only two bodies forward on a break and the move breaks down. It’s cycled back out to Coady who delivers a cross that somehow evades all defenders and lands at Yunus’ feet. He’s as shocked as anyone that the ball got there and it rolls out untouched.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TH1yKZkIhjtOu5249VPRaF-J1qY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25308602/2036331196.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>Yunus’la aynı fikirdeyiz.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="qia6qG">80’- James Justin is on for Callum Doyle. Random note: Justin’s a big lad. I didn’t really notice it until he was warming up, but he’s a big ‘un.</p>
<p id="YGm702">85’- Close! A through ball to Yunus absolutely tears the Cherries’ defence apart. He turns and shoots and puts it over from close range. Should have scored. Should have at least put it on target.</p>
<p id="fnyD0O">89’- Close! Ricardo gets behind the defence and has only the keeper to beat. It’s on his weaker left boot and he spins it well wide when you’d have expected him to hit score. </p>
<p id="jz9wT4">END OF REGULAR TIME: AFC Bournemouth 0 - 0 Leicester City</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="66XhVO">
<p id="RE2ZpS">93’- It’s a recreation of Yusus’ earlier run except down the centre. He beats everyone who tries to close him out but can’t find Fatawu on the right or Iheanacho on the left.</p>
<p id="JVu3lq">98’- The Foxes started the extra brightly but Bournemouth are starting to apply the pressure.</p>
<p id="yWSgEm">115’- GOAL! Fatawu slips in Iheanacho in the right channel. The Seniorman returns the ball to the Ghana man, who cuts inside and tries that curler he tries every time. He hits it beautifully and beats Travers at the far post. </p>
<div id="r2D0J7">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Issahaku Fatawu. Remember the name. <br><br>The Ghanaian grabs an extra-time goal for <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LCFC</a>, and his first <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EmiratesFACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EmiratesFACup</a> goal in his first game <a href="https://t.co/MYLhFNXt9J">pic.twitter.com/MYLhFNXt9J</a></p>— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmiratesFACup/status/1762594800740540569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2024</a>
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<p id="lkc4dM"><em>Riyad who?</em></p>
<p id="7TNgid">115+1’- Praet is off and Ben Nelson is on</p>
<p id="i2Vcr2">END OF THE FIRST HALF OF EXTRA TIME: AFC Bournemouth 0 - 1 Leicester City</p>
<p id="Jz27M8">118’- Close! That would have been goal of the century. The Foxes win the ball at the back and play a series of 1-2s all the way down the pitch. The kicker is that Vestergaard is one of those involved in every 1-2. He gets it behind the entire defence and is one-on-one with Travers. His shot beats the keeper but is cleared off the line by Scott.</p>
<div id="qHfDWx">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Choudhury and Vestegaard were magnificent. Arguably Hamza’s best performance in a Leicester shirt?<br><br>Monsters defensively. <br><br>Also if Jannick had scored that little chip my head would be on Mars right now. <br><br>Into the next round <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a></p>— Jamie Thorpe (@thorpie54) <a href="https://twitter.com/thorpie54/status/1762601084093186257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2024</a>
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<p id="PKkZ2e">121’- Yunus has done literally everything but score tonight. He’s worked hard on defence, he’s been unstoppable on the ball, and he’s never stopped running. Needs to scores some goals, though.</p>
<p id="mCdF5d">125’- The Foxes are well on top now. Sit back and defend the lead? Nah, we’re not doing that. </p>
<p id="IqrRIC">128’- The Cherries win their 13th corner, but there’s nothing going to get past Vestergaard and Nelson right now. </p>
<p id="5tiSSL">END OF EXTRA TIME: AFC Bournemouth 0 - 1 Leicester City</p>
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https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/2/27/24084946/fa-cup-match-report-afc-bournemouth-0-1-leicester-city-aetJake Lawson2024-02-23T15:08:19-08:002024-02-23T15:08:19-08:00Match Report: Leeds United 3 - 1 Leicester City
<figure>
<img alt="Leeds United v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3DXDHQNUDH2VNrn-HKUR33R8AAA=/0x0:2999x1999/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73160564/2033661833.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>That’s the way it crumbles, cookie wise.</em> | Photo by George Wood/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Smash and grab for the hosts as Leicester dominate for 80 minutes, lose on two deflected goals.</p> <p id="QqD8zE"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="iOfyRo"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> fell to <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds United</a> by a score of 3-1 at Elland Road on Friday evening. Wout Faes gave the Foxes an early lead with a headed goal from a corner in the first half. The Foxes missed several golden chances to extend the lead in the second half and had a Patson Daka wrongly disallowed. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, Leeds suddenly found an attacking gear and scored three times through a Connor Roberts goal, a deflected Wout Faes own-goal from an Archie Gray shot, and a Daniel James free kick that came off of Patrick Bamford.</p>
<p id="ys2Ujw">It was a strange game. Referee Craig Pawson made sure to insert himself into every event, much to the frustration of both sets of players...and managers...and supporters. He got several calls right, but that was about the extent of his positive influence on proceedings. The Foxes was by far the better club for the first 80’ and probably should have had a 4-0 lead before United got their first shot on target. No, not probably. They should have had at least four. </p>
<div id="WuINyn">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got to be more clinical in front of goal I’m afraid.</p>— Ian Stringer (@StringerSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/StringerSport/status/1761148260444491877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a>
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<p id="9QE7dO"><em>Look, I know you’re only saying that because it’s true.</em></p>
<p id="eWgk4L">But, that’s not what counts. Leeds held on and managed to turn the match around and they were clearly on top at the end. They got the three points and it turns out that “xG” and “should have scored” don’t mean anything in terms of where you finish on the table. It’s all about points and we didn’t get any today. </p>
<p id="TI8KHr">You could argue that the substitutions didn’t work and you’d be right. 1-0 before the changes, 3-1 after, so the empirical evidence certainly suggests they weren’t effective. I think it was less that the Leicester changes didn’t work and more that the Leeds changes did. They were always going to mount a charge and the Foxes didn’t deal with it. Two of the goals were deflected, but they were both taken from positions where you would have expected the shooter to get the shot on target. </p>
