With Leicester having been expected to face a tough fixture against one of the teams in the upper sections of the table, the Foxes managed to muddle their way to a 3-4 victory against Stockport County. Obviously, the game was not without drama and the now-expected defensive errors, but three points on the board and are now within striking distance of the play-off spots.
How Leicester City muddled through
In the early stages of the game, the fixture played out as every single game had done prior: Russell Martin's infamous 'death by football' system focused on just passing the ball around, hoping for a chance. In this way, we held onto possession and eventually looked for an opportunity to get a forward in.
Finally, the Foxes struck first. In the 10th minute, Liam Cullen put the away side ahead with a brilliant shot in a rough position. A quick turn and Cullen took his shot under almost no pressure after a good pass from Louis Page. Watching the replays, we were helped by a mixture of a dummy run by Sammy Braybrooke and an overload on one side of the pitch. So, a well-worked goal and Cullen got on with it.
In the 22nd minute, rubbish defending from Luke Thomas, a lack of reactivity by Harry Souttar, and a lack of shot-stopping ability from Alex McCarthy saw the home side pull one back. Despite being under pressure, the goalscorer was able to get the shot off at a tight angle, with Thomas not trying to put challenges in or to get in the way of the forward's shot. Instead, the left-back seemed to just try to prevent a pass in-field, rather than dealing with the threat.
Emil Riis took us ahead again as the Danish striker showed exactly why we got him. Playing off the backline and under essentially no pressure, a lobbed pass over to Riis saw him chip it behind the goalkeeper with ease. In the 48th minute, he made it 1-3 with a long-range shot from outside the box on his right foot. A powerful effort which easily beat the keeper.
Only a short while later John Lundstram got on the end of a far-post corner from Louis Page (two assists for the midfielder) and slotted the header home. A few players have scored their first goals for the club, all new signings, and hopefully only more to come.
However, after that, Stockport came alive and got myriad chances at our goal, with Leicester's defence simply being too easy to play through and around. The Foxes were lucky most of their shots were off target. But, within the span of four minutes, Leicester City conceded twice with plenty of time to go, making it a tense affair in the closing stages, with Stockport seeing more of the ball and better chances. On another day, some of their misses get converted, and we end with a draw. So, it's a good win, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The three best players
The King Power Club's Danish centre-forward was undeniably crowned the starting striker. Riis actually knows where the net is, so he was able to secure a goal he ought to have scored, and one really powerful goal to illustrate why Russell Martin wanted him. With two goals from only three shots, Leicester appear to have a player who can convert chances even when opportunities to go at goal are slim.
Louis Page again showed himself to be miles ahead of any other player, with technical and creative passing, great linking up with forwards and other midfielders, and a strong array of passing types to help Martin's Leicester create chances. With two assists, Page might be the spark LCFC need to create.
Meanwhile, John Lundstram showed us the bite we need. The tenacity and work rate to just keep running, the experience to position well and to understand his role, the English midfielder illustrates composure and strong positioning developed over a long time, and it was evident when he was still at Sheffield United. A headed goal when so many of our team struggle to ever connect is a blessing; with a player who can actually meet the ball, we might just have what it takes to score.
Despite a weak defensive performance on the left side of defence, Leicester City's Emil Riis and Louis Page made sure the Foxes got something from this match. Finally, we are further up the table and close enough to the play-offs to feel confident, if only for a moment, that we can win promotion back to the EFL Championship, despite the predictions.
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