Leicester City saw off Fleetwood Town in the replay of their FA Cup clash to make it to the 4th round after a brace from Kelechi Iheanacho helped them to get an unconvincing win at the King Power Stadium.
After a drab draw last time out that saw the Foxes fail to muster a single shot on target, it took Leicester over 40 minutes to get a shot on goal and they were clinical as Fuchs’ long ball was helped onto Iheanacho’s path by a sublime pass from Slimani, and the Nigerian made no mistake with the finish to give Leicester an undeserving lead in the first half. Fleetwood caused Leicester problem for the entire half with their pressing and closing down of passes, disrupting the 15-16 Premier League champions’ passing throughout. And it was them who created the better chances in the first half, with Jakupovic having to make 2 very good saves, including a fingertip, save to tip the ball just over the bar shortly before Leicester took the lead.
The second half saw a much more settled Foxes side as their passing was crisper and they gave the ball away fewer times. Although not creating much, Kelechi had the ball in the net after Gray’s pull back but the goal was chalked off as referee Jon Moss, after consulting the VAR, confirmed that the ball had just about crossed the touchline before Gray pulled it back. VAR was kind to the 21-year-old the second time though, as Iheanacho had his goal initially ruled out for offside only for the VAR to reverse the decision and give him the goal to effectively seal Leicester’s passage to the next round.
Eldin Jakupovic- 7/10
A surprisingly busy first half as Fleetwood managed to create 2 good openings and was alert on both occasions. Comfortable second half.
Daniel Amartey- 6/10
Grew into the game with time but disappointing in the final third.
Aleksandar Dragovic- 6.5/10
Didn’t have much to do apart from a few counter attacks in the first half and coped well.
Yohan Benalouane- 5.5/10
Untroubled for large parts but got booked for a reckless tackle in the 35th minute.
Christian Fuchs- 6.5/10
In place of the suspended Chilwell, the Austrian had a solid outing defensively and created the first goal with his hopeful long ball towards Iheanacho.
Riyad Mahrez- 6.5/10
Skipper on the night, the Algerian wasn’t at his influential best, but set up the second goal with a good pass and clipped the outside of the post in the first half with a sublime freekick.
Adrien Silva- 6.5/10
Made just his second start, and had a good first half before fading a little in the second.
Vicente Iborra-7/10
A tidy display from the former Sevilla man in the middle of the park but also provided a goalscoring threat in the opposition box with good runs and on set pieces.
Demarai Gray- 7/10
His touches and quick feet were too much for Fleetwood as he was repeatedly fouled throughout the game. Unlucky not to get an assist when the ball just rolled out of play before his cutback,
Islam Slimani- 6.5/10
Keeping the excellent setup for his striking partner aside, had a frustrating game. Missed a great chance too, after scuffing his shot from inside the box when faced with just the goalkeeper.
Kelechi Iheanacho- 8/10
Had to feed off scraps in the first half but took both his chances very well. Should’ve got an assist when he played a beautiful ball over the top to Slimani only for the Algerian to fluff his lines.
Substitutes
Marc Albrighton (Slimani 56’) – 6.5/10
Provided good width after coming on and played some dangerous crosses to cause problems for Fleetwood.
