EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Leicester City 3-1 Derby County
And that’s that! A fully deserved victory for Leicester City’s second string. They’ll travel to Millwall in the fifth round. And they’ll travel to Swansea City at the weekend feeling a little bit better about themselves. What could this mean for their stuttering season? Everyone’s talking about a possible relegation as champions, but how about they save their Premier League skin and finally win an FA Cup instead?
Updated
ET 30 min: Another corner for Derby down the left. Butterfield’s delivery is dealt with easily enough. Slimani races off down the other end, but can’t bust clear on the left. No matter: the board goes up for one added minute. Leicester are home and hosed.
ET 28 min: A party atmosphere at the King Power. Could this highly decent performance by Leicester’s second string blow away a few cobwebs?
ET 27 min: The crowd are singing Claudio Ranieri’s name with power, passion and purpose.
ET 26 min: A corner for Derby on the left. They need something desperately. Butterfield swings the set piece into the mixer. The slightly shaky Zieler punches clear, but not particularly cleanly.
ANOTHER FINE GOAL! Leicester City 3-1 Derby County (Gray 114)
What a wonderful solo goal this is! The brilliant Gray takes up possession, 30 yards from goal on the left. He drops a shoulder, shakes and shimmies, and leaves the hapless Keogh and Vydra for dust as he enters the area. One on one with Mitchell, he whips a brilliant shot into the top right. No more than Leicester deserve.
Updated
ET 21 min: The resulting corner leads to another corner, from which Mahrez very nearly finds Slimani at the near post with a whipped cross. A goal kick, and Derby finally get the ball back. A fine period of play from the hosts. Bill Belichick would be proud of that clock management.
ET 19 min: Leicester kill a couple of minutes with some glorious possession football, tidying things up at the back, bursting forward, patiently going backwards when nothing presents itself, launching a second wave of attack. Eventually King calmly and smoothly eases forward and lashes a long shot towards the top right. It’s a fine, firm bash, and it’s turned round the post by Mitchell.
Updated
ET 17 min: The opening exchanges of this half suggest Leicester are happy to sit back, soak it up, and try to kill off the tie on the break. Anya can’t quite latch onto a through ball from Russell; Mahrez really should have sent Gray racing away but hesitated. This could be a lot of end-to-end fun.
Here we go again, then, for the final time! Derby get the ball rolling. They’ve got 15 minutes to save themselves. They probably shouldn’t have the opportunity: Leicester should have been awarded a penalty during that first period of extra time, while Slimani missed from two yards. But here’s where we are. It promises to be a nervous, tingly, tantalising second period!
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Leicester City 2-1 Derby County
Benalouane and Zieler fail to deal with a garden variety ball into the area, gifting Derby a corner. But nothing comes of it. The whistle goes, and Leicester are 15 minutes away from the fifth round.
ET 15 min: A lull. There will be one minute of added lull.
ET 13 min: Christie twists and turns down the right. He’s been superb tonight. His cross finds the head of Russell, who from the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, guides a header towards the top left. It drifts just wide, but had it been on target, it’d have been in. Zieler was rooted to the spot. Magnificent play by Derby, who despite it all aren’t out of this match yet.
ET 11 min: The excellent Gray twists and turns down the left, making Keogh look like a toddler. He rolls a take-me ball across the six-yard box. All Slimani has to do is tap in, but his legs form a treble clef, all tangled up in blue. Slimani holds in head in his hands as the ball serenely sails away from danger. How on earth did he miss? It really should be 3-1. He’ll be irritated now all right.
Updated
ET 9 min: An irritated Silimani gets a bit too physical with Shackell. The referee, perhaps realising what he has (or hasn’t) done, makes do with a free kick and brief lecture.
ET 7 min: Albrighton romps down the right wing again. He cuts a low one back into the area for Slimani, who looks to trap and turn near the penalty spot. Keogh, behind him, takes his leg away. It should be a penalty, but once again Keogh gets away with one. The referee has had a poor match, missing two spot kicks and a possible sending off. Leicester have had no breaks at all.
