Post Match Analysis by Kate Thompson
On paper, this was a match that City should have won easily, but we all know that football is
not played on paper. As if we didn’t need a further incentive, Ipswich had won at Watford
the night before and leapfrogged us to sit at the top of the table for 24 hours at least.
After the customary slow start, City fans were stunned when Millwall opened the scoring in
the 9th minute with a well-placed header. It all started when Vestergaard attempted an
ambitious cross-field pass to Coady, which the latter struggled to control; the Millwall player
nicked the ball off him and put in an excellent cross, met by Bradshaw. There was an
element of luck about the goal but it seemed to galvanise Leicester, which was just what the
fans wanted to see. Despite some excellent play, they were unable to break down Millwall in
the first half and were still a goal behind at half-time. Fatawu was particularly effective,
leading to three Millwall defenders being booked for challenges on him, and he should have
won a penalty when one of the defenders already booked brought him down in the box. To
the fans’ fury, the referee only gave a corner and Coady was booked for complaining too
vociferously.
City came out in the second half clearly intending to take the initiative and equalised in the
48th minute, when a Dewsbury Hall cross was met by some part of Vestergaard’s anatomy,
despite his shirt being nearly pulled off his back by a Millwall defender. Only four minutes
later, City were ahead when Daka scored his second goal in as many games, knocking the
ball into the net from another wicked cross, this time from Ndidi who had been put into the
box by an excellent Winks pass. City were now on the front foot, but had to wait for a third
goal until the 77th minute; the ball bobbled around in the box, Cannon’s shot was cleared but
only as far as Pereira. It later transpired that his shot deflected off Ndidi, but it looks as if
the goal has been credited to Pereira.
As things turned out, Leicester needed the third as Millwall scored a scruffy second goal
in the third minute of time added on; City were unable to clear from a corner, somewhat of a
throwback to our woes in this department last season. There had been a warning not long
before when the excellent Faes cleared off the goal-line.
The pleasing thing about this performance is that Enzo seems to have found a way to break
down stubborn defences. City didn’t have it all their own way by any means but they kept
their cool and upped the tempo when chances arose. It was a gutsy performance and
Leicester fully deserved the three points to go back to the top of the table. We play Millwall
again in the third round of the FA Cup and I do hope Enzo doesn’t put out a weakened team on
that occasion.
Match reports from the game criticised Hermansen for Millwall’s second goal but apart from picking
the ball out of the net twice, he had very little to do. That was the first time he had conceded
two goals in a match, apart from the Carabao Cup game against Liverpool. Several of the
players had excellent games, including Faes, Vestergaard, Winks, Pereira and Fatawu. The
way they played this game gives more confidence that the inability to break teams down seen
at the beginning of the season, has been addressed and, on this form, a solution has been
found. Time will tell.
Leicester City: Hermansen, Pereira, Coady (Justin 59′), Vestergaard, Faes, Ndidi, Winks, Dewsbury-Hall (Praet 79′), Fatawu, Daka (Cannon 71′), Mavididi
Millwall: Sarkic, Leonard, Cooper, Harding, Norton-Cuffy, Campbell (Mitchell 83′), Saville, Wallace (McNamara 45′), Honeyman (Longman 82′), Bradshaw (Nisbet 74′), Watmore (Flemming 74′)
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.