Match report
Billy Munday’s report from the King Power Stadium.
Righto, that’s that from me. We’ll have our match report live for you very soon – check back in here and on-site for that – but otherwise, it’s goodnight from me, and goodnight from me. Peace.
“WOUT SAVES FAES” reads the Sky trail as they cut to ads. Very good.
Elsewhere:
Winks says in the first half, Leicester allowed Wednesday to play the game as they wanted to. But in the second, they upped the tempo, imposed themselves, and the work they’ve done in training on set-pieces paid off – the manager wants them to get good at them.
Ayew, meanwhile, says the no 9 shirt he now wears is his favourite, but of course no one can do what Vardy did. In the Champo, set pieces are of especial importance and the first game is always full of emotions, but they got the points and that’s what matters. It won’t be easy to get back to the Prem as there area lot of good teams, but leicester are one too.
I don’t suppose it’s surprising that Wednesday tired, all the more so with Winks upping the tempo with smart passing. Leicester can and will play much better than this; Owlook set for a long, grueling struggle.
FULL TIME: Leicester City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Wednesday played well – as did their fans – but Leicester’s class told eventually, even if it took two set-piece goals from their centre-backs to secure the win.
90+8 min I was just about to say that the introduction of Harry Winks changed the game, but Courtney Sweetman-Kirk beats me to it, naming him player of the match though he’s only played half of it. He’s goping to be a factor this season but in the meantime Ayew, who’s had a good last 30, leathers a shot that Charles turns behind. That should be that.
90+7 min …but Leicester clear easily enough. Wednesday will be wondering whether they’d still be level if their captain had shut his noise.
90+6 min Faes puts Stolanczyk under pressure with a dicey backpass that forces him to hump into touch; Ingelsson will hurl in once again…
90+5 min Two more changes for Wednesdau, Otegbayo and Jamal Lowe going off with McNeill and Ugbo coming on.
90+4 min Lovely from Leicester, El Khannouss into Daka, who finds Ayew who finds El Khannouss, mooching into the box, opening body … and telegraphing to Charles where he’s shooting, the keeper diving to palm away.
90+2 min Wednesday look a beaten side. But their attitude has been spot-on and, if they can sign some new players – they’re allowed to, whereas they weren’t three days ago – they can stay up. Leicester have the quality to go up even with a points deduction.
90+1 min The corner goes short, Wednesday work the ball clear, and we learn that we’re to have nine additional minutes.
90 min Leicester win another free-kick out wide but this time, rather than look for one of their deadly centre-backs, they go short to keep possession. But not for long! El Khannouss asks the question with a pass into the box, the clearance finds Ayew, and his curler is turned behind by Charles.
GOAL! Leicester City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Faes 87)
It never rains, but sometimes it pours so hard it makes your scalp bleed. Leicester’s set-pieces have been dangerous all day and El Khannouss, responsible for most of them, swings out to the near post where Faes, unfathomably unmarked, powers high into the roof, directly above Charles. Wednesday have given it so much, only to be undone by crosses into the box.
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86 min …but he picks out the gigantic Vestergaard, who head clear. And have a look! Ayey beats two men down the right, keeps his feet superbly, and dinks a cross into Daka, who has two options: go for power, nearer to the keeper, or glance towards the side-netting. He picks the first … but Charles plunges right to shovel away. That’s a really good save but he oughtn’t to have smelt it. Meantime, Leicester recycle and win a corner down the right…
85 min Wednesday win a throw and Ingelsson will fling into the Leicester box…
84 min Pedersen will be really proud of his players, but he’ll also be worried as Monga nips down the left and crosses … the ball running into touch on the opposite side.
82 min There should be a decent quantity of added time given the break for Valery and Otegbayo’s cramp, but what a boon for Wednesday if they can see out a point.
80 min Daka breaks down the right, crosses … and it’s behind everyone then, as Wednesday look to bering clear, Lowe J guides the ball into his path with a wrist, and somehow avoids a booking.
79 min I expected to see Daka; I didn’t expect him to replace Fatawu, especially with Leicester playing against 10 men. I’d have binned a defender.