ET 6 min: That was a gorgeous strike. A no-nonsense, powerful blooter. Sheareresque. Leicester come again with Albrighton down the right. The resulting cross is snaffled easily enough by Mitchell.
WHAT A GOAL!!! Leicester City 2-1 Derby County (Ndidi 94)
Wow! This is something else! Mahrez drops deep to pick up possession. He takes a couple of strides and funnels the ball forwards for Ndidi, who opens his legs before launching a riser towards the top right from 25 yards. Mitchell gets the faintest of fingertips, but the ball clatters off the right-hand post and spins into the net at speed. What a way to open your account for your new club!
Updated
ET 3 min: Vydra steals possession in the centre circle, lays off to Nugent, and races forwards. If he receives a quick forward pass, he’s clear on goal. But Nugent is slow to spot him, then can’t get the ball out from under his feet. A real chance for Derby squandered there.
ET 1 min: King and Mahrez interchange down the left, some nice silky skills. King reaches the by-line, crossing low and hard towards the near post. Mitchell gets down to smother.
And we’re off again! Again! Leicester make a double change: Slimani and Ndidi come on for Mendy and Musa. Mahrez gets the ball rolling for the first period of extra time!
FULL TIME: Leicester City 1-1 Derby County
And that’s that! We’re going to extra time! It’s not a classic, but it’s as near as we can get to an epic these days. Don’t go anywhere!
Updated
90 min +2: ... there’s a melee in the area. Wasilewski swings a boot at a bouncing ball. It hits something or someone. He claims a hand ball and a penalty, but the referee doesn’t react. Neither do his team-mates, to be fair.
90 min +1: Leicester force a corner out on the left. From which...
90 min: Millwall still have no clue as to the identity of their fifth-round opponents. Will they find out in the next three added minutes?
89 min: They say the FA Cup is dead, but the closing period of this match is crackling with nervous electricity! Musa makes off down the left and crosses deep. Lowe attempts to chest out for a corner, but only manages to hit Derby’s right-hand post! Mitchell hacks clear. So close to a heartbreaking end for the visitors!
Updated
87 min: De Sart whips one into the Leicester box. The hosts make a meal of mopping up the loose ball. Leicester go upfield through Albrighton down the right. His cross is met at the near post by Musa, whose header goes straight down Mitchell’s throat.
84 min: A couple of big decisions here. Vydra dribbles into the Leicester box from the left, and falls over. He demands a penalty, but it’s not given. At first glance, it looked like a simple loss of balance. Yes, he kicks Amartey’s boot while falling over under his own steam. Then the ball’s battered up the other end. Musa charges after it down the left. Mitchell races out of his area, and just as Musa looks to round him, sticks out his right hand to stop the ball, then clear. That should have been a free kick and possibly a red card - there may have been cover - but Musa is rightly incensed. Adding insult to injury, he’s booked for complaining.
Updated
83 min: David Nugent, four years at Leicester, comes on for Derby, replacing Blackman. Gray skitters down the right but just when it looks like opening up, the ball runs away from him and out for a goal kick.
82 min: King earns a corner with a determined bustle down the inside right. He meets the set piece himself with his head, flashing an effort wide left from the right-hand corner of the six-yard box.
80 min: Christie cuts inside from the right and curls a shot straight at Zieler. Ranieri responds by finally making a switch, reigning player-of-the-year Mahrez coming on for the tidy Kapustka.
78 min: Derby hog the ball awhile, but do little with it. Kapustka robs De Sart, allowing Musa to take a run at the Derby back line. He switches play to Albrighton on the right, and the move fizzles out.
76 min: Christie hangs one high in the Leicester box from the right. It’s easily cleared. It’s been an entertaining second half, but right now we’re in something of a lull.
