MATCH FACT FOXES’ TREBLE
Rodgers eyes two cups ... and a top-four finish
FINISHING in the Premier League’s top four and claiming a return to the Champions League is the priority for Leicester City this season.
But you wouldn’t bet against Brendan Rodgers’ high fliers winning either or both of the domestic cup competitions as they continue to march on three fronts.
On Wednesday, they face Aston Villa in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final but, before that, here at the King Power Stadium, they took their first tentative step in the FA Cup, the only domestic trophy that still eludes them, with a comfortable victory over Wigan.
The Foxes were two-up by the break and cruising after Tom Pearce, on his debut for Wigan, gifted them the lead and Harvey Barnes doubled their advantage.
And Wigan never looked like getting back on terms. Leicester boss Rodgers (below) has a 100 per cent record at this stage of the famous old trophy, with seven wins in seven games as a manager.
His Wigan boss Paul Cook, meanwhile, was miffed play was allowed to continue in the build-up to Leicester’s second goal after Joe Williams injured himself with an air-kick on the edge of the home team’s penalty box.
Leicester moved the ball to the opposite end of the pitch with Barnes, and a little deflection off Chey Dunkley, applying the finishing touch. Most managers would have felt the same way as Cook, but Leicester didn’t need to put it out.
Both teams had taken their time to get going and when Demarai Gray registered the first shot it was a tame effort that was easy for
■ Leicester City full-back Ben Chilwell has provided four assists in all competitions this season in 19 appearances, as many as he recorded last season (4 assists in 36 games).
Wigan keeper David Marshall. Soon after, however, Marshall was beaten by Pearce steering a finish past his own No.1 as he attempted to clear Marc Albrighton’s cross.
Barnes had a good opportunity to make it two soon after but Marshall did well to keep out his close-range effort.
There was more frustration for the home side when they lost titlewinning skipper Wes Morgan, making only his sixth start of the season, to injury when he went down holding his groin.
Rodgers had paired Morgan alongside Filip Benkovic – the Croatian who spent last season on loan at Celtic where the Northern Irishman was his manager – and who was making his debut for Leicester 17 months after joining the club from Dinamo Zagreb.
Benkovic lasted only 65 minutes
LEICESTER
WIGAN himself before hobbling off to be replaced by Christian Fuchs.
Caglar Soyuncu replaced Morgan and he and Benkovic were quickly under pressure when the ball fell to Williams on the edge of the area.
He swung a boot but hurt himself and, with the Foxes showing no mercy, Barnes settled the outcome with a little help from Dunkley.
Wigan looked more organised after the break and thought they’d got a foothold in the game, only for VAR to rule out substitute Jamal Lowe’s goal for offside against Pearce, who had provided the cross.