<p id="ti0iaV">How do I come up with a Man of the Match? Everyone was good for 80 minutes. No one was good after that. I’d probably have to select Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was an absolute menace on the ball today. Both Vestergaard and Faes were unbeatable until they, um, were. Beatable, that is. Ricardo is one of those guys who would be among our best players no matter where he lines up. </p>
<p id="lhRShe">The defeat leaves us on 78 points from 34 matches. Our lead is down to 6 points over second-placed Leeds but it remains 9 over Ipswich Town. We travel to Bournemouth on Tuesday to face the Cherries in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a>. The following Saturday, Queens Park Rangers visit the King Power in our first match of March. </p>
<p id="eCviUl"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="lkuaA9">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Hamza Choudhury, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, James Justin, Ricardo Pereira (C), Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi (Casey McAteer 77’), Patson Daka (Tom Cannon 77’)</p>
<p id="16mce7">Leeds United: Ilian Meslier, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Junior Firpo, Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter, Glen Kamara, Ilia Gruev, Joel Piroe, Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="z3HztW">
<p id="MzYrzY"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="Jr0Rla">2’- Interesting. It looks like Mavididi and Fatawu have swapped side. Stephy’s on the right and Abdul’s on the left. I’m sure there’s a tactical reason but I’ve no clue what it is.</p>
<p id="fuWJQG">4’- Close! The hosts should have the lead. Gnonto leads the charge and flicks the ball to Piroe in front of the net in space. He blazes over when he should have at least hit the target.</p>
<p id="KHzYST">6’- Gruev goes in studs up into the back of KDH’s leg just outside the area. Referee Craig Pawson declines to play advantage when Daka picks it up in space. Dewsbury-Hall takes it and floats it into the mixer, but it’s cleared to Fatawu, who attempts a spectacular volley. You may have guessed by the lack of a “Close!” at the start of this entry that he blazed well over.</p>
<p id="38LwQr">7’- Fatawu and Mavididi have returned to their regular sides. Less interesting, but “interesting” is overrated.</p>
<p id="dM73CI">14’- Close! Mavididi gets behind Joe Rodon in spite of the defender hauling him back by his shirt. He cuts it back for Daka who hits it first time with his left peg. It might be going over, but Meslier gets his fingertips to it to make sure.</p>
<p id="NPYodW">15’- GOAL! Dewsbury-Hall’s corner finds Daka at the near post. He flicks it across the face of the goal and it falls to Faes at the other stick. He heads it down and into the back of the net to give the Foxes the early lead. Meslier may be regretting tipping that Daka shot over, huh?</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leeds United v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D-3P7CNN1utBqzhak3kqn1UVw2A=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25301580/2033494106.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>A simpler, happier time.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="dbF017">19’- Ricardo makes a brilliant sliding challenge to nick the ball off of Summerville. This being Craig Pawson, he not only blows his whistle but shows a yellow card to the Leicester captain.</p>
<div id="MXBdjG">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s a heated game, 2 top teams and the refs clipped the wings of one of our best tacklers <a href="https://t.co/wcODPtnzzX">pic.twitter.com/wcODPtnzzX</a></p>— Sean Sweeney (@SweeneySean_) <a href="https://twitter.com/SweeneySean_/status/1761136000015688108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a>
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<p id="iFv42T"><em>And, just to dot the “i”, the replays make it clear he didn’t touch the player, although Summerville did go over him after the ball was gone.</em></p>
<p id="onrxXH">22’- What is happening? Gnonto makes a fantastic run to get behind the City defence, but he dawdles and sees he shot blocked. Vestergaard plays a ball over the top and Mavididi is away. Rodon puts it behind but the ref misses it and lets play continue. Bizarre stuff.</p>
<p id="ehu8R7">24’- Close! Summerville beats Choudhury is in and should score, but Vestergaard times his challenge perfectly. That’s a goal saved right there.</p>
<p id="zPJjR8">34’- Ten minutes have passed with a hugely notable incident. That itself is worth of note. </p>
<p id="3OQJjx">45+2’- Leeds lost their recklessness when they went behind and the chances for both teams dried up. The hosts had almost 60% of the ball, but attempted only 5 shots and didn’t get any on target. The Foxes put 3 of their 6 efforts on frame and, crucially, one of them found the back of the net. It’s been a <em>very</em> even contest.</p>
<p id="mgYmF1">HALF TIME: Leeds United 0 - 1 Leicester City</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="IdDXXS">
<p id="JBJIwp">46’- No changes at the half for either side. No big surprise there.</p>
<p id="jhzo2f">49’- Close! Winks gives it away in midfield and Rutter is off. He plays a nice one-two and finds space to shoot on the edge of the area. He’s going for the top of the far corner and curls it over.</p>
<p id="a2Z5mx">52’- Ampadou goes in late on Daka and sees yellow after a long stretch of “advantage.” The Zambian is in a lot of pain and Tom Cannon is getting ready in a hurry.</p>
<p id="XCLUyV">55’- Close! Mavididi chips the ball into the area to find Ricardo’s run. If the Portuguese fullback were an inch or so taller, that would be a goal. Lovely stuff.</p>
<p id="oVBXuo">59’- Close! The Foxes win a corner and it’s swung in to Vestergaard. His header comes off the crossbar and is chested down by Rutter. Daka pounces and blasts it into the back of the net. The flag goes up for offside as the linesman seems to think it came off a Leicester player. United got away with one there.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leeds United v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TA_FyBr4GTEHbajNHwK3AWpXHh4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25301603/2033632351.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>For everyone who complains about VAR...this one would have counted.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="hD7E4G">61’- Close! KDH delays his pass and releases Mavididi behind the Leeds defence. The winger cuts inside, picks his shot and fires just wide with Meslier beaten. I <em>think</em> Stephy was just offside if I’m being honest.</p>
<p id="XxOOUM">67’- Daniel Farke introduces Patrick Bamford and Daniel James and suddenly, Leeds are on the front foot. Summerville has several opportunities to shoot but Faes blocks every effort. Bamford takes a crack at it and gets it on target, but it’s directly at Hermansen.</p>
<p id="9Ol7dx">71’- Close! Ricardo nicks the ball in midfield and leaves Rodon in his wake. He draws in the defence and slides it to Daka who somehow puts it wide with the goalmouth gaping. Between the poor finishes and refereeing mistakes, it should be 4-0 to the Foxes now.</p>
<div id="v7MmAw">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If I have to see it again, you do too <a href="https://t.co/QIEO6poL6Q">pic.twitter.com/QIEO6poL6Q</a></p>— George (@lcfcgeorgee) <a href="https://twitter.com/lcfcgeorgee/status/1761150457207005425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a>
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<p id="NpSLy3"><em>Watching this again, I genuinely wonder if he was trying a return ball.</em></p>
<p id="RaHavX">77’- Maresca has left it late to make his first substitutions, as least by his standards. Daka and Mavididi come off for Tom Cannon and Kasey McAteer.</p>
<p id="ifqUTI">80’- GOAL! Summerville charges into the Leicester box but overruns the ball. Vestergaard tries to backheel it away and instead just tees up substitute Connor Roberts. He fires in a low shot that beats Hermansen and levels the score.</p>
<p id="rPRDnx">83’- GOAL! What is happening here. Fatawu gets wiped out dribbling out of defence and Leeds pounce. The ball is worked to the left to Gray whose shot has no hope of beating the keeper, but it deflects off of Choudhury and then Faes and dribbles over the line. </p>
<p id="85NSqF">86’- Ouch! Ricardo win the race to a ball over the top and James just plows through him. When the whistle goes for the foul, James turns around and kicks the ball directly into Ricardo’s gentleman’s area. Nasty.</p>
<p id="K7P2Cz">90’- FIVE minutes of time will be added on.</p>
<p id="KiXgEU">92’- GOAL! Vestergaard brings down James on the edge of the area and picks up a yellow. He takes it himself and fires it straight at Bamford in the wall and it deflects in off the striker. What a misleading scoreline this is. Vestergaard will now miss the next two matches.</p>
<p id="GxbIdV">FULL TIME: Leeds United 3 - 1 Leicester City</p>
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https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/2/23/24081310/match-report-leeds-united-3-1-leicester-cityJake Lawson2024-02-17T09:24:48-08:002024-02-17T09:24:48-08:00Match Report: Leicester City 1 - 2 Middlesbrough
<figure>
<img alt="Leicester City v Middlesbrough - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UKG5BfAdB1rslU3ZpaAr46NkHbs=/0x0:5568x3712/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73146742/2010704536.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>Same, Filbert. Same</em> | Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Foxes channel their inner Brendan Rodgers as Boro win their first match at the King Power</p> <p id="Qy0AwW"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="RghDsQ"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> fell by a score of 2-1 at the King Power as Middlesbrough completed their double against the Foxes. First-half goals from Finn Azaz and Samuel Silvera gave the visitors an insurmountable lead. Substitute Jamie Vardy got one back late in the second half, but it was just a consolation as City couldn’t find an equaliser in injury time.</p>
<p id="ifQmWQ">Well, that was awful. We were carved open twice, conceded twice, and were incredibly wasteful with the ball and in front of goal. Boro scored with their only 2 shots on target, and they only attempted 5 over the entire match. The Foxes had 24 efforts and...2 on target. Middlesbrough defended well, but with average finishing we’d have had 4 or 5 tonight. We had 71% of the possession but there were so many misplaced passes where the players just weren’t on the same page. I wasn’t kidding with the subhead: It really did feel like a Brendan Rodgers special.</p>
<p id="3yrOnl">None of the Foxes really stood out today. Fatawu had a poor match by his standards and he was probably our best starter. Daka missed a sitter. KDH and Winks were more wayward with their distribution than we’ve grown to expect. Lewis O’Brien was the best player on the pitch today and that should tell you everything you need to know about the performance.</p>
<p id="mtCAOH">The substitutions today were...unusual. When you’re down by two goals, hauling off KDH, Mavididi, and Fatawu is not what you’d normally expect. My guess, and it’s just that, is that the gaffer was trying to send a message that, if the performances are not up to standard, no one is safe from getting hauled off. </p>
<div id="xY6hxV">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pereira tries to play a ball into the box and it cannons off Praet's backside and out for a goal-kick. This afternoon in a nutshell for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCFC</a></p>— Rob Tanner (@RobTannerLCFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobTannerLCFC/status/1758890654472511556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="CziKZZ">The defeat leaves us on 79 points from 33 matches. We’re still top, nine points ahead of <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> and 12 above 3rd place <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a>. On Friday, we square off against Leeds at Elland Road. That ought to be interesting, eh? The following Tuesday, we travel to the south coast to face Bournemouth in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a>.</p>
<p id="LkCHMI"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="Gwg7JU">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Ricardo Pereira (C), Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, James Justin, Dennis Praet (Marc Albrighton 89’), Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Kasey McAteer 63’), Abdul Fatawu (Yunus Akgun 58’), Stephy Mavididi (Tom Cannon 46’), Patson Daka (Jamie Vardy 63’)</p>
<p id="IyCRpM">Middlesbrough: Thomas Glover, Rav van den Berg, Matthew Clarke, Lukas Ahlefeld Engel, Luke Ayling, Lewis O’Brien, Paddy McNair, Daniel Barlaser, Finn Azaz, Samuel Silvera, Riley McGree</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Ufz2ar">
<p id="ewIhE1"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="bb5MUQ">5’- Close! The Foxes win a corner and it’s played short to KDH. He finds Vestergaard unmarked at the back post and the big Dane does everything right but put it on target. </p>
<p id="iU8DFA">9’- Boro win a free kick in midfield and take it quickly. Luke Ayling sprints behind the Foxes’ defence and he’s in hectares of space. The visitors win a corner from it but it’s comfortably cleared. Also, Luke Ayling plays for Middlesbrough now. Huh.</p>
<p id="huKxtd">15’- Clarke is a very lucky boy. He’s already on a yellow for an early foul on Ricardo. He wipes out Praet in midfield and I suspect, had he not already been booked, he’d have seen yellow for this one. Chris Kavanaugh is in a merciful mood today.</p>
<p id="kHaQUC">19’- Close! How did he not score? The Foxes break down the left and play a reverse ball to Fatawu. The winger’s cross couldn’t be better, picking out Daka at the far post. The Zambia man somehow puts it across the goal and wide when anything on target would have given the Foxes the lead.</p>
<p id="NRdGHx">22’- GOAL! Leicester’s high line gets exposed as Silvera finds <a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2022/6/8/23141675/leicester-city-summer-shopping-2022-central-midfielders">O’Brien’s</a> run. He’s away and carries the ball all the way into the area before squaring for Azaz who has the simplest of tap-ins.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leicester City v Middlesbrough - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x_LL7oH735ViRBDQCTr5tY8ACpw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25291394/2010965950.jpg">
