A last minute header from Kelechi Iheanacho sealed a spot in the Quarter-Finals for Leicester against Brighton in the FA Cup fifth round.
Both Leicester and Brighton made seven changes for the tie. It was a paltry first half from both sides as neither of them managed to hit the target in the first 45 minutes. There was a slight improvement in the second half performance with both Andi Zeqiri and Cengiz Under having their efforts ruled out for offside.
Leicester suffered an injury blow when their in-form fullback James Justin was carried off on a stretcher after an awkward landing on his knees.
With the prospect of extra time and penalties looming over this fixture, the Foxes took a quick corner deep in injury time and Kelechi Iheanacho nodded home the winning goal from Youri Tielemans’ cross taking them to the Last Eight of the competition. Let’s take a look at how well Brendan Rodgers’ team fared.
Danny Ward: 6/10
Being the cup keeper for the Foxes this season, Ward did well to save the only good effort on his goal from Brighton. Apart from that he was hardly troubled throughout the game.
Daniel Amartey: 5/10
It was a rare start for Amartey in the heart of Leicester’s defense. He was regularly caught out of position and struggled with his clearances and was constantly troubled by the pace and trickery of Tau. However, his forward passing was quite solid.
Caglar Soyuncu: 6/10
A really solid performance from Soyuncu who lead the defence well and used his pace expertly to snuff out any threatening Brighton attack.
James Justin: 6.5/10
Looked really solid in an unfamiliar left centre back role, made crucial interventions and pushed forward with intent. However, he will consider himself really unlucky if the injury causes a lengthy layoff.
V Daley Campbell: 7.5/10
Brendan Rodgers handed Campbell a debut in an important fixture and he did not fail to impress his boss. He looked really adventurous and sharp in Brighton’s half and showed confidence in his dribbling, passing and crosses. He won the corner that eventually led to the winner. A solid debut for this young talent and this performance will only enhance his first team opportunities.
"Defensively he looked assured and comfortable in possession." – @Dean__Hammond ?
What did you think of Vontae Daley-Campbell's Leicester City debut? pic.twitter.com/TfdtLied40
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 10, 2021
Wilfred Ndidi: 6/10
Not as solid a display from Ndidi that you would usually come to expect from the reliable midfielder. He looked a bit rusty returning into the eleven after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. However, he did show calmness while in possession and passing.
Youri Tielemans: 6.5/10
Tielemans was unable to set the tempo during the first of the game as the Brighton midfielders did not give him a lot of time and space on the ball. However, he was able to provide Iheanacho with the perfect delivery to create the only goal of the game in the final minute of injury time.
Luke Thomas: 5.5/10
Thomas had a good defensive performance and provided a decent outlet with his deliveries into the box from the left hand side. His performance dropped in the second half.
Cengiz Under: 5/10
Looked lively in the early exchanges of the first half, but could not provide any real magical moment for Leicester. His decision making on the night was questionable. He looked better as the match went on and had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half.
Jamie Vardy: 5.5/10
Not the best of outing for him as he still looked off the pace, managing only 14 touches and 8 passes in the first half. He was substituted for match winner Kelechi Iheanacho in the second half.
Ayoze Perez: 4/10
Was a passenger for the entire first half, he repeatedly dribbled into traffic and was dispossessed pretty easily by the Brighton defense. He was subbed off for James Maddison in the 62nd minute.
Substitutes
James Maddison: 6.5/10
His introduction injected the creative spark that the team missed in the first half. He added more pace to the game and better passing in the final third.
Kelechi Iheanacho: 7/10
Did not have a lot of chances after he was subbed on for Vardy, However, he was at the right place at the right time for the Foxes to score a last minute winner and help his team to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Kelechi Iheanacho has now scored 11 goals in 17 #FACup games.
Didier Drogba is the only African with more goals (12) in the competition. pic.twitter.com/rWadw4jQBu
— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) February 10, 2021
Hamza Choudhury: 5/10
Part of the triple substitution made in the 62nd minute by Rodgers, he replaced Wilfred Ndidi and did not have any sort of impact on the game.
Christian Fuchs: 5/10
Was brought in due to an injury to James Justin in the 75th minute, and showed his experience in blocking out few Brighton attacks.