74 min: A second change for Derby, as the goalscorer Camara is replaced by Russell. Or is he the goalscorer? A suggestion Camara’s shot was heading wide right, in which case poor Chilwell will be credited with an own goal. But let’s not get hung up on mere detail.
72 min: Albrighton makes good down the right again, but once more his cross is too close to Mitchell. Extra time looms, and neither manager will fancy it with those precious weekend league points up for grabs. But it’s all a bit cagey at the moment. Is anyone prepared to roll the dice and get this done in regulation?
70 min: Vydra attempts to meet a right-wing cross with a scorpion kick. No Henrikh Mkhitaryan he. All he does is whack poor Benalouane in the phizog. The trainer comes on and dabs the stricken defender awhile with the magic sponge. He’ll be good to continue.
Updated
67 min: A corner for Leicester down the right. Their first charge upfield for a while, and it comes to nothing. But they come back at Derby, Albrighton winning a free kick off Camara as he pumps down the right. Albrighton takes himself, but the cross is too close to keeper Mitchell, who plucks from the sky. “Is it Truman Capote or David Hockney in that mural in Leicester?” wonders Wilson Beuys. “I can’t decide, but I hope it’s Capote. David Hockney is dead to me after that business with the logo for The Sun.”
65 min: Christie skitters down the right and is stopped unfairly by Chilwell. Yet another free kick, yet another chance for Derby to load the box. Butterfield takes. The delivery isn’t brilliant, but somehow the ball finds its way to the feet of Shackell, six yards out. Nobody’s more surprised than the centre back, who can’t shift his feet to shoot. Leicester are rocking.
63 min: Vydra buys a cheap free kick off the clumsy Benalouane down the right. The resulting free kick is aimless, though it does cause some minor panic in the Leicester box. The ball’s eventually cleared, though the hosts look rattled.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-1 Derby County (Camara 61)
... Camara shoots low towards the bottom right. The ball takes a huge deflection off Chilwell, hanging his leg out on the left-hand edge of the wall, and bumbles into the unguarded left-hand side of the net, Zieler having dived the other way! A huge stroke of luck for the Championship side, and we’re all level!
Updated
60 min: Anya glides past Chilwell on the right, before falling over in the box. The ball breaks loose, Butterfield stooping to head forwards on the edge of the Leicester area. Albrighton lifts a boot to blooter clear. It’s dangerous play, according to the ref, and this is another dangerous free kick just to the right of the D. De Sart taps it to his left, and...
58 min: According to the BBC, poor Steve McClaren missed the goal, having not made it back to the dugouts. A double whammy.
57 min: Camara cuts inside from the right, and he’s got options in the centre, but drags a lame shot miles right of the target instead. “Leicester should forget about the league and target the cups this season,” suggests Simon McMahon. “An FA Cup, or Big Cup, would look good alongside the Premiership trophy which, lets face it, they’re not going to win again any time soon. And if they end up going down, so what? Do it in a blaze of glory, a Man City 2012 in reverse, celebrating the fact with an open top bus tour, with a shiny Cup at the front for good measure.” Preach on, brother.
55 min: Blackman bursts down the right and is upended by Benalouane, just to the right of the Leicester D. A free kick in a very dangerous position. Camara curls one, with a view to finding the top left. It’s straight at Zieler, though. The keeper stops the shot from going in the net, punching nervously back into the busy box. He really should have caught that, though. Leicester eventually clear, but that was questionable goalkeeping.
Updated
53 min: Derby make the first switch of the match, hooking Johnson and replacing him with Vydra.
51 min: Leicester have their dander up, and so do the fans. The home support belt out an unequivocal rendition of their Claudio Ranieri song. The manager seconds that emotion by clapping them back. A sweet moment that surely won’t be lost on Leicester’s visiting owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, sitting in the stands.
50 min: Musa and Gray hunt in the pack style, hassling Keogh down the inside-right channel. Gray picks up possession and slides forward for Musa, who reaches the by-line on the right and screws a low ball into the box. Gray can’t quite get on the end of it, Shackell doing enough to put him off from sidefooting home. So close to number two.