<cite>Photo by John Cripps/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>If you think a professional football can’t miss from this range, read on! There will be plenty of misses from even closer.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="mL8FM4">35’- Fantastic defending by Ricardo. O’Brien is away following a Leicester corner. He’s got Silvera in the centre with only the Portugal man in defence. City’s captain somehow manages to be in the right place at the right time and gets it out for a throw when a goal seemed certain.</p>
<p id="yHknSe">37’- GOAL! I guess it was certain. Boro just scythe through the Foxes' defence on their right. Vestergaard challenges for the ball outside the area and gets it all wrong. The ball is sent through to Silvera and there are no defenders anywhere near him. He lashes his shot across Hermansen and doubles the lead for the visitors. </p>
<p id="TKJSKS">43’- Boro were already in time-wasting mode after the first goal, taking a full 29 seconds to take a goal kick. They’re playing everyone behind the ball and feigning injury every time there’s contact. Silvera just required treatment for a touch that probably wouldn’t have torn a paper towel. In fairness, that is exactly what we’d do in their shoes.</p>
<p id="dHNZ7N">HALF-TIME: Leicester City 0 - 2 Middlesbrough</p>
<p id="AjSetw">46’- Maresca makes one change at the break, sending on Tom Cannon for Mavididi. Interesting. Cannon is lining up out right so...like for like?</p>
<p id="xKhK7M">49’- The Foxes have had 100% of the possession so far as Boro line up with 6 at the back. It’s going to be 45 minutes of this.</p>
<p id="WPKS1v">54’- Vestergaard scream for Hermansen to come for a ball over the top but the keeper dawdles and McGee gets there first. His first touch is heavy and wayward and he sends the ball wide of the open net.</p>
<p id="Il0t9f">58’- Well, I didn’t expect to see that. Yunus Akgun is on, which is a surprise in and of itself, but he’s on for Fatawu. The Ghanaian has looked dangerous on the right, but, in fairness, he’s been wasteful as well. </p>
<p id="Iv4nrE">61’- Glover finally goes into the book for time wasting. This was far from his most egregious offence in this regard.</p>
<p id="9axcvp">63’- Jamie Vardy and Kasey McAteer are on for Daka and Dewsbury-Hall. Interesting.</p>
<p id="cb5hgF">73’- It’s just not working. And by “it” I mean “everything.” It doesn’t help that Matt Clarke seems to have something on the Chris Kavanaugh. He puts his arms around McAteer and flings him off the ball but it’s not even a foul.</p>
<p id="JZZNWf">79’- Close! Yunus finds McAteer in space on the wing and he fires in a low cross to Vardy. It’s a little behind him, but you’d expect him to hit the target from two yards out. Today’s just been full of surprises as he puts it miles over.</p>
<p id="16ETfv">84’- Close! Following a corner, Cannon puts in a low cross that runs through to Vestergaard. He’s all alone 10 yards out, but he passes it over the post when he had an empty net to shoot for.</p>
<div id="bMlCZo">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vardy and Vestergaard with horrific misses.<br><br>Both 5 yards out with the whole goal to aim out. <br><br>The former makes up for it with a brilliant goal, crowd have responded.<br><br>Followed by another big chance flashed across goal. Could be a huge 5 mins. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a></p>— Jamie Thorpe (@thorpie54) <a href="https://twitter.com/thorpie54/status/1758895440542499165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="KffYeQ"><em>I just said that, Jamie. </em></p>
<p id="FTC6Yn">85’- GOAL! A Boro clearance is headed back to Cannon on the halfway line. He flicks it forward and Vardy is away. Clarke tries to close him but there’s no force on this planet that can stop City’s talisman from this position. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NlUJTrnw7K_MG-JFnAUeUuSaU_0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25291400/2001568654.jpg">
<cite>Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>Oooh, an artsy black and white shot. It doesn’t make up for the fact that Getty has no available photos of Vardy from this match, but it is pretty.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="GqNirH">89’- Marc Albrighton comes on for Praet to take a corner. It’s cleared as far as Winks who tries a spectacular volley. He gets it spectacularly wrong, so I guess it was still “spectacular.”</p>
<p id="m4IQlm">90’- Only four minutes of added time today. There have been seven substitutions and no small amount of time wasting, so I’m not sure how that was calculated.</p>
<p id="dAjXnQ">93’- Close! A long cross finds Vestergaard. He glances it wide. This was a more difficult chance than the other two, but still...</p>
<p id="uiWrYn">FULL TIME: Leicester City 1 - 2 Middlesbrough</p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ICjKbOYZjuTzSqoOTxB06-CSht4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25291401/PXL_20240211_211525279.jpg">
<figcaption><em>If you made it this far through the report, you deserve a nice cat photo. Here’s baby Aymeric enjoying the view.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="HBHrbT"></p>
<p id="hA4ZG7"> </p>
https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/2/17/24075627/match-report-leicester-city-1-2-middlesbroughJake Lawson2024-02-13T15:07:16-08:002024-02-13T15:07:16-08:00Match Report: Leicester City 2 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday
<figure>
<img alt="Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NVxL5UA6Bme9l7q8S83YKyQZSes=/0x0:5382x3588/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73137310/2008434147.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The ineludible march continues. Yes, I have a thesaurus. Why do you ask?</p> <p id="94pMgE"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="Xp0nUU"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> defeated Sheffield Wednesday by a score of 2-0 at the King Power on Tuesday evening. First-half strikes by Abdul Fatawu and Jamie Vardy gave the Foxes a deserved cushion at the break. The visitors were much improved in the second half, but the City defence held firm to secure the victory.</p>
<p id="oYI2XO">The first half was probably the single most comfortable half the Foxes have played this season. The two goals were the least they deserved as the Owls looked very much like they’d wandered on stage without a script. In a dream. In their pants. Credit to them for rallying at the half and making a game of it, but they never <em>really </em>looked like overcoming the deficit.</p>
<div id="cjZolF">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you asked me who my player of the season is right now, they’d be six or seven really good options…<br><br>But this man for me has been immense. A class above again this evening.<br><br>VesterGOD <a href="https://t.co/mHcoDSHkF7">pic.twitter.com/mHcoDSHkF7</a></p>— It's eleven, it's heaven for Jamie Vardy- Podcast (@markmanderfield) <a href="https://twitter.com/markmanderfield/status/1757526158936072332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2024</a>
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<p id="WLshtg"><em>The fact that this is both sincere and defensible says a lot about Vestergaard and Maresca.</em></p>
<p id="iHinm9">The match was largely played out wide and that’s always going to favour the Foxes. I suppose playing down the middle also favours us given the players we have, but you know what I mean. Stephy Mavididi and Fatawu were too quick and too clever for their markers and were constantly threatening to dismantle the Wednesday back line. It was, however, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who was the architect of all things goal-related. He assisted both Leicester goals, bringing his league-leading tally to 12. Not bad for a guy who’s also scored 10.</p>