79 min More changes for Leicester: off go Justin and Fatawu, on come McAteer and Daka.
BARRY BANNAN IS SENT OFF FOR WEDNESDAY!
77 min His first booking was avoidable and, I guess, so is his second. He and Winks slide in at pace, contesting a loose ball, and though Bannan makes contact with it, he’s not in control of himself, his studs are high, and they plough through the Leicester man. It’s harsh in a way – he played the ball – but also not harsh, because it was dangerous.
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75 min First flash of Monga, harrying out wide. He can’t make anything happen, but you can tell he believes in himself.
74 min Winks has made a difference to Leicester and he slides down the line to Fatawu, whose cross is just too high for Ayew. But Winks quickly finds him again with a clever pass in between two defenders … but the cross is poor.
73 min The free-kick is cut back to Winks, but it jumps a little as he goes to hit it, the effort sailing over the top.
71 min Lovely from Fatawu, who has such quick, soft feet, which he uses to escape two men and win a free-kick. Leicester take it quickly then earn a second thanks to a foul, on near the by-line and edge of the box; Bannan is booked for dissent thereafter.
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70 min Just the one change for Wednesday in the end, Kobacki on for the cramped Valery.
69 min Double change for Wednesday: McNeill, who thought he was coming on, is sent away – he looks as amused as you’d imagine – so Leicester act instead, Mavididi and Okoli replaced by Faes and the 16-0year-old Monga.
67 min The corner goes to the edge – eventually – and Winks pokes to Mavididi, who misses his kick. Leicester, though, maintain pressure, working it wide to Justin, who wallops over the top.
63 min Leicester need to find ways of getting Mavididi and Fatawu on the ball more often … and, as I speak, the former crosses, winning a corner. But before it can be taken, Valery goes down with apparent cramp, and Otegbayo looks to be struggling with it too.
62 min This is ringing out of the away end.
61 min Leicester move forward again and Ayew, who’s been quiet, drags a shot wide and plenty.
60 min I wonder if we might see a Wednesday change soon. Pedersen doesn’t have many options – he’d be relying on kids – but his starting XI look bushed, as well they might.
58 min We see pictures which show us that, as the cross that led to the equaliser came in, Winks was offside, and he also attempted to play it but missed his kick. In the Prem, VAR disallows that – rightly so – but what a relief not to have it involved.
56 min Leicester are into this now and it’s feels like a long 34 minutes for Wednesday. They find Mavididi out on the left, he twinkles into the box beating a weak challenge, shoots … too close to Charles, who beats away.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Vestergaard 54)
Leicester’s set-pieces have been clever all day and so, too, is this one. With Wednesday expecting a high outwswinger, El Kahnnouss curls low and, though someone ought really to clear, Justin’s run confuses the issue and the ball makes its way into Vestergaard who takes a touch, steadies, then another, and slams high past Charles.
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53 min It’s a while since Wednesday mustered an attack and Leicester have a free-kick out on the right, El Khannouss with it…
51 min “Soumare is the most anonymous footballer,” reckons Graham Randall, though I’m not sure if there are degrees of anonymity. “Just don’t understand why he’s still played. This is what he is like every match. Offers nothing.”
Well Winks could well command a first-XI spot, so perhaps he won’t be for much longer. I do, though, think there’s something there, more so than with Skipp.
49 min It goes short, nothing happens, and goes wide again to Winks, who curls a delectable cross through the corridor and towards the far post, where Ingelsson does brilliantly to poke behind with Fatawu scavenging. The eventuating corner comes to nowt.
48 min Wednesday build well, Cadamarteri running the outside-left channel and, when he’s found, he skips inside Okoli before ramming a shot wide. Immediately, Leicester counter, Fatawu winning a right-wing corner…
46 min Winks, of course, fell out with Ruud van Nistelrooy over his 100-mile commute and various, but he’s back now and, at 29, should still be good enough to be a factor in this league.
46 min We go again…
A half-time change: Leicester send on Winks for Skipp. I was hoping to see them together.