48 min: A cool 59 seconds of the second half was all it took. Camara tries to respond instantly for Derby by racing down the right, but Chilwell is across quickly to put a stop to his gallop.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-0 Derby County (King 46)
Well, that didn’t take long! Gray whips a stunning deep cross into the box from the left. Albrighton, coming in from the other flank, meets the ball on the byline, just to the right of the posts. He heads across and backwards, and King’s there to head softly into the net from a couple of yards. So simple, but that was all about Gray’s delicious, tantalising cross. He’s a player.
Updated
And we’re off again! No changes made by either side. Leicester get the ball rolling again, and send it straight out of play on the left. Can any of these lads find a winner, or are we due some extra-time, and maybe penalty-kick, drama?
Half-time reading:
HALF TIME: Leicester City 0-0 Derby County
After the first shot in anger, the half-time whistle. Derby came close to taking the lead there; Leicester are convinced they should have had a penalty for Keogh’s shove on Chilwell. It’s been frantic and occasionally fun; should be a lively second half. No flipping!
Updated
45 min: There will be two added minutes. It’s all very scrappy, but suddenly Butterfield bursts into a pocket of space down the inside-right channel, and batters a low diagonal shot towards the bottom left. It’s heading in, a lovely effort, but Zieler fingertips it round the post. A fine save. From the corner, De Sart whams a whimsical effort miles over the bar from distance.
44 min: This half of football is petering out.
42 min: Johnson has winded himself, landing flat on his back after acrobatically leaping over King in a misguided effort to intercept a high ball. An accident, and one which it looks like he’ll recover from soon enough.
40 min: The crowd goes a bit quiet, life imitating art. But suddenly the volume rises as King slides a pass down the left for Chilwell, who enters the area, then falls flat on his coupon. A corner, but the young left-back wants a penalty kick, and no wonder, as he’s been lightly shoved in the back by Keogh. The ref calls it shoulder to shoulder, but Keogh was behind his man. That looked like a penalty, albeit a soft one. The resulting corner leads to nothing.
38 min: King latches onto another loose Derby pass, this time in the centre circle. He bombs forward down the middle, but in looking to slip Musa clear along the inside-right channel, overcooks it and clumps the ball out for a goal kick.
35 min: Leicester are beginning to impose themselves. Musa nearly benefits from some overly ambitious interplay by the Derby back four, but just as it looks like he’ll grab a loose pass and break into the box, De Sart arrives on his charger and snips the ball back to Mitchell, who clears.
33 min: Leicester should be ahead. Gray goes on a wonderful baroque scamper down the inside-right channel, zipping past Lowe and whipping a low cross through the six-yard box. Musa, sliding in, simply had to connect, but he mistimes his kick and the chance is gone. That was a wonderful run by Gray.
31 min: Chilwell, Gray and Kapustka triangulate down the left to earn Leicester a corner. Gray loops the set piece deep. Benalouane, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, tries to contort his body in the hope of connecting with a blooter of a volley. Well that’s not happening. A fresh-air swipe, and in his embarrassment he claims a penalty off the nearby Keogh. That’s not happening either.
Updated
29 min: More Derby possession in the midfield. It’s not quite a classic, this, but it’s open and unpredictable enough to remain engaging.
26 min: Keogh loses the ball to Gray in a dangerous position down the Leicester left. Musa is sent scampering into the Derby box, but is bundled off the ball by Shackell, coming across from the middle. Goal kick. Leicester loudly claim for a penalty, but there was minimal contact, hip to hip, a fair tussle for possession. The referee’s not having it.
Updated
24 min: Anya Jimmy Johnstones his way down the left yet again. He’s looking on his game tonight. He reaches the byline and stands one up into the middle, but again it just evades the lurking Blackman. If Derby are to unlock Leicester, Anya may well be the key.
23 min: Some more space for Albrighton down the right. His low cross is easily hacked clear by Keogh, with no blue shirt in attendance.