<p id="qpPRkI">The victory brings us to 78 points from 32 matches. We remain top of the table with a 12 point cushion over second-placed <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> and a 14 point lead over <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a>. We host Middlesbrough this Saturday afternoon. After that, we travel to Elland Road to face off against Leeds United on Friday the 23rd. </p>
<p id="SH2yR3"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="4lu42I">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Ricardo Pereira, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, James Justin, Dennis Praet (Hamza Choudhury 81’), Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu (Kasey McAtter 71’_, Stephy Mavididi, Jamie Vardy (C) (Tom Cannon 81’)</p>
<p id="3Cns5O">Sheffield Wednesday: James Beadle, Michael Ihiekwe, Di’shon Bernard, Will Vaulks, Marvin Johnson, Pol Valentin, Barry Bannan, Ian Poveda-Ocampo, Djeidi Gassama, Ike Ubo, Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="hZp8ZW">
<p id="jq2lEo"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="7Dla82">4’- GOAL! A dreadful pass from Beadle puts Vaulks under pressure. He panics when shut down by Praet and Dewsbury-Hall nips in to take the ball. He pulls it back for Vardy who lets the ball run between his legs. It rolls to Fatawu who has an empty net to hit from 8 yards out. There’s a non-zero chance I could have scored that one. 1-0 to the Foxes.</p>
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<img alt="Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2-RUhl5Ni2qCnQNe6QaS_Tx-fZI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25284839/2008438829.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>There are few things that make me happier than being able to report a Leicester goal for the first “Key Moments and Notes” entry</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="6ccAcN">6’- Close! Mavididi wins a free kick on the edge of the area. He takes it himself, curling it towards the far post. It somehow splits the difference between the goal and Faes. A foot in either direction and it’s a goal.</p>
<p id="rPhXtu">15’- Mavididi is too quick for the Wednesday defenders. The Foxes are looking dangerous down both flanks, but it’s the Derby-born winger who is really causing problems. It’s very comfortable at the King Power right now.</p>
<p id="ILpQ3c">19’- Close! It’s the Stephy Mavididi show right now. He beats two defenders and finds Praet in the centre. The Belgian taps it back to Ricardo, who squares for Winks. The midfielder’s first-time effort just clears the crossbar. In fairness, Beadle probably had it covered.</p>
<p id="LppOo8">29’- Close! The Foxes work a short corner. The ball is returned to KDH, whose cross is glanced on by Praet. It arrives at the far post just ahead of Faes, whose lunging effort goes high and wide.</p>
<p id="4Qc6EO">33’- I don’t want to harp on this, but if Wednesday were down to 9 men they would have nothing to complain about. Ihiekwe picked up an early yellow and then wiped out Vardy after the ball had gone. Similarly, Vaulks has twice pulled back a man who was breaking forward and you’d have expected to see yellow both times. By and large, the referee is letting a lot go in both directions.</p>
<p id="JHpPzR">36’- GOAL! Route one at the King Power! Faes plays a spectacular ball over the top, fully 50 yards in the air. Dewsbury-Hall channels his inner Riyad Mahrez by taking down the long ball with his left boot, tapping it into Vardy’s path. If you bet the house on Vardy to bury it, you’d have a second house because he just clips it past Beadle as calmly as you like. </p>
<div id="oaP37T">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="qme" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LCFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/ltzazNLGqf">pic.twitter.com/ltzazNLGqf</a></p>— Jamie Vardy (@vardy7) <a href="https://twitter.com/vardy7/status/1757533840459911416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2024</a>
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<p id="UZsXyD">39’- Close! Out of nowhere, Johnson sends in an inch-perfect cross from the left wing. It was right up there with Faes’ ball. Ubo lunges for it as it bounces across the face of the goal and can’t get any contact. It wouldn’t have taken much for that to go in. </p>
<p id="LrT6n1">45+1’- Close! Gassama dodges Ricardo’s sliding challenge and suddenly he finds himself all alone in the box. He lines up his shot, trying to curl it into the far corner, but Hermansen reads it well and gets a strong hand to it to turn it around the post.</p>
<p id="kjmPg2">HALF TIME: Leicester City 2 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Tp5gjy">
<p id="t8NoGr">46’- No changes for the Foxes at the half. No changes in the run of play, either. Justin reverses play to find Fatawu on the right. He slips it to Praet, who makes the Ndidi underlapping run. He then pulls it back for Dewsbury-Hall whose right-footed effort is blocked.</p>
<p id="LbO4o1">54’- Wednesday are much more competitive after the break. They’re looking much more like the side we faced at Hillsborough. If they get one back here it’s going to be a nervy half.</p>
<p id="ebdfbH">63’- The visitors are looking genuinely threatening here. Gassama was causing real problems on the right, so it was a surprise when Anthony Musaba came on in his place. But, Musaba is doing pretty much what Gassama was. He goes just wide with a raking shot from distance.</p>
<p id="4vDIcb">71’- Kasey McAteer comes on for Fatawu. The Ghanaian ran his socks off out there. He probably needed new socks.</p>
<p id="CaeaGG">78’- City look to have weathered the worst of it. The match has lost its spark, which isn’t such a bad thing when you’re up 2-0.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nJJJXixCWbMfUsLny9-CyqmZav0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25284840/2001178471.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>This image has nothing to do with the current action, but not much is going on and I like it. Winks is having fun.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="WWsVDk">81’- Hamza Choudhury and Tom Cannon are sent on for Praet and Vardy. I’m going to bite my tongue regarding what I would have done if I were Enzo Maresca, but I assume the gaffer (and the folks in charge of writing checks) know exactly what they’re doing.</p>
<p id="xHZ8G0">87’- I just realized that Mavididi is going to play the full 90, which isn’t something he’s done a lot of lately. Good match for the former Arsenal man.</p>
<p id="wW7sXs">90+3’- The Foxes have it deep in Wednesday territory, but there’s no need to press the issue and they just work it wide and hold it. Game over.</p>
<p id="1vIgz0">FULL TIME: Leicester City 2 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday</p>
<p id="8qkf5S"></p>
https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/2/13/24072137/match-report-leicester-city-2-0-sheffield-wednesdayJake Lawson2024-02-10T09:41:23-08:002024-02-10T09:41:23-08:00Match Report: Watford 1 - 2 Leicester City
<figure>