Half-time reading:
HALF-TIME: Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
That was a pretty fun half and Wednesday deserve their lead – they’ve defended well, attacked with enterprise, and Leicester haven’t got going.
45+3 min El Khannouss stamps on the gas to screech across the face of the box, earning a yard before unleashing a shot that hits Bannan on the arm. Leicester want a penalty, but he was pretty close, the ball came at him quickly, and his position was not an unnatural one. Good decision from the officials.
45 +2 min Crystal Palace have beaten Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in normal time; they add the Community Shield to the FA Cup won in May.
45 min We’ll have three additional minutes.
44 min Leicester have picked it up, Iorfa heading away well when Fatawu crosses from the right. But Wednesday then counter, cadamarteri running in behind Okolu before slowing him up and sliding an excellent pass inside for Jamal Lowe, who crosses low … but there’s no one attacking the box, never mind its six-yard iteration.
42 min The delivery is excellent too, arcing out and ripping in to pick out Okoli at the back post. He might go for goal, but instead heads back across, where Vestergaard arrives … to power wide! That was a really good chance, and though Leicester will be disappointed not to have equalised, the execution of the creation was very nice.
41 min More like it from Leicester, Fatawu dipping infield and curving a delicious cross to the back post, which causes minor panic and winns a corner.
40 min Wednesday knock it about at the back then, when Leicester win the ball, they can’t penetrate, Cadamarteri chasing and almost shaking off Okoli, who recovers just in time. The contest between those two is developing nicely.
38 min Since going behind, Leicester have done the cube root of zilch.
37 min At Wembley, the Community Shield has gone to penalties. In their history, Liverpool are 20-8 at them…
36 min “Clearly the secret of comedy is timing,” returns Bill, who is, I imagine, still grimly glad but slightly less so.
34 min “It’s been a cruel summer for Wednesday,” writes Bill Preston, “and I am grimly glad the season has started to get some focus back to what’s happening on the pitch. After getting such a stomp on in the first half of last season, I fear it’ll take some thrilling heroics to even be within touching distance of the previous 12th-place finish, let alone out of the relegation places. Not hopeful today, goal difference means being bottom or not: I’d settle for a 3-1 loss. Still, the sun’ll rise again tomorrow, and each day is a step closer to eventual success.”
Trudat, and it’s nice to see solidarity from the Leicester fans. As a Manchester United fan, a different thing, I know, we’ve experienced only glee from rivals when protesting the pillage of our club.
32 min Oh man, the highs and the lows. Sven minutes after scoring his first goal for Wednesday, Chalobah departs, replaced by Fusire.
30 min Ach, Chalobah looks to have diddled a hammy. I fear that’s his afternoon done, and probably a few more besides. He looks absolutely devo’d.
30 min We see another angle of the celebration, Chalobah leading players towards fans, cavorting with bodies everywhere. Nothing else makes you feel like this – I’ve no skin in this game and my eyeballs are lightly sweating nevertheless.
28 min And now Bannan has another chance to stick a free-kick into the box … but the delivery isn’t flat enough and Leicester clear.
27 min I wouldn’t say that the goal was coming, but Wednesday have played really well so far. Leicester have not.
GOAL! Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Chalobah 25)
Wednesday win it high with Chalobah and the ball goes into Lowee J, who does well to find Valery out wide. He charges on to it, cuts back to the edge and, arriving with perfect timing is Chalobah, who punches low, then sees a loopy deflection off Skipp take the effort high above Stolarczyk! And what celebrations! Chalobah makes straight for the away end, a moment of glorious communion allowing all involved to forget their worries just for a second. Football!
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26 min Happier times: this, Wendesday’s kit from 1984-85, is one of the greats.
24 min But, as I type, Leicester win a throw deep inside the Wednesday half … which is too hard and too high for Fatawu.
23 min Leicester are struggling to pick holes in the Wednesday defence. You can only credit their manager and captain, who’ve galvanised the team into what it, so far, a gritty, confident performance.
21 min Palmer wins a flick-on following a long goalkick which, out of nowt, allows Ingelsson to cut back, and Lowe J shoots low … his effort deflected behind for a corner which comes to nothing.
