Key events
Match report
Billy Munday’s report from the King Power Stadium.
Righto, that’s that from me. We’ll have our match report live for you very soon – check back in here and on-site for that – but otherwise, it’s goodnight from me, and goodnight from me. Peace.
“WOUT SAVES FAES” reads the Sky trail as they cut to ads. Very good.
Elsewhere:
Winks says in the first half, Leicester allowed Wednesday to play the game as they wanted to. But in the second, they upped the tempo, imposed themselves, and the work they’ve done in training on set-pieces paid off – the manager wants them to get good at them.
Ayew, meanwhile, says the no 9 shirt he now wears is his favourite, but of course no one can do what Vardy did. In the Champo, set pieces are of especial importance and the first game is always full of emotions, but they got the points and that’s what matters. It won’t be easy to get back to the Prem as there area lot of good teams, but leicester are one too.
I don’t suppose it’s surprising that Wednesday tired, all the more so with Winks upping the tempo with smart passing. Leicester can and will play much better than this; Owlook set for a long, grueling struggle.
FULL TIME: Leicester City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Wednesday played well – as did their fans – but Leicester’s class told eventually, even if it took two set-piece goals from their centre-backs to secure the win.
90+8 min I was just about to say that the introduction of Harry Winks changed the game, but Courtney Sweetman-Kirk beats me to it, naming him player of the match though he’s only played half of it. He’s goping to be a factor this season but in the meantime Ayew, who’s had a good last 30, leathers a shot that Charles turns behind. That should be that.
90+7 min …but Leicester clear easily enough. Wednesday will be wondering whether they’d still be level if their captain had shut his noise.
90+6 min Faes puts Stolanczyk under pressure with a dicey backpass that forces him to hump into touch; Ingelsson will hurl in once again…
90+5 min Two more changes for Wednesdau, Otegbayo and Jamal Lowe going off with McNeill and Ugbo coming on.
90+4 min Lovely from Leicester, El Khannouss into Daka, who finds Ayew who finds El Khannouss, mooching into the box, opening body … and telegraphing to Charles where he’s shooting, the keeper diving to palm away.
90+2 min Wednesday look a beaten side. But their attitude has been spot-on and, if they can sign some new players – they’re allowed to, whereas they weren’t three days ago – they can stay up. Leicester have the quality to go up even with a points deduction.
90+1 min The corner goes short, Wednesday work the ball clear, and we learn that we’re to have nine additional minutes.
90 min Leicester win another free-kick out wide but this time, rather than look for one of their deadly centre-backs, they go short to keep possession. But not for long! El Khannouss asks the question with a pass into the box, the clearance finds Ayew, and his curler is turned behind by Charles.
GOAL! Leicester City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Faes 87)
It never rains, but sometimes it pours so hard it makes your scalp bleed. Leicester’s set-pieces have been dangerous all day and El Khannouss, responsible for most of them, swings out to the near post where Faes, unfathomably unmarked, powers high into the roof, directly above Charles. Wednesday have given it so much, only to be undone by crosses into the box.
86 min …but he picks out the gigantic Vestergaard, who head clear. And have a look! Ayey beats two men down the right, keeps his feet superbly, and dinks a cross into Daka, who has two options: go for power, nearer to the keeper, or glance towards the side-netting. He picks the first … but Charles plunges right to shovel away. That’s a really good save but he oughtn’t to have smelt it. Meantime, Leicester recycle and win a corner down the right…
85 min Wednesday win a throw and Ingelsson will fling into the Leicester box…
84 min Pedersen will be really proud of his players, but he’ll also be worried as Monga nips down the left and crosses … the ball running into touch on the opposite side.
82 min There should be a decent quantity of added time given the break for Valery and Otegbayo’s cramp, but what a boon for Wednesday if they can see out a point.
80 min Daka breaks down the right, crosses … and it’s behind everyone then, as Wednesday look to bering clear, Lowe J guides the ball into his path with a wrist, and somehow avoids a booking.
