Foxes striker pays the penalty
JAMIE Vardy went from hero to zero by missing the target in a tense penalty shoot-out.
The Foxes striker’s late goal had saved his side in normal time but his miss, followed by Riyah Mahrez’s saved effort, sent City through to the semi-final.
Bernardo Silva’s first-half goal had looked enough for City but four minutes into added time Kyle Walker brought down Demarai Gray in the box.
There was little contact but a penalty was given and Vardy scored from the spot to take the match into extra time.
With a semi-final spot at stake, it was a wonder why Leicester did not put out a stronger line-up.
City were always going to make a changes as their quest for the title goes on. They made nine but Claude Puel made seven changes.
City went close on a number of occasions before Silva broke the deadlock in the 27th minute.
Silva went close early on when he capitalised on hesitation at the heart of the home defence.
Foxes’ stand-in keeper Ben Hamer got himself in a pickle on the edge of his box and when Silva was left shooting at his exposed net, the keeper had Harry Maguire to thank for a great block.
In the 20th minute, Ilkay Gundogan tried to rock the keeper again with a beautifully disguised clipped shot with Hamer having to scramble before tipping it onto the top of his crossbar. Then Tosin Adarabioyo flashed a header inches wide of the post.
City did not have to wait much longer even though former City man Kelechi Iheanacho felt he had been fouled by Adarabioyo in the build up.
The £25m summer signing, who had been booked a few minutes earlier for a challenge which sent Claudio Bravo flying spectacularly through the air, peeled away expecting the referee to blow.
But he was not having it and City broke with pace and reaped the reward as Gundogan did the hard work with a searing run be-