19 min Gradually, Leicester are exerting control. Their defenders, given time on the ball – it’s hot and Wednesday aren’t pressing – are picking passes into midfield, with Fatawu and Mavididi stretching the play in wide areas.
17 min The corner is cleared but Justin wins the second ball, inadvertently heading backwards to El Khannouss, who arrives on to it beautifully, lashing a low shot that looks set to zip inside the near post but, in the event, lasers just wide of it.
15 min El Khanouss spreads nicely and the ball makes it sway out to Fataeu, who ducks inside Ingelsson with a deft little meg then, from 25 yards, attempts a curler … but Charles is wise to the ruse, holding easily enough. Leicester, though, come again, Mavididi wining a corner down the left.
14 min I said earlier I thought Leicester would dominate possession with Wednesday sitting off and seeking to counter; well, I was wrong. They’re taking it to their hosts, and so far have been the better team.
13 min There’s been a development at Wembley!
12 min Now it’s Wednesday with an attacking free-kick, Bannan curling towards the back post where Iorfa is up … but he can’t impart any power into his header and Stolarczyk is there.
11 min Ayew fancies it, but he doesn’t get enough power or curl on his shot, lifting over the wall but way too close to Stolarczyk.
10 min This is a really good game so far, Justin winning a free-kick 30 yards out, almost dead centre.
8 min Wednesday aren’t waiting to be invited, winning a throw deep inside the Leicester half with Ingelsson winding up a biggun. It’s quickly nodded back to the edge, where the waiting Chalobah chests down early then, as the ball drops, he shoots surprisingly early and is headed fore the far corner, until Charles flings himself right, a fingernail tipping on to the post! Great play from both.
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7 min Facing the touchline. Ayew backheels, changing the angle to take Fatawu closer to goal; his shot loops wide.
6 min At which point the away support makes its entrance, to a standing ovation from the Leicester fans.
5 min First bit of Leicester possession, the ball zipping about as they look for angles before Vestergaard hits a clever, straight pass into Ayew. He knocks off to Soumare, who finds Thomas, and here comes the low scudder … pushed away by Charles before Fatwu wins a free-kick, just outside the box, right of centre.
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3 min Wednesday have started well here and, while we’re admiring Banan’s crown, win another corner. This time, Ingelsson takes it, swinging in from the right and, peeling away from near the keeper, Cadamarteri heads over the top. A thinner contact and he might’ve scored.
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2 min The delivery isn’t great but Wednesday win a corner, sticking all their big lads down the far side of the box. This time, Bannan’s ball in is better, Iorfa heading back across before the ball goes out for a goalkick.
1 min Valery, racing forward down the right, nips in front of Justin, wears in the inevitable foul, and Wednesday have a chance to stick a ball into the box.
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1 min And off we go!
I’ve not seen Leicester in pre-season, but Fatawu, badly injured in November, has apparently been great. He might develop into the best player in the Champo, and with Ghana somehow having finished bottom of their qualifying group, he’ll not be detained by Afcon.
Our teams, though, are tunnelled … and here they come!
To be clear, the away end is also sold out, but there are 1000 fans on the concourse, its capacity, so the remaining 2000 are locked out. Things’ll move five minutes in.
The away end is almost entirely empty. Well done to the Wednesday fans; what a disgrace they’ve been forced to this point.
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News on another departed Premier League legend:
Bristol City fans were singing “Jamie Vardy, your wife is a grass”
— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) September 23, 2023
He scores a penalty, runs to the other side of the pitch and celebrates in front of them 🤣🤣
pic.twitter.com/5w7T0HkjNt
This is, of course, the first time in 13 years Leicester have started a season without James Vardy. His goals will, of course, be missed, but so too will his attitude and presence. What a signing he was, one of the best of all time, any club. Who’ll take over his mantle when it comes to rustling opposition supporters?
Henrik Pederson, the new Wednesday manager, says he has every faith in his players to do their job despite all that’s going on. He knows he has a small senior squad and his bench lacks depth, but the players he has are high quality and the young lads are hungry. Good luck, old mate – I fear you may need it.