<img alt="Watford v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hQWJ8k1FsDuhLQ2HSeV9JYlkPKE=/0x0:8192x5461/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73128714/1993295167.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What manager wouldn’t want three points for his birthday?</p> <p id="ISeybf"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="GXqI5w"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> overcame a lethargic first half and a terrible defensive mistake to beat Watford by a score of 2-1 at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon. Dennis Praet won a penalty that was dispatched by Patson Daka to give the Foxes the lead at the break. Ricardo Pereira finished a brilliant team move to extend the lead before a Harry Winks error gave Emmanuel Dennis a tap-in to pull one back for the hosts.</p>
<p id="85SuCD">If you count “big chances,” this may have been the lowest total we’ve achieved this season. With Justin and McAteer on the left, the Foxes weren’t able to generate anything on that side of the pitch today. The attack just wasn’t really working except for the two shining moments where it worked perfectly. Fortunately, that was enough.</p>
<p id="cIAQcn">Let’s take a moment to appreciate Abdul Fatawu’s defensive work. He’s so quick with the ball and so good with both feet that it’s easy to overlook the fact that he is <em>always</em> tracking back to help out his fullback. Along with Ricardo, his four successful tackles were the most in the match. He’s a flashy player, but the things that will keep him in his manager’s good graces are his work rate and his ability to contribute even when he’s not doing a lot of attacking. £17m is going to look like a bargain assuming we sign him on our return to the Premier League.</p>
<p id="UBvNrH">Fatawu is one of the few things that Maresca will be happy about today (the other, presumably, is his birthday). With only 6 shots and 52% of the possession, this was not the sort of match he favours regardless of the result. One suspects that some of this is down to keeping some of his squad fresh for Tuesday’s match, but one suspects even more strongly that he is a man of very high standards and no patience when those standards aren’t kept.</p>
<p id="Ciwa6L">Speaking of such things, the win gives us 75 points from 31 matches. That keeps us top of the table, but with both <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a> and <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> winning as well, our advantages of 11 and 12 points respectively remain the same. Two-thirds of the season has been played, so we’re not yet in the home stretch, but we’d deep into the clubhouse turn. We play host to Sheffield Wednesday this Tuesday, and then one we from today, we face Middlesbrough at the King Power. </p>
<div id="IEMdX2">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCFC</a> | Enzo Maresca has just told me that that was one of the biggest wins of the season, hence his celebration at the end.<br><br>He said that took them a big step closer to their goal… </p>— Owynn Palmer-Atkin (@OwynnPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OwynnPA/status/1756369867677012408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a>
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<p id="sZEf6U"><em>Let me clarify: I doubt he was happy with how the match was played, I suspect he is thrilled with the result.</em></p>
<p id="kwS1EG"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="PkcxkV">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Ricardo Pereira (C), Wout Faes, Ben Nelson, James Justin, Dennis Praet, Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Patson Daka</p>
<p id="o4KVw8">Watford: Ben Hamer, Wesley Hoedt, Ryan Porteous, Jamal Lewis, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Jake Livermore, Giorgi Chakvetadze, Ismaël Koné, Bayo Youssouf, Ken Sema, Matheus Martins</p>
<div id="hZBYZK">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s Mavididi. Two spelling mistakes in the same post. Embarrassing. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lcfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lcfc</a> <a href="https://t.co/Oa0DhNJ9kV">https://t.co/Oa0DhNJ9kV</a></p>— Jonathan (@JonathanLCFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanLCFC/status/1756317746952859833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a>
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<p id="SjuABG"><em>Not to mention, they’re stealing my signature move.</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="39OHhJ">
<p id="Ejze7O"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="4kTHy6">1’- Well, that’s a way to start a match. Chakvetadze has to go back to the touchline to get some tape over his pads as he seems to have forgotten to wear socks. Watford are right into the attack from the opening kick, getting the ball into the Leicester box three or four times. Nelson clears it and the hosts get a throw that goes straight back to Hermansen. Bayo jogs forward to chase and pulls up. His hamstring’s gone so Watford are forced to make a substitution in the first minute. Phew.</p>
<p id="NIgtA1">9’- GOAL! Fatawu starts the move for the Foxes and gets taken out halfway into the Watford half. Nothing is called, so Daka picks it up and picks out Praet’s run into the box. The Belgium man flicks the ball with his heel and Chakvetadze takes him out. It’s a silly challenge and a clear penalty. Daka takes it and blasts it past Hamer to give the Foxes an early lead.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Watford v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ve8PAHhhjHIZRyttmGREoy_rbJ4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25278809/1992971317.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>Brilliant penalty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Leicester side with so many player I trust from the spot.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="SrQW7W">10’- What are Watford doing? They pass back to the keeper from the restart and it’s a very lazy ball. Daka is a whisker away from getting there ahead of Hamer, but the former Leicester stopper is alert and just about clears it.</p>
<p id="KiGa7M">17’- Has any player gone in and out of favour more times than Dennis Praet? I know injuries have played a big part in his inability to claim a regular spot in the starting XI, but even with that caveat, he’s gone from “not in our plans, send him on loan” to “starter” several times.</p>
<p id="trFqzv">22’- Oof. Daka is absolutely wiped out by a two-footed sliding challenge by Porteous. The defender wins the ball but his studs are up and he goes right through the Zambian’s ankle. It takes them a while, but the Hornets do finally put it out of play. </p>
<p id="BvNMap">32’- Watford win several corners and do absolutely nothing with them. This has been a remarkably even half in terms of possession and chances. It’s been interesting, but it hasn’t been good.</p>
<p id="Y5fPjf">45’- I doubt Maresca is a happy man despite leading 1-0. The Foxes have not imposed themselves on Watford. The most entertaining man on the pitch has been referee Oliver Langford who seems content to let crunching challenges go but blows his whistle for some of the most innocuous stuff. He’s been consistent, so I have no complaints, but it’s been a very disjointed half.</p>
<p id="RaDyFX">HALF TIME: Watford 0 - 1 Leicester City</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JZBo83ddvAmZCnKyFchciMxnc0Q=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25278687/stats.jpg">
