Manchester United 1 LCFC Women 1: A team to compete with the elite
At the 17th time of asking, Leicester City have taken a point from one of the WSL’s established big four. A heroic effort on the road against Manchester United continues the unbeaten run for Willie Kirk’s side and demonstrates the potential of this ever-improving side.
Leicester City's record against Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United - the four sides that have finished ten points clear of the fifth place in each of the last two seasons - has not been good.
During those two seasons, it read: Played 16 Won 0 Drew 0 Lost 16 Scored 3 Conceded 66 Points 0. So far this season, it reads: Played 1 Points 1 after Leicester returned south yesterday having drawn 1-1 with Manchester United.
It's just a point, but it also feels like one of the biggest milestones in the history of Leicester City's women's team.
Staying in it
Leicester lost this fixture 5-1 in March, a game in which they allowed 33 shots on Janina Leitzig's goal. This time it was 20, an improvement but still a huge amount of pressure to withstand, and there were certainly moments of fortune on an afternoon when Manchester United will be wondering how they didn't force a second strike past Leitzig.
But, after winning the first three games of the season in all competitions, there's a confidence about this Leicester side that would have been bolstered when they saw the United lineup. Ahead of a crucial Champions League second leg against Paris Saint-Germain this Wednesday, the home side made changes. New Brazilian striker Geyse was rested entirely with that match in mind, while Ella Toone was only a substitute.
Leicester made one change from the 1-0 win over Everton, CJ Bott coming in at right-back for her first league start of the season with Janice Cayman moving into midfield and Jutta Rantala dropping to the bench.
The opening period was punctuated by injury stoppages rather than goalmouth action, although Leitzig did rush out well to deny Lucia Garcia after a wayward pass from Bott. United's Gabby George suffered what looked like a serious injury early on while tackling Cayman on the Leicester right and was replaced by Jayde Riviere, while Shannon O'Brien took a hefty blow in the process of brilliantly blocking a goalbound shot from Melvine Malard. O'Brien was able to continue, thankfully, and was the visitors' only real outlet for much of the first half. The best chance, however, fell to Cayman who volleyed a trademark inch-perfect Courtney Nevin cross wide with the goal gaping.
That chance came after 20 minutes, but it was the exception to the rule with United dominating the rest of the half. The tactic was clearly to play the ball over the top of Leicester's full-backs and get in behind. Malard was causing problems for Bott down the United left and her through ball created a chance for Nikita Parris which was comfortable for Leitzig. There was more work for the German with Katie Zelem denied from range after half an hour.
Leicester fans could be forgiven for wondering how the side would cope at centre-back after losing Ashleigh Plumptre in the summer. If this game is anything to go by, it just means Sophie Howard has stepped up even more, while Josie Green has been redeployed from midfield this season to fine effect. United had plenty of the ball but struggled to make real work for Leitzig, coming closest during eight minutes of injury time when Hinata Miyazawa's shot cannoned back off the underside of the crossbar and Malard put the follow-up over.
Switching it up
One key difference this season is the wealth of attacking options at Willie Kirk's disposal. At half time, a triple change: Cayman, O'Brien and Missy Goodwin replaced by Jutta Rantala, Hannah Cain and Deanne Rose. Leicester immediately posed more problems in attack with Rose wide left and Cain wide right both threatening with their pace while Rantala dropped into pockets of space in attacking midfield areas.
Growing in confidence, it was time to try a bit of Enzoball. When this didn't work, it looked like it might cost a goal with the ball given away in dangerous areas a couple of times early in the second half. But when it did, with Nevin moving from left-back into midfield in possession and Lena Petermann coming deep to link play, it looked similar to what we’ve seen from the men’s team and a joy to watch.
This willingness to try the possession-based approach in a game Leicester ended with only 36% of the ball shows a real defiance and this is supported by the kind of aggressive pressing we've come to expect as a bare minimum. The yellow cards were racking up, Petermann going into the book for rolling the ball away five yards at a free kick and Cain for mistiming a recovery tackle.
Just shy of the hour mark, Manchester United made a triple attacking change of their own when bringing on Toone, Leah Galton and Rachel Williams for Malard, Garcia and Hayley Ladd. But just minutes later, they were behind.
Cain won a free kick on the right, which was delivered into the danger area by Nevin. A United head won it but could only send it beyond the crowd around the penalty spot to Leicester captain Aileen Whelan, completely free at the back post. Whelan calmly steered the ball beyond Mary Earps to register an unlikely lead.
