Lions king Cummings leaves
TEN-MAN Millwall booked their place in the sixth round after Shaun Cummings’ last- minute strike condemned Leicester to another miserable defeat.
The League One side had to play the majority of the second half without Jake Cooper after he was sent off in the 51st minute for a second bookable offence. But the deficit only inspired Millwall to a famous victor y with Cummings finding the net in the 90th minute to heap more pressure on Claudio Ranieri and his beleaguered team.
With more than one eye on their Champions League trip first-leg clash at Sevilla next week and their Premier League encounter against Liverpool a week on Monday, Ranieri made 10 changes to his side that lost at Swansea.
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were relegated to the bench while Demarai Gray was the only survivor from the 2-0 defeat at the Liberty Stadium.
Mill wall, six thin League One, may have sensed an opportunity to shock the Premier League champions, but it was Leicester who enjoyed the better start.
Shinji Okazaki found himself through on goal, but he was off- balance and keeper Jordan Archer managed to parry his shot away. Ahmed Musa was there for the follow-up, but his quickfire shot was superbly blocked by Byron Webster. Okazaki then saw his header from the resulting corner magnificently palmed away by the Millwall keeper.
The Foxes, despite their miserable recent form, were upping the ante and it only seemed a matter of time before they would open their account.
But on a bobbly pitch, roared on by a raucous crowd, the hosts ended the first half on top.
Calum Butcher’ s header from a corner called Ron-Robert Zieler
into action for the first time and a goalmouth scramble ensued.
Cooper was booked for his over-zealous attempts to snatch the ball out of Ziel er’ s grasp. Nevertheless, these were encouraging signs for the south London outfit.
But just six minutes after the interval Millwall were reduced to 10 men when Cooper was sent off for a rash challenge on Musa.
With 18 minutes to go, Ranieri called for Vardy. Moments later, the England international had Archer scrambling to his far post as his 20-yard shot fizzed agonisingly wide.
Then, with 10 minutes to go, Okazaki had the perfect chance to win the tie. Marc Albrighton’s cross fell into his path inside the six- yard box, but the Japanese forward failed to convert it.
The tie appeared to be heading for a replay before substitute Lee Gregory chested the ball into the path of Cummings, who coolly slotted the ball past Zieler.
Millwall survived five minutes of injury time before ecstatic home supporters ran on to the pitch to celebrate the win.