KELECHI’S KEY TO VICTORY
Iheanacho unlocks Saints to fire Foxes into final
KELECHI IHEANACHO was the toast of Leicester last night after firing the Foxes to their first FA Cup final since 1969.
Manchester City reject Iheanacho continued his stunning scoring form with a second-half winner to sink Southampton in front of 4,000 spectators at Wembley.
Iheanacho’s strike was his 10th goal in his last seven games to settle a dour contest and set up a showdown with Chelsea on May 15.
It was the first goal that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men had conceded in the competition this season – and it cost them their place in the showpiece event for the first time in almost two decades.
Saints suffered a 9-0 mauling from Brendan Rodgers’ men back in 2019.
Hasenhuttl had described the club’s worst-ever defeat as a “disaster” and while this was nowhere near the same scale, it will still feel just as painful.
Rodgers made two changes to the side that lost to West Ham last Sunday with Caglar Soyuncu and Ayoze Perez returning at the expense of Dennis Praet and Daniel Amartey.
But Perez’s fellow Covidiots James Maddison and Hamza Choudhury had to settle for places on the bench after returning to the squad following their ill discipline.
Hasenhuttl, meanwhile, made one change to the team that lost to West Brom last time out with Moussa Djenepo replacing Theo Walcott. All the pressure was on Rodgers, who knew leading his side to a final would be another huge achievement to add to his ever-improving CV.
The Foxes could have gone ahead inside five minutes when Ibrahima Diallo lost possession in his own half and invited them to go on the attack, but the move ended with Perez shooting wide.
Genuine chances were few and far between but the Foxes looked the more likely scorers and wasted a good opportunity in the 28th minute when Perez broke free on the left but failed to pick out the unmarked Iheanacho at the back post.
Moments later Rodgers’ side blew an even better opening when Youri Tielemans released Jamie Vardy with a wonderful pass.
The former England ace outpaced Jan Bednarek but with just Fraser Forster to beat he chipped a shot into
the side netting. It was the sort of finish you would expect from someone who has now scored just one goal in 19 games in a woeful run stretching back to before Christmas.
Wilfred Ndidi and then Vardy both saw headers land on the roof of the net as Saints continued to ride their luck.
The quality on show was poor and those fortunate to have been allowed in to watch probably wished they had stayed at home instead.
Forget ‘Line Of Duty,’ this was bordering on a dereliction of duty from both sides considering the big prize at stake.
But just when some stardust was needed Iheanacho arrived to sprinkle some with the decisive breakthrough in the 55th minute.
Vardy broke down the left and cut the ball back to the Nigeria international who finished at the second attempt after his initial effort had come back to him off the shins of Jannik Vestergaard.
Diallo came within a whisker of hauling his side level with a blistering volley but it was all too little, too late.