DEENEY’S STING IN THE TALE
THIS is a tale of two strikers – and how everything changed for them in just 18 seconds.
Troy Deeney was having the worst of times, Anthony Knockaert the best of times.
Deeney started the 2012-13 season in prison, and later said that fact overshadowed everything for the next few months – including what he later called his “Sergio Aguero moment” in the play-offs against Leicester.
The Foxes had Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane in their squad – but it was Knockaert making the headlines, and he was the Leicester hero on the final day of the regular season.
Knockaert (below) grabbed Leicester’s first league win at Nottingham Forest for 31 years with an injury-time strike and, with Bolton failing to beat Blackpool, the Foxes jumped up two places to finish sixth.
He would now have the chance to try and send Nigel Pearson’s team to Wembley. In the play-off semi-final, Leicester faced Watford, who had missed out on automatic promotion after a final-day 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds.
Deeney was sent off against Leeds, meaning he missed the first leg against Leicester, which was won 1-0 by David Nugent’s header.
But Deeney was back for the second leg at Vicarage Road and had a hand in Matej Vydra’s 65th-minute goal that put the Hornets level at 2-2 on aggregate.
Six minutes into injury time, Knockaert fell under a challenge from Marco Cassetti, the referee pointed to the penalty spot and Wembley was just one kick away for Leicester.
Knockaert sent keeper Manuel Almunia the wrong way, but the Spaniard’s feet still made a block.
It was Knockaert who won the race to the loose ball, but his shot hit Almunia in the chest and fell to a Watford defender who walloped it up the pitch, setting up a counter attack.
Ikechi Anya sped away and found Fernando Forestieri, who slung a cross over to the far post.
Jonathan Hogg was under it and, after hearing Deeney’s screams, he nodded the ball into his path.
Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel had no chance of saving Deeney’s shot – and so just 18 seconds after Leicester were a kick from Wembley, Watford took their place instead.