Where is the game? Wednesday will, I imagine, sit deep and target the centre of Leicester’s defence, which looks a little soft – though the full-backs will need to supply width.
Leicester, meanwhile, will look to dominate, Soumare and Skipp looking to feed the three in front as soon as possible, with Ayew both dropping off and running channels. The Wednesday back five will, no doubt, look to crowd them out.
Some thoughts on the regulator from someone who should know:
It’s worth remembering that the threat of a points deduction still hangs over Leicester.
Aas for Wednesday, their best players have left. They’ll look to absorb pressure and counter at pace with two strikers, in Jamal Lowe and Bailey Cadamerteri, good enough to give Leicester’s centre-backs grief. Getting them the ball, though, might a tricky.
Back to the teams, Leicester’s looks pretty strong. At full-back, James Justin and Luke Thomas are good players; in midfield, Oliver Skipp is solid and Boubacar Soumaré is a much better player than he’s shown during his time in England; and behind Jordan Ayew, Fatawu, El Khannouss and Mavididi are a very serious trident – on form, perhaps the best in the league. If they hit a groove, Leicester will be vey difficult to stop.
Signs you watch too much football, part 690,492: I just identified Marc Albrighton from his voice. Feel free to send in examples of your own.
Barry Bannan – Wednesday captain, football’s foremost baldness denier, and all-round top bloke – speaks to Sky. He says it’s been a testing time for everyone at the club, but they’ve stuck together and come through. Today’s a big day and they’re all looking forward.
“Where are the players in that dressing room?” asks the next question, inadvertently answering itself, and Bannan adds that he’s proud of the way the squad have responded. He knows the fans in a sold-out away end will come in late as protest, but once they do, they’ll be behind the team.
There’s a lot of experience in the squad, though they’ll be underdogs all season, and he’s looking forward to the challenge.
I’ll write these down and, in the meantime, here’s some reading on Wednesday.
Let's have some teams...
Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Okoli, Vestergaard, Thomas; Skipp, Soumaré; Fatawu, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Ayew. Subs: Begovic, Faes, Nelson, Winks, Choudhury, Page, McAteer, Monga, Daka.
Sheffield Wednesday (5-3-2): Charles; Valery, Palmer, Iorfa, Otegbayo; Lowe M; Chalobah, Ingelsson, Bannan; Lowe J, Cadamarteri. Subs: Stretch, Johnson, Siqueira, Fusire, Shipston, Fernandes, Kobacki, McNeill, Ugbo.
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First things first: it’s been a terrific start at Wembley. Join Rob Smyth to follow along.
Preamble
When Leicester began their last Championship season, just over two years ago, it felt almost impossible they’d fail to secure promotion, most likely having taken the title. They had a new manager, Enzo Maresca, with decent pedigree, and a raft of players who were simply too good for the competition.
Shonuff, they won the league. But at the start of last term, it felt almost impossible that they’d fail to secure relegation, Maresca having left and the squad not good enough for the top tier; such is modern football.
Shnouff, they were relegated, 13 points and goal difference shy of safety, so now the process begins again. And, though it is no longer obvious that their squad is the best in the division, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Bilal El Khannouss will be a handful for any defence they face, while Jeremy Monga, still only 16, showed plenty of potential in the Premier League. They are only fourth favourites for promotion, but Marti Cifuentes looks another smart managerial appointment, and if he can get things going, they have the players to contest promotion once more.
Sheffield Wednesday, on the other hand, are a shameful, shambolic state of affairs: once again, a proud club has, with the authorities watching, been vandalised by an inappropriate owner. Consequently, Danny Röhl, a promising young manager, has left; so too have Josh Windass, Djeidi Gassma and Michael Smith; and as such, struggle looks inevitable and relegation a near-certainty.
Thing is, the fans will barely care. Not because they’re no longer interested in their beloved club, rather the battle now is not for points, but for survival. Real talk, the amount of money there is in the game means every member of the 92 should be safe in perpetuity – all the more so given the governmental oversight the game ought to have had for decades is imminent. In the meantime, though, Owls’ fans are furious and desperate, rightly so, and nothing, not even a win today, will change that.
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
