James Maddison makes Burton pay and helps fire Leicester into last eight
Leicester left with a place in the last eight of the Carabao Cup and a valuable warning never to let their standards drop. At first it did not seem like they would need such a reminder, as they looked to be on course for another emphatic win thanks to two deliciously slick early goals. But Burton did not lie down a la Southampton four days ago.
The League One side cut the deficit thanks to a goal by Liam Boyce and, as Leicester grew sloppy, Nigel Clough’s side inflicted several scares before James Maddison came off the bench to put the hosts down once and for all.
Leicester could have been out of sight before Burton began to trouble them but a killer touch eluded them at crucial times, and the home team’s goalkeeper, Kieran O’Hara, twice foiled Marc Albrighton. But Danny Ward, the visiting goalkeeper, had to excel too, particularly in the 74th minute when he produced a superb reflex save to deny Scott Fraser.
A few minutes before that Hamza Choudhury had to nod a header by Oliver Sarkic off the Leicester line.
Sarkic later blazed a shot over the bar when presented with a chance to equalise.
“If it’s your night, one of those three situations goes in your favour,” said Clough. “But I’m very pleased with our lads. We showed Leicester a bit too much respect early on. But by the end they were concerned enough to bring on [Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfried Ndidi], which is great credit to us.”
Fair comment. Not that Leicester started with a weak side. Jonny Evans and Youri Tielemans were the only two starters who had begun Friday’s 9-0 Premier League demolition of Southampton but Leicester’s squad are so strong their lineup still had fearsome quality – the bench was even better just in case the going got tough, which it did. So Brendan Rodgers was certainly not taking this tie lightly. And why would he when Burton proved their cup credentials by beating Bournemouth in the last round and reaching the semi-finals of this competition last season?
Quite apart from the threat he knew
Burton carried, Rodgers had no intention of allowing his team’s momentum to stall. With a culture of ruthlessness to nurture and no European campaign to fret about, there is no good reason for a club with such an accomplished squad not to strive for a cup triumph as well as progress in the Premier League.
Kelechi Iheanacho, who looked sharp here despite not appearing in this season’s Premier League, fired Leicester in front after seven minutes, finishing from 10 yards after Demarai Gray and Tielemans sliced through Burton with a precise counterattack. “We want 10,” piped up the travelling fans.
Scott Fraser skimmed a post with a shot in the 18th minute and that seemed to irritate Leicester, who doubled their lead less than two minutes later. Gray was again integral to a flowing move, this one culminating with Dennis Praet pulling back the ball for Tielemans to slot home from close range.
Burton gradually got to grips with the visitors. Just before the break, Ward had to make a couple of fine saves, turning away a diving header by Broadhead before thwarting the same player again a minute later.
Praet clipped a shot wide early in the second half after being released by Iheanacho. Then Leicester got careless and Burton punished them. Iheanacho gave away possession in midfield and the Premier League side bungled several chances to clear the danger before Boyce took Ward by surprise with a ferocious shot from over 20 yards. The keeper failed to hold it. Now Leicester had a serious fight on their hands.
If Ward was at fault for Burton’s goal, he atoned by making a fabulous reflex save to turn away a close-range volley by Fraser in the 74th minute. After Rodgers sent on reinforcements, Maddison settled the tie by turning in a cross from Gray in the 89th minute.