The concerned noise surrounding Leicester may not have been quieted, but Martí Cifuentes’s team, who are seeking a return to the Premier League as soon as possible, brushed aside the doubts – and Charlton’s high-intensity press – thanks to Abdul Fatawu’s sensational strike.
“It was a far from perfect game,” said Cifuentes. “Their approach was very aggressive, very physical. They threw a lot of bodies in the box. It is not a performance I am extremely pleased or happy with. The identity of what we want to see is still not there.”
The game was not without controversy as a late Lloyd Jones header from a corner was ruled out by the referee, Dean Whitestone. “The goal is – I am going to get myself in trouble – an absolute travesty,” said Nathan Jones, the Charlton manager. “It’s a fairytale. It’s a bit of Hans Christian Andersen. They were released from jail by an individual. If someone did their job today we would be having a different conversation.
“I’ve knocked on [Whitestone’s] door twice. I am going to see him. I have to say what the Football League wants me to say. I am disappointed. I disagree with certain elements of decision-making. If I say what I want to say it’s totally different.”
Jones also accused Leicester players of going down too easily and avoiding going toe-to-toe with his team’s press. The style of play Cifuentes has tried to implement is clear, with the visitors favouring the triangle of Hamza Choudhury, Boubakary Soumaré and Fatawu to move the ball up the pitch. But Charlton were aggressive from the first whistle and Conor Coventry covered a lot of ground in midfield to block the passing lanes of Leicester’s right-sided trio.
As a result, it was the hosts with the early chances. Tyreece Campbell and Greg Docherty had shots blocked in the fourth minute before Miles Leaburn’s shot on target was deflected into the away end.
Leicester have yet to bring in a striker to replace Jamie Vardy, who left this summer after 13 seasons at the club and 200 goals in all competitions. Instead they have begun the season with Jordan Ayew as their starting No 9. But if there was a game to rethink their activity in the market it would have been this one. Ayew certainly has experience, but the 33-year-old’s best days are clearly behind him. He was isolated and struggled against Jones. When he did drop deep, he often failed to evade the tackle or win the foot race.
The hosts won an back-to-back corners to start the second half. Jones’s header deflected away from the first before Amari’i Bell’s was saved off the line. They were moments Charlton would come to regret as seconds later the ball was in the back of the net at the other end.
For all of the hosts’ resilient defending, there was little they could do as Fatawu skipped forward, cut inside from the right and curled an outrageous finish into the far top corner to give the visitors the lead.
Charlton thought they had an equaliser in the 82nd minute from their 12th corner after Jones’s header slipped past Jakub Stolarczyk, but Whitestone blew his whistle before the ball went in for a push in the area.
“5-1 would have been a fair result,” said Jones. “We created enough chances to win a League Two, League One, Championship and Premier League game. We created enough chances to win three games.”