<figcaption><em>In case you were wondering why there were so few “key moments” during that first half...</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="OvYxkF">46’- No changes at the half. Winks and Nelson are on yellows for the Foxes so they’ll need to be a little careful.</p>
<p id="clQOHO">55’- GOAL! What a team move! After a very indifferent opening to the half, the Foxes carve up the hosts like a very sharp thing through a very yielding substance. Hermansen finds KDH in midfield. He taps it to Winks, who gets it forward to Ricardo on the halfway line. The captain charges forward before finding Fatawu coming in from the right. The winger returns the ball to Ricardo, who continued his run into the box, and the fullback-cum-midfielder finishes it first-time. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Watford v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YWs2iot6GFRV0UxJDuESbpsqntY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25278810/1993266608.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>Go and find a video of this one. Goal of the Season candidate.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="1dy1LE">60’- Maresca makes his first change, withdrawing Nelson in favour of Callum Doyle.</p>
<p id="smNZwB">62’- GOAL! Oh Harry Winks, what are you doing? Hermansen plays the ball to the former Spurs man on the edge of the area. He tries to flick it to Faes but gets the ball caught in his studs, sending the ball directly to substitute Emmanuel Dennis on the penalty spot. He turns and rolls the ball into the net.</p>
<p id="Hd1f63">70’- Jamie Vardy is on for his 450th appearance in a Leicester shirt. It’s Patson Daka who comes off.</p>
<p id="2UGR0O">72’- Close! Dennis gets behind Doyle and tries his luck from a very tight angle. It’s on target, but Hermansen saves smartly.</p>
<p id="ZpDZ6z">75’- Doyle charges towards the Watford box before he’s clattered by Porteous. Justin somehow gets the free kick up and over the wall and on-target even though the wall is only 8 yards from where the kick is taken, but it’s an easy take for Hamer.</p>
<p id="wakvUD">81’- Hamza Choudhury and Stephy Mavididi come on for Fatawu and Praet. Choudhury gets a nice round of applause from the Watford supporters, having spent last season on loan at Vicarage Road.</p>
<p id="hHbod2">86’- Close! An in-swinging cross is flicked to Hoedt at the far post. He thinks he has a tap in, but Hermansen gets a leg to it to keep it out. The defender was offside, but it was still a fantastic save from the keeper.</p>
<p id="8VWK3p">88’- The names “Ince” and “Asprilla” would have filled opponents with fear 25 years ago. Tom and Yaser are decent players, but they’re not Paul and Faustino.</p>
<p id="r881tt">90+5’- Hoedt takes exception to some pesky attention from Vardy and squares up to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkpYORQLU">GOAT</a>, which is hilarious. The defender has a massive size advantage, but there’s no question who you’d back in a scrap and it ain’t the Watford man. They both see well-deserved yellows.</p>
<p id="J9htmI">FULL TIME: Watford 1 - 2 Leicester City</p>
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https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/2/10/24068420/match-report-watford-1-2-leicester-city-polyphia-goatJake Lawson2024-02-03T09:38:25-08:002024-02-03T09:38:25-08:00Match Report: Stoke City 0 - 5 Leicester City
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<img alt="Stoke City v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EmHQGDm12k-rGm7_wxBhMVKFhWo=/0x0:5945x3963/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73109389/1975758847.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A Daka brace or a Vardy brace? Why not both?</p> <p id="FFO8xF"><strong>Recap</strong></p>
<p id="7Mosxt"><a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> defeated Stoke City by a score of 5-0 at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Patson Daka and Kasey McAteer gave the Foxes a 2-0 lead at the break. As the rain poured down in the second half, so too did the goals. Daka scored a penalty to bag his brace and Jamie Vardy scored once from open play and once from the spot to complete the rout.</p>
<p id="ZHq4ke">If you are just determined to be negative, you could convince yourself that the result was flattering because we scored from a dubious free kick, a huge deflection, and two penalties. The fact is that, while the ways in which we scored weren’t spectacular, we dominated the match and looked completely comfortable at 2-0. Winks and Ricardo were simply too calm in the centre of the park, shutting down attacks and getting the ball forward into dangerous areas. The Potters tried to turn the match into a brawl and Enzo’s charges were (mostly) too savvy to get drawn in. </p>
<p id="tjKmPd">Who was the man of the match? You could make an argument for a dozen players and I’m not exaggerating. This was yet another victory for Maresca’s system which seems entirely too sophisticated for the Championship (especially when you have a bunch of Premier League players to play it). The energy that Fatawu brings, and the balance he adds to our attack, make him my pick but I’m not going to tell you you’re wrong no matter who you select.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Look who’s back <a href="https://t.co/7PPfvG2fS0">pic.twitter.com/7PPfvG2fS0</a></p>— Leicester City (@LCFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFC/status/1753828243302400246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2024</a>
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<p id="finhD3">This highlights the fact that the Foxes didn’t <em>need</em> to strengthen themselves in the January window. It would have been nice, and there are some reasons why we should have, but unless something absurdly dramatic happens, we’re going to achieve our goal of immediate promotion back to the top flight.</p>
<p id="6dovgv">Speaking of such things, the victory gives us 72 points from 30 matches. That total would have placed us 5th in the Championship last year. It’s good enough to remain top of the table this season, 11 points clear of second-place <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a> and a dozen ahead of <a href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com">Leeds</a> for the second automatic promotion spot. One week from today we travel to Vicarage Road to face Watford. We return to the King Power on Tuesday the 13th to host Sheffield Wednesday.</p>
<p id="IkDqPS"><strong>Lineups</strong></p>
<p id="18ZNlK">Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, Ricardo Pereira (C), Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard (Ben Nelson 46’), Callum Doyle, Kasey McAteer (Dennis Praet 46’), Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi (James Justin 69’), Patson Daka (Jamie Vardy 69’)</p>
<p id="kHi64H">Stoke City: Jack Bonham, Ben Wilmot, Michael Rose, Jordan Thompson, Lynden Gooch, Ben Pearson, Wouter Burger, Luke Cundle, Tyrese Campbell, Mehdi Leris, Ki-Jana Hoever</p>
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<p id="GpsBhF"><strong>Key Moments and Notes</strong></p>
<p id="A71T2M">8’- Close! Ricardo and Winks combine in midfield to break Stoke’s lines. The former Spurs midfielder picks out Fatawu on the right. He cuts inside and curls it toward the far corner, but there’s just a little too much pace and not enough curl. </p>
