Leicester 2-2 Hull

Match Report

The last time I visited Leicester’s King Power Stadium we won 0-1 courtesy of Liam Delap’s screamer from range. That was in 2023, the first full season with Rosenior when we were at our peak. We now find ourselves in a similar position as we face The Foxes in our penultimate away match of the season. A win would see us maintain (or even extend) our two point advantage over Wrexham, and also relegate Leicester to League One. A loss would potentially see us lose our position in the top six, and it will be out of our hands. This was one of the most important fixtures out of the remaining three. I was there to witness it.

Sergej made two alterations to the starting line-up: McNair and Amir were dropped for Giles and Lundstram. That meant, in a 4-2-3-1 formation, we lined up as follows: Pandur, in goal; Coyle, Ajayi, Egan and Giles as the back four; Lundstram and Crooks as defensive midfielders; Millar, Gelhardt and Belloumi as the attaching trio; with McBurnie leading the line.

It was a lacklustre match against Birmingham on Saturday, but the best of us came out in the first half in this one. We could not ask for a better performance, as we looked energetic and feisty. Yes, our opponents have won one in their last ten games and are relegation-bound, but we stepped up today, certainly by our recent standards.

We scored in the 16th-minute. The Foxes played the ball out from the back, but our high press forced their keeper to make a misplaced pass into the path of Millar. He composed himself, looked up and curled the ball into the bottom right corner. Some Leicester fans headed for the exits, whilst the far corner was going ballistic. It was handed to us on a plate, but we deserved the lead.

The home side do have the quality and strength, but once they went down, the stadium became toxic with chants of ‘sack the board’ bellowing from every stand, which certainly affected the players. They did have some opportunities when they caught us on the break. Daka’s chance stood out. In the 41st minute, their player breezed past Coyle and Belloumi on the left, allowing him to cross a low ball into the box. Daka made contact, but the side of his foot sent it agonisingly wide of the post.

Towards the end of the half we managed to use the toxicity to our advantage as we could have doubled our lead. Millar had two free shots in the box which were sent high into the stands, whilst Crooks’ smart Cruyf-style shot in the 45th-minute was prevented by the foot of Begovic, their keeper. Perhaps our lead could be larger, but the former Champions of England were crumbling under the pressure and showed little sign of scoring. Tigers draw first blood over the Foxes.

How things change so quickly. There we were, standing in the away end chanting and smiling, believing that we had this one secured. Oh, how wrong we were. The home side came out of the blocks a transformed team, and changed the flow of the game. Their first was helped by poor officiating in the 50th-minute. One of their players went down in the box. The referee did not bat an eyelid at first, but 30 seconds later the linesman waved his flag and then the he pointed to the spot. Who’s actually in charge? Anyway, Jordan James placed the ball down and slotted it into the bottom left corner. They were level.

Ok, nothing we could do about that. But, we could have defended better to prevent their second two minutes later. They were on the break down the right channel after a goal-kick with Bobby Reid, who crossed a perfect ball into the box. Whilst our defenders were scrambling to get back into position, Luke Thomas guided the ball into the back of the net. King Power came alive after this, and we were dumbfounded.

The gaffer had to sort it out, and fast. We looked fatigued and lacklustre. We are so close to the end, and it is in our hands, but the players are not playing like they want it. Fortunatley, a switch was flicked and we found some quality at the right moment. In the 63rd-minute, Crooks’ tenacity enabled him to win the ball deep in their half on the left-channel, and pass it to Millar. He laid it off to an unmarked McBurnie on the edge of the box, who smashed it into the back of the net. That’s more like it.

The game opened up after this as both sides were fighting desparately to win the three points. With 14 shots (compared to our five) and 54% of the possession, it was the hosts who dominated more and had the most chances. They hit the post, fired over the bar, and forced some fantastic saves from Pandur. They could not find the back of the net, and we were let off many times. However, it was us to who had the last opportunity in the dying seconds. Joseph played a smart ball over the top to Egan on the left. He beat his man to the ball first and was one-on-one with the keeper. His right-footed strike from outside the box was saved in the centre of the goal by Begovic. That was it.

So, this result confirmed Leicester’s demotion to League One, but we have slipped into seventh after Wrexham beat Oxford. Many are beginning to worry that it is slipping away from us. There are two more games to play, and the only barrier between the two teams is two goals. It is still possible and not completely out of our hands. We also have the easier run of games against Charlton (20th at the time of writing) away and Norwich (9th at the time of writing) at home. Wrexham have Coventry (1st) away and Middlesbrough (who are clinging on to their playoff spot in 5th) at home. Maybe it’s not over yet. But, it does mean it is likely that it will go down to the wire. Game on.