A couple of minutes later, a Zelem free kick was punched clear by Leitzig and Leicester were on the counter. Rantala played a superb searching ball into the right channel for Cain, whose cross-shot flashed wide of the post.
At the other end, Howard's magnificent diving header denied Galton a chance from a Parris cross but the equaliser came from the resulting corner. Maya Le Tissier evaded her marker Nevin to direct a header into the far corner from Zelem's excellent corner delivery. Leicester had led for just seven minutes.
Standing strong
The question now was whether they could hold on for a point as United flooded forward but the counter-attack threat remained. A quick break from Rose on the left eventually ended with a good chance for Petermann but Earps tipped the German's shot over.
With eleven minutes left, Leicester's defensive organisation was disrupted by an enforced change. Leitzig came out well to punch a cross clear but clattered into Josie Green and Nikita Parris. Following a lengthy delay while treatment was given, Green was replaced by Julie Thibaud.
As the clock ticked down, the home crowd were becoming frustrated by what they perceived as Leicester timewasting. Cain was booed for going down after the ball was blasted at her from two yards away but it soon became clear she was in genuine discomfort and did well to continue despite obviously struggling.
You get the feeling the final period of this game is the sort of challenge Sophie Howard relishes. One admirable United move was ended when Howard made a full-blooded challenge on Parris and Thibaud made a couple of strong defensive headers to contribute to the cause.
In the 90th minute, a Galton shot was well blocked by Thibaud. When the ball broke invitingly to full-back Hannah Blundell, her shot was straight at Leitzig.
Ten minutes of injury time were signalled after the long periods of treatment for players on either side and Leicester could have been forgiven at this juncture for settling for a point. But there was a 100% record to maintain and blue shirts continued to seek opportunities on the break, particularly through the elusive Rantala and lightning quick Cain. Petermann, having worked relentlessly hard up front, was replaced by promising young striker Denny Draper, who has been startingly prolific at youth levels.
There were no further chances for Leicester though, with the final five minutes of the game bringing the kind of chances United had been waiting for. After Howard headed a Toone cross behind, the corner was nodded wide by Galton.
The crosses continued to rain in on the visitors' six-yard box. On 99 minutes, Zelem, who had dictated play expertly from deep all game, sent a wicked delivery into the box which Parris headed weakly at Leitzig. In the final seconds, Williams headed another Zelem cross over the bar. The referee's whistle ended 108 minutes of whole-hearted effort which came with that precious reward of a point.
Foxes’ pride
How you view the outcome of this game depends, as ever, on your allegiance. Manchester United fans will be frustrated at the failure to turn 64% possession and a 20-4 shot count into a victory, while clearly agitated by supposed timewasting and the ferocity of Leicester's tackling. Neutrals will be happy to see evidence of the WSL growing in competitiveness, with games between the league's elite and the others so often a write-off.
Leicester fans, however, should feel enormously proud of a performance and result that reflects the hard work and ambition shown by this manager, coaching staff and players. Willie Kirk has been bullish in his recent comments, saying that his team are aiming to win games like this rather than merely get through them.
There are still question marks over whether Leicester can play possession football against the most established sides in the WSL but they can match anyone for effort, fitness and organisation. Crucially, they now have the options in attack to make things happen when they do win the ball and leaders all over the pitch.
I haven't been following Leicester City Women as long as some people and I haven't watched every game even in the past couple of years Leicester have been in the WSL. In fact, during that period there have been some games I haven't thought it was worth watching, the disparity in resources so huge that a crushing defeat seemed inevitable.
So, as much as I enjoyed it, that battling point wasn't for me - it was for those who were following back in the Morgan family days, those who sat through with the nil-eights and nil-nines and those who have bought season tickets to watch this team every time they take to the pitch on Filbert Way.
And, of course, for the players - especially the long-servers like Sam Tierney, who fought for every ball in midfield, for Howard, O’Brien, Cain, for the new faces giving their all for the shirt, for everyone who’s contributed along the way.
File this alongside the 2-0 win over London City Lionesses that sealed promotion to the WSL, in which Tierney scored, the goalless draw with Reading that effectively sealed safety a year later and the 1-0 win at Brighton in May this year that repeated the trick.
It may not be May and this result might not confirm anything important but it does show Leicester City can now compete with the elite.