<p id="14TV4b">11’- Few things put me in a worse mood in the morning than terrible coffee. I made this pot, so it’s nigh-undrinkable. Grrr. On the pitch, it’s all Leicester knocking the ball around Stoke trying to hit back on the break. Same as it ever was.</p>
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<figcaption><em>Great coffee mug, though.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="xyJW75">14’- Close! It’s Fatawu as provider this time. His cross picks out Dewsbury-Hall, who couldn’t have done much more. It’s going to sneak in under the post but Bonham makes a terrific save.</p>
<p id="pcFHmR">15’- Close! Another corner, another chance. This time, Fatawu crosses to Daka at the far post. The ball has too much pace on it for the Zambia man to do anything but dive in and hope and he puts it wide.</p>
<p id="9yo6Ar">20’- Close! Mavididi gets the ball in a dangerous area for the first time and he makes the most of it. He tears down the right channel and cuts it back for KDH. The midfielder scuffs his first-time effort, but he scuffs it badly enough that it’s going to pick out Daka if not for a last-ditch intervention.</p>
<p id="RtRZCd">26’- GOAL! The Foxes win a dubious free kick when Leris dives in and wins the ball but goes through Daka. The Potters win the ball back immediately but lose out to Dewsbury-Hall who gets a cross to the far post. Fatawu meets it and puts it back across the face of the goal instead of trying to score himself. Daka is in the right place and taps it home from close range.</p>
<p id="1m49k9">27’- Close! The Foxes switch off from the restart and Tyrese Cambell is in! He’s behind the entire defence and tries to find the far corner, but Hermansen gets a leg to it. I</p>
<p id="fw32jf">30’- GOAL! McAteer has the ball outside the left side of the area and there’s no one available to receive the ball. He decides to have a go with his left peg and it’s going to be an easy save until it takes a deflection off of Wilmot and leaves Bonham stranded. 2-0 to the Foxes.</p>
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<img alt="Stoke City v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZEiNLxcP9dvv_eJxYTiec5z-1jQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25265085/1975511936.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>Is it just me or does everyone we plug into the right-sided #8 role score?</figcaption>
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<p id="LFMLpV">34’- Close! That’s a goal-saving challenge from Ricardo. Suddenly, Stoke are playing like Barcelona. Sure, it’s the 2023/24 version of the Catalan side, but that’s still pretty tasty. Anyway, Leris gets the better of Doyle and slides a ball towards the onrushing Gooch in the centre. It’s going to be a tap-in, but Ricardo arrives at the last moment to preserve the two-goal margin.</p>
<p id="RBY2bG">39’- Gooch is down and the Foxes charge forward. McAteer loses out to Burger and the Stoke man sticks around to stand over his opponent and shout something. The winger takes exception to this, gets up, and shoves him in the chest. It’s just a yellow for McAteer, but it was a foolish thing to do and Maresca is furious.</p>
<p id="3Gi1YG">45+1’- Close! Thompson, hugging the left touchline, lofts a Guppy-esque cross into the box. It finds Leris directly in front of goal, but the Algerian sends it almost straight into the air instead of towards the net. In fairness, it was bobbling quite a bit, but it was a real chance.</p>
<p id="v9sAaX">HALF TIME: Stoke City 0 - 2 Leicester City</p>
<p id="RdV8Uz">46’- Two changes for the Foxes at the break. Ben Nelson and Dennis Praet are on for Vestergaard and McAteer. I’m not surprised to see McAteer come off after that shoving incident, but it’s a little concerning to see Vestergaard depart.</p>
<p id="vy54Yt">47’- Bae Jun-Ho is on for Stoke to settle things down. He does the opposite, going in late on Fatawu with his studs showing. It’s a yellow and he might be a little fortunate that’s all it is.</p>
<p id="WpqS0I">57’- It’s pouring out there now. My understanding is that this is not unusual for Stoke. </p>
<p id="wRtpSI">62’- What the heck was that? Praet gets wiped out in midfield but the referee plays advantage as the ball is sprayed out to Fatawu. The linesman flags the Ghana man for offside, so...what exactly was the advantage there? </p>
<p id="Gzwem3">64’- GOAL! Faes picks up the ball 45 yards from goal and charges through the entire Stoke defence until Thompson flies into him, buttocks-first, and wipes him out. It’s a penalty all day long. Daka’s penalty sends the keeper the wrong way, but he wasn’t saving that even if he guessed right. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> Patson Daka since returning from AFCON<br><br> 2 Appearances<br>⚽ 2 Goals Scored<br> ️ 1 Goal Assisted<br> 1 Penalty Won <a href="https://t.co/KDqF41c3VP">pic.twitter.com/KDqF41c3VP</a></p>— (@LCFCshitposting) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFCshitposting/status/1753826891453075634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2024</a>
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<p id="PQsPTq">69’- There’s a stoppage as Ki-Jana Hoever needs treatment for the hosts. Maresca makes two more changes, introducing Jamie Vardy and James Justin for Daka and Mavididi. Justin as a winger? Anything to avoid changing the tactics!</p>
<p id="Q1Kgrp">73’- GOAL! Simple as you like. Ricardo wins the ball deep in the Leicester half. He finds Winks in space in the centre. He redirects it to Justin on the right wing and he does a perfect Marc Albrighton impression, crossing it first time across into the box. Vardy arrives on cue and blasts it into the back of the net.</p>
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<img alt="Stoke City v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VzufJ_j91O6x5gXZU1IbnA3DOWw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25265077/1982811906.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption><em>The day this man retires will instantly be the saddest Leicester moment for me.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="LkujVT">76’- Close! Take a bow, Mads Hermansen! The Potters win a free kick and send it into the mixer. Jun-Ho’s header is going to go in but the former Brøndby keeper gets a hand to it. He can only parry it back in front of the goal. Wilmot fires from close range, but there’s no beating the Mads today.</p>
<p id="QHwDj2">84’- Hamza Choudhury comes on for Ricardo. There’s no indication of it on the scoresheet, but the Portuguese defender was absolutely brilliant today. </p>
<p id="8WuDZM">86’- Close! There have been several “Close!” efforts by the Foxes in the last 10 minutes, but this was by far the Close!-est. KDH charges down the left and he’s given ages to pick out his pass. He pulls it back for Praet who meets it in full flight and it’s going to go in off the underside of the bar before Bonham leaps to tip it over.</p>
<p id="kf5oUU">90+7’- GOAL! Vardy does remarkably well to rise above Rose to get on the end of a Choudhury clearance. He nods it to the onrushing Dewsbury-Hall who is going to make it five before Rose clumsily brings him down from behind. Both the referee looks almost apologetic when he points to the spot, but he has no choice. Vardy blasts it home from the spot.</p>
<p id="fqRxVv">FULL TIME: Stoke City 0 - 5 Leicester City</p>
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https://fosseposse.sbnation.com/2024/2/3/24060384/match-report-stoke-city-0-5-leicester-cityJake Lawson