22 min: Derby are bossing possession. Having said that, Leicester seem happy enough to sit back and let them pootle around in the midfield, perhaps hoping to nick the ball and break forward quickly. You don’t need to be Jonathan Wilson to know they’ve got form using that tactic.
19 min: Another corner for Derby, this time out on the right. Leicester make a hash of clearing it. Butterfield, sitting deep in the quarterback position, slips the ball wide right for Camara, who tries to curl one into the top right. Nope! A bit ambitious, especially as the hosts were all over the shop there. Derby are beginning to look the more likely. “I’m hoping for a goal-fest but not very optimistic of it! This is from a one time Ramfan of the 1974-75 1st div Championship side! The defence leaked goals like a broken pipe and scored ‘em like Roy of the Rovers on summer vacation!” A happy Harry Williams reminiscing there. Just look at his face!
17 min: A high ball’s sent into the Leicester box. Johnson goes up with Zieler, who doesn’t look at all confident in his ability to catch. Well, the keeper called that one right, because he makes a proper balls of it. But Johnson misjudges the flight too, and the ball bounces out for a goal kick.
15 min: ... Derby break at speed upfield through Anya, down the left wing. He draws Wasilewski, then drops a shoulder and leaves him for dead. He reaches the byline and pitching-wedges a cross into the middle. Zieler is beaten, but it’s a couple of inches too high for Blackman, the ball fizzing off his eyebrows and away from danger. So close to an opening goal.
Updated
14 min: Musa strides into space down the middle of the park. Derby are light at the back. Albrighton is slipped into acres down the right, but his cross - meant for Musa, who had continued his run - hits Shackell in the mush. One corner leads to another. And from the second...
11 min: There’s a nice, fresh, open feel to this match. Leicester have looked a bit more dangerous when they get forward, though it’s Derby who win the first corner of the match, out on the left. Butterfield hoicks it into the mixer, Zieler punches clear.
9 min: It’s a booking apiece. Mendy sees yellow for clattering De Sart in the middle of the park. Both sides storing up trouble. The referee’s been a bit trigger happy, in fairness, he could have let both challenges go. But he’s set the tone.
8 min: Leicester have looked dangerous down both flanks. Early charges down the left, now they concentrate on the right. Amartey zips down the channel and cuts back for Albrighton, whose deep cross is cleared easily. The hosts come again down the same wing, Kapustka whipping in a delightful cross, but there’s nobody there.
Updated
6 min: An early booking as Christie is punished for hanging a cynical leg out to kick the lively Gray in the centre circle. That’s not a euphemism.
4 min: Anya embarks on a purposeful dribble down the centre, and slips the ball wide left for Lowe on the overlap. Lowe’s daisycutter of a cross is hacked clear. Leicester go up the other end, Gray and Kapustka exchanging passes down the left, the former scooping a cross into the Derby box for Amartey to head harmlessly over. So much for that slow start!
3 min: Gray threatens to dribble into the Derby box down the left but he’s soon forced into turning back. The first little shaft of light.
2 min: All very scrappy to start. It’s almost as though both XIs are only just getting to know each other.
And we’re off! Derby get the ball rolling. They hoof it long, and lose it within six seconds. Leicester have it out of play on the right by ten. The only way is up! But a fine atmosphere at the King Power, both sets of fans giving it plenty.
The teams are out! Leicester in blue, Derby in white and black. Two classic looks, an aesthetic delight. We’ll be off in a minute. “Eight changes? Truly a Rams Shackell lineup by Steve McClaren!” Peter Oh punning furiously, ladies and gentlemen.
A reminder that tonight’s match has to find a winner, one way or another. This replay will go to 30 minutes of extra time should it end level, and then penalties if that doesn’t separate the two. No four or five-game marathon ties these days; their loss has done more damage to the FA Cup than weakened sides, in my book anyway. “Not best pleased with all those changes by Derby,” writes David Hopkins. “What about the magic of the Cup? And more importantly the magic of putting one over the neighbours? Oh well, back to reminding Leicester that Derby v Notts Forest is the really big game then.” The use of “Notts” there to rub everyone up the wrong way, I see. Full marks for effort!