79 min I expected to see Daka; I didn’t expect him to replace Fatawu, especially with Leicester playing against 10 men. I’d have binned a defender.
79 min More changes for Leicester: off go Justin and Fatawu, on come McAteer and Daka.
BARRY BANNAN IS SENT OFF FOR WEDNESDAY!
77 min His first booking was avoidable and, I guess, so is his second. He and Winks slide in at pace, contesting a loose ball, and though Bannan makes contact with it, he’s not in control of himself, his studs are high, and they plough through the Leicester man. It’s harsh in a way – he played the ball – but also not harsh, because it was dangerous.
75 min First flash of Monga, harrying out wide. He can’t make anything happen, but you can tell he believes in himself.
74 min Winks has made a difference to Leicester and he slides down the line to Fatawu, whose cross is just too high for Ayew. But Winks quickly finds him again with a clever pass in between two defenders … but the cross is poor.
73 min The free-kick is cut back to Winks, but it jumps a little as he goes to hit it, the effort sailing over the top.
71 min Lovely from Fatawu, who has such quick, soft feet, which he uses to escape two men and win a free-kick. Leicester take it quickly then earn a second thanks to a foul, on near the by-line and edge of the box; Bannan is booked for dissent thereafter.
70 min Just the one change for Wednesday in the end, Kobacki on for the cramped Valery.
69 min Double change for Wednesday: McNeill, who thought he was coming on, is sent away – he looks as amused as you’d imagine – so Leicester act instead, Mavididi and Okoli replaced by Faes and the 16-0year-old Monga.
67 min The corner goes to the edge – eventually – and Winks pokes to Mavididi, who misses his kick. Leicester, though, maintain pressure, working it wide to Justin, who wallops over the top.
63 min Leicester need to find ways of getting Mavididi and Fatawu on the ball more often … and, as I speak, the former crosses, winning a corner. But before it can be taken, Valery goes down with apparent cramp, and Otegbayo looks to be struggling with it too.
62 min This is ringing out of the away end.
61 min Leicester move forward again and Ayew, who’s been quiet, drags a shot wide and plenty.
60 min I wonder if we might see a Wednesday change soon. Pedersen doesn’t have many options – he’d be relying on kids – but his starting XI look bushed, as well they might.
58 min We see pictures which show us that, as the cross that led to the equaliser came in, Winks was offside, and he also attempted to play it but missed his kick. In the Prem, VAR disallows that – rightly so – but what a relief not to have it involved.
56 min Leicester are into this now and it’s feels like a long 34 minutes for Wednesday. They find Mavididi out on the left, he twinkles into the box beating a weak challenge, shoots … too close to Charles, who beats away.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Vestergaard 54)
Leicester’s set-pieces have been clever all day and so, too, is this one. With Wednesday expecting a high outwswinger, El Kahnnouss curls low and, though someone ought really to clear, Justin’s run confuses the issue and the ball makes its way into Vestergaard who takes a touch, steadies, then another, and slams high past Charles.
53 min It’s a while since Wednesday mustered an attack and Leicester have a free-kick out on the right, El Khannouss with it…
51 min “Soumare is the most anonymous footballer,” reckons Graham Randall, though I’m not sure if there are degrees of anonymity. “Just don’t understand why he’s still played. This is what he is like every match. Offers nothing.”
Well Winks could well command a first-XI spot, so perhaps he won’t be for much longer. I do, though, think there’s something there, more so than with Skipp.
49 min It goes short, nothing happens, and goes wide again to Winks, who curls a delectable cross through the corridor and towards the far post, where Ingelsson does brilliantly to poke behind with Fatawu scavenging. The eventuating corner comes to nowt.
48 min Wednesday build well, Cadamarteri running the outside-left channel and, when he’s found, he skips inside Okoli before ramming a shot wide. Immediately, Leicester counter, Fatawu winning a right-wing corner…
46 min Winks, of course, fell out with Ruud van Nistelrooy over his 100-mile commute and various, but he’s back now and, at 29, should still be good enough to be a factor in this league.
46 min We go again…
