Slimani celebrates – leicestermercury.co.uk
A clinical second half display saw Leicester City move into the Third Round of the League Cup with a 4-1 win at Sheffield United. What are the main talking points from the match?
Leicester’s close front four
Leicester’s formation was on paper a 4-4-2 but in reality it resembled more of a 4-2-4. Wide men Ahmed Musa and Demarai Gray looked to stay within close proximity to one another, as well as Islam Slimani, who dropped off target man Leanardo Ulloa. They looked the better structured side early on but couldn’t find the final ball, with Musa and Gray both nearly rounding the keeper at different points with the finishing touch eluding them.
Brooks’ influence
With four forwards pressing, there were inevitably gaps in Leicester’s midfield, so their central pairing of Andy King and Wilfred Ndidi did well to keep a lid on proceedings. Sheffield United tried to go direct to Ched Evans early on but he couldn’t hold onto the ball for long enough to bring others into play, so they instead used midfielder David Brooks as their main reference point. The 20-year-old looked bright and inventive, getting wing-backs George Baldock and Daniel Lafferty involved as he influenced their better openings. He played a diagonal ball to Caolan Lavery that led to Evans’ header on 18 minutes, before forcing a fumbled save from Ben Hamer with a long-range strike shortly afterwards.
Blades’ defensive gaps
In the second half, the Foxes took control when Leonardo Ulloa found Demarai Gray. Handily placed in the yawning chasm between right wing-back George Baldock and right centre-back Kieron Freeman, Gray beat the latter all ends up before sliding the ball past Eastwood. The winger’s end product improved in the second half and he was denied a second shortly later by the young goalkeeper from his impressive curling effort. After a strong upfield kick from Hamer, Leonardo Ulloa won the aerial ball in another yawning chasm between Sheffield United’s defence and midfield. There was then acres of space for King to slip the ball through to Islam Slimani, who rounded Eastwood to add the second. The Algerian, linked with a move away, showed no signs of unprofessionalism with a creative and clinical performance which was capped with a brace on 67 minutes, when he tapped home at the back-post fromAhmed Musa’s cross.
Was Ndidi the key?
For 77 minutes, Ndidi had held the midfield together with his tireless tenacity. While the Blades had bright moments, he closed down quickly in the defensive third which hindered their final ball. When he left the pitch, Nampalys Mendy lacked the sharpness to replicate his work. Helped by the introduction of Paul Coutts, Brooks stoically instigated a revival of sorts for Sheffield United. His reverse pass was flicked inside the near post from wide right by Caolan Lavery, who had perhaps intended to cross. The Blades gave their opponents one nervy moment when Brooks’ drive was blocked bravely by centre-back Josh Knight, a Leicester academy graduate.
Musa sealed it
It was therefore a pleasing knight for the visitors, who rounded off their win in the dying moments. Musa had threatened in the first half due to his speed and movement, but his first touch often let him down. Undeterred though, he was rewarded for his pace and persistence with a powerful finish in stoppage time. There were signs that, even if the Nigerian lacks the finesse to start every week, he could thrive from the bench or on the break this season when fresh legs are required.
In summary
Musa’s goal meant a 4-1 scoreline, which was not an entirely fair reflection on the balance of play. We saw an even first half and spells in the second during which Sheffield United threatened. The Blades however, were undone by a lack of defensive cohesion in the transitional phases of play, particularly down their right flank. Due to the pace and quality that Leicester displayed during their 15-minute treble-salvo, those imperfections proved costly.