Kelechi Iheanacho heads Leicester into the FA Cup Quarter-Finals with last-gasp winner against Brighton

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Kelechi Iheanacho stole the show in the 94th minute to secure Leicester City a place in consecutive FA Cup Quarter-Finals for the first time since 1969.

With the last kick of the game, a smartly-taken short corner by Cengiz Under allowed Youri Tielemans to whip a dangerous ball into the box – which found the head of the unmarked Nigerian.

Brendan Rodgers couldn’t have been happier with the winner, as it not only allowed Leicester to progress in the competition but stopped an extra 30 minutes and a potential penalty shootout to be played in Baltic conditions.

“I think everyone was delighted in the stadium, not just the players and staff… media, everyone, because it was so cold!”, Rodgers told LCFC TV“It was quick thinking by the players. They won the corner, played it quickly and caught them unorganised. If they’re organised, they’ve got good height and presence.”

Much to Leicester’s dismay, the win was overshadowed by an unfortunate injury suffered by the ever-reliable James Justin. The young full-back was stretchered off after landing awkwardly with 20 minutes to play.

Justin, who is pushing for an England call-up ahead of the upcoming Euros, has responded well since the incident according to his manager – being able to put weight on his leg and walk around the dressing room.

“He felt a pop in his knee, but hopefully with the medical team having a look at him, it doesn’t seem as bad as maybe getting carried off on a stretcher [would look]. He thought he could have walked off, but hopefully, fingers crossed, he’ll be okay.”

The injury woes didn’t stop there for the hosts, as Spaniard Ayoze Perez was also forced to be substituted after a blow to the shin shortly post-restart.

Debutant Vontae Daley-Campbell won Man of the Match on the night, impressing in place of the rested Ricardo Pereira. The defender started at right wing-back in a back five and completed 100% of his long balls attempted, won four duels, made four clearances and kept a clean sheet.

Caglar Soyuncu kept his third successive clean sheet at the back, making six clearances and recording four interceptions alongside an almost-perfect pass accuracy of 96.7%.

Belgian midfielder Tielemans bagged the assist for the late winner, who recently opened talks with the club over a new long-term contract according to Fabrizio Romano.

Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi played an hour each with little impact but both should be fit to play at the weekend according to Rodgers.

The defeat will be a tough one to swallow for Brighton manager Graham Potter, whose side had the ball in the back of the net first thanks to Andi Zeqiri – which was ruled out for offside.

Arguably the more impressive team over the 90 minutes, the lack of clear cut chances created by the Seagulls (0) ultimately cost them on the occasion.

The win means Leicester have not fallen to defeat against their south-coast opponents since 2014, and they stay at home to face reigning league champions, Liverpool, on Saturday afternoon.

Potter’s side host European-hopefuls Aston Villa later on in the 8pm Saturday kick-off.

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Joe Lyons

19 year old Football Journalism student at the University of Derby.

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