And now here’s Steve McClaren. “Obviously we’ve made quite a few changes. A few players coming back from injury. They just have to do their job, keep it simple, and fight for 95 minutes. We’re here to try to win this game. Believe you me, I didn’t want to make eight changes, but I’ve got people carrying injuries and people who couldn’t play three games in a week. If it was last night, it might be a different team. But I think it’s good for the squad, for the rest of the season.”
Claudio Ranieri speaks! “It is important for everybody in Leicester. Our chairman is full of positivity. It is important to play well. I wanted to protect some players and give opportunity to others. It could be a risk, it could be difficult, but I have to do this. Sunday is more important. But we work a lot and we are ready to fight.”
The modern equivalent of idly flicking through the match programme before kick-off. An entertaining article to while away the time before the big game? How about the latest thoughts of former Sky anchor, feminism’s Richard Keys? The peerless Marina Hyde takes him on. It’s not a fair fight.
Claudio Ranieri has reverted to Tinkerman type, and in some style, making ten changes from the team which capitulated in such miserable fashion to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Ahmed Musa is the only man to retain his place in the starting XI. He was hauled off at half-time of the United debacle, so make of this selection what you will. Swansea City away this weekend is a big match all right.
Steve McClaren isn’t to be outdone: he’s made eight swaps himself from the team unfortunate to come away from Newcastle United last weekend with nowt. Richard Keogh, Jacob Butterfield and Bradley Johnson are the only Rams to remain in the first XI. Three points against Bristol City on Saturday would seem more important. The magic of the FA Cup, huh? In fairness, McClaren may be playing the percentages: after all, Derby have lost their last five games at Leicester, shipping four goals on three of those occasions.
Updated
Tonight's teams
Leicester City: Zieler, Amartey, Wasilewski, Benalouane, Chilwell, Mendy, King, Albrighton, Kapustka, Gray, Musa.
Subs: Drinkwater, Hamer, Slimani, Okazaki, Ndidi, Mahrez, Fuchs.
Derby County: Mitchell, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Lowe, de Sart, Butterfield, Johnson, Camara, Blackman, Anya.
Subs: Carson, Russell, Ince, Baird, Pearce, Vydra, Nugent.
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire).
Updated
Good evening!
Leicester City are in crisis, apparently. They’re the reigning English champions, they’re in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and they’ll be in the quarter finals of the FA Cup if they can beat second-tier Derby County in this fourth-round replay tonight, and third-tier Millwall in the fifth round afterwards. Other than that, they’re struggling a bit in the League, which is historically what they often do. A crisis! Good lord. The world’s leaving me behind, and I’m not that fussed about trying to catch up.
Claudio Ranieri - under pressure, some say, for the love of all that’s good and proper - might make a few changes tonight, with upcoming Premier League and Champions League battles in mind. But he still wants to win this grand old pot. “The FA Cup is an important achievement and we have to fight for it!” he says. Local rivals Derby will make sure of that, even though injuries might force Steve McClaren’s hand too. County’s victory over West Bromwich Albion in the third round was their first FA Cup win over a team from a higher division in 31 years. Leicester watch out for that London bus!
The original tie at Pride Park between these two was a cracker: Darren Bent scoring for both sides, Wes Morgan with a late equaliser to take the teams back to the King Power. The Foxes have history on their side, having won eight of their last ten games against the Rams. But nothing’s ever certain in a local stramash, and of course Leicester are in blah crisis drone struggle yap. Anyway, this promises to be quite the enjoyable set-to. It’s the oldest, grandest tournament in the world! It’s a midland melee! It’s on!
Kick off: 7.45pm GMT. In the meantime here is a reminder of that dramatic previous encounter between these two old foes ...
Updated
