Stoke 0 City 1
Report by Kate Thompson
At a ground where City wins have been as rare as hens’ teeth and where we suffered the worst heartbreak of supporting the team in 2008, this was as surprising as it was welcome.
The news before the game that Schmeichel was unavailable only added to the feeling that we would be lucky to get a point but in the event Hamer stepped up to the plate and was a worthy deputy. His kicks from his area often went out for an unnecessary throw-in but in truth the only save of any significance came right at the end of the game when Stoke were chasing it.
Apart from Hamer, the team was the same as the one which played against Arsenal but with Drinkwater and Cambiasso on the bench; I was surprised that Albrighton wasn’t among the subs whereas Knockaert was.
The first half was disappointing, with City camped in their own half for much of the time and there were several examples of last-ditch and rather desperate defending. Peter Crouch missed an easy chance and there were a few other scares.
However, two inspired substitutions at half-time turned the game around and meant that Ulloa’s goal in the 65th minute settled matters. Cambiasso immediately showed his class, spraying passes around and finding team-mates in a way his colleagues had failed to do.
Drinkwater was equally effective and both the subs were instrumental in the build-up to the game. The referee allowed play to go on after De Laet was fouled in the City half and a slick passing move led to the ball being fed out wide left to Konchesky; he put in a cross that fell slightly behind Ulloa but somehow he managed to flick the ball with his heel to send the City fans at that end into raptures.
After that the players had to soak up a lot of pressure and Stoke won corner after corner. But by a combination of Hamer’s authority in the box and some impressive blocks and clearances Leicester kept a clean sheet. A first win in the Premiership and away at a ground where we have won very little in recent times.
The back four were solid although De Laet was occasionally caught out; Morgan and Moore look to be developing a very impressive partnership in the middle of the defence and on one occasion in the second half Moore cantered practically the full length of the pitch, and then had to wait for someone to join him!
Mahrez had a disappointing game and it was no surprise when he was substituted; King was the other player to make way although he had worked hard. Cambiasso, however, was different class and can probably take most of the credit for the turnaround in the team’s performance.
Vardy came on towards the end of the game for Schlupp, who was rather ineffective, but I was surprised that Nugent stayed on the pitch; he worked hard but looked a pale shadow of the player he was last season. He may argue that the delivery lacked something but Ulloa seemed to manage.
So the Leicester fans went home happy; in truth Stoke were the better team for much of the game and (as with our other three games) dominated possession. However, this demonstrates what a meaningless statistic it is, as the only stat that counted was the goal! The other interesting point is that Stoke had three players booked and City none; Stoke have always been a hard team and nothing seems to have changed there, and one foul from Crouch was very dangerous. I imagine a few of the players are nursing bumps and bruises today.
Leicester: Hamer, De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky, Mahrez (Drinkwater 46), King (Cambiasso 46), Hammond, Schlupp (Vardy 76), Ulloa, Nugent. Subs not used: Knockaert, Wasilewski, Smith, Wood
Stoke: Begovic, Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters (Muniesa 84), Whelan, Nzonzi, Walters (Assaidi 82), Bojan (Diouf 74), Moses, Crouch. Subs not used: Huth, Arnautovic, Adam, Sorensen
Attendance: 27,500 Referee: Michael Oliver
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation