MK Dons 0-3 Leicester: 3 things learned in Carabao Cup clash
By Ben Haywood
With the World Cup finally done and dusted, Leicester were back in competitive action on Tuesday night as they cruised past MK Dons in a 3-0 Carabao Cup victory.
The Foxes squad dusted off the cobwebs after over a month off, but showed no remorse against a lethargic MK Dons outfit. Goals from Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy secured a place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
Belgium boys are back in town
Admittedly, Timothy Castagne, Tielemans and Wout Faes have had plenty of time back at the City Training Ground to prepare for the match since their woeful World Cup campaign. Regardless, the Belgians were sharper than ever in their first game back.
Castagne saw plenty of the ball in his 79-minute cameo. The full-back created a glorious chance for Perez after three minutes and saw an effort of his own fly over the bar two minutes later. As per usual, Tielemans was composed on the ball and deservedly opened the scoring after a dominant opening 17 minutes. Right place, right time, right player.
Despite not getting out of second gear, Castagne still bullied MK Dons’ left-hand side and provided Leicester’s third goal on a plate. The the 27-year-old picked out Vardy with a cute cross from the by-line for the Foxes talisman to turn in. Faes was untested and particularly fresh after somehow not featuring for his national team.
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Terrific Luke Thomas
On his 68th senior appearance, the 21-year-old produced a fantastic display on his return to the side. His decision making was elite: knowing exactly when to play safe and short passes. Additionally, Thomas also recognised when to supply a killer pass in behind the opposition.
The King Power club’s second goal of the night came from a delightfully lofted through ball from Thomas, who acknowledged the run from Perez in behind. The Spaniard latched on to the pass with a mouth-watering touch before sliding the ball back across the goalkeeper.
On the whole, Thomas was solid. The performance will breed confidence going back into the Premier League season, especially now he’s guaranteed a run of games since James Justin’s injury issues.
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Leicester City man ageing like fine wine
Jamie Vardy did what Jamie Vardy does: a constant nuisance. ‘JV9′ toyed with the Dons’ back three for 67 minutes. As previously mentioned, he earned Leicester City’s third of the night courtesy of Castagne’s effectiveness on the right-hand side. Without any predatory movement in the slightest, Vardy still was free in the penalty area to fire his header into the ground past goalkeeper Jamie Cumming. Capping off the victory, the former England attacker celebrated in front of the approximate 6,500 LCFC supporters, treating them to an early Christmas present.