Leicester City 3 Millwall 2: 98% professionalism, 2% bad luck
This was about as professional as Leicester City have been this season, The Foxes surging back to the top of the division with a 3-2 win, a scoreline that really belies the performance.
It’s a funny old league, The Championship. So rarely do things go as predicted, as Leeds can attest following their surprising loss to managerless Sunderland. I think it would also be fair to say that not many would have predicted Leicester to go behind early on against Millwall.
A wayward cross-field pass from Jannik Vestergaard was cut out before finding its way to Murray Wallace, whose cross was guided expertly into the far corner by Tom Bradshaw. Barely 10 minutes on the clock and a clearly fired-up Millwall had taken the lead, their players evidently keen to cause an upset.
What followed, however, was 80+ minutes of pure, ruthless professionalism from a calm and confident Leicester City side. Far from rattled, they stuck to their game plan, assured in the knowledge that their system would work and their quality would show through in the end.
They needed patience, however. Millwall’s players were compact, hugely aggressive and disciplined, keen to hang on to their slender lead through any means necessary. Several hefty challenges flew in, a clear effort to unsettle and disrupt City’s slick moves, a bizarre lack of yellow cards assisting their game plan.
The cracks, however, were beginning to show, not in the home side, but in the massed ranks of the visitors.
Sign him up
Abdul Fatawu was on one. He tormented Wallace, beating the beleaguered left-back at will with his skill, trickery and blistering pace. On a yellow following a rash challenge, Wallace couldn’t touch him, often only able to watch as the flying winger seared past him again and again.
This created openings, most notably when one of Fatawu’s crosses made its way to Wilfred Ndidi, who could only blaze over. And when Fatawu himself was chopped down in the box, a clear penalty was missed by referee Keith Stroud.
A strange one to discuss at half-time. Leicester had played well, yet were losing to a side who were sat rather precariously above the drop zone. Despite the scoreline, you still felt City were well on top, and that it was a matter of when, rather than if, the goal came.
The when turned out to be just three minutes after half-time. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s cross looped into the net by Vestergaard. A popular goalscorer, and another step in the most incredible turnaround in player reputation that I’ve ever witnessed.
Buoyed by the goal and significantly improved home support, the second goal duly arrived. Incisive passing and excellent movement ending with Ndidi clipping a delicious cross to the back post for Patson Daka to bundle home. Backflips all around.
Seeing it out
Leicester then settled into game-management mode. Content to keep the ball, move Millwall around without forcing the issue, no risks needed. At one stage The Foxes had a mind-boggling 83% possession, their opposition simply unable to win the ball back, harried and pressed relentlessly on the rare occasions they did.
The third, when it came, felt inevitable. Surprisingly messy given all the slick passing on display, but they didn’t care. Ricardo’s deflected shot provided breathing room. Turnaround complete, you felt.
I was thinking about how professional, and intelligent the Leicester performance was and how that would be the crux of this report, when Millwall bundled in a consolation out of nowhere. A scrappy goal that could well have caused panic and confusion but in the end did little, as Leicester simply did what they had been doing all game: keeping the ball, sticking to their gameplan and trusting in their manager.
Enzo Maresca was once again keen post-match to temper expectations, and not get carried away, but will be absolutely delighted at the way his side went about their business.
12 Days of Christmas at The Bridge
For the past 10 years, The Bridge Homelessness to Hope has served a 3-course Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings to hundreds of people in Leicester who are experiencing homelessness.
This year, they want to go one better and offer their guests (service users) not just one day of celebrations but 12 days of festive events over the month of December.
If you’re enjoying The Fosse Way, please consider donating to The Bridge’s Christmas appeal:
