Danny Ward saved Leicester City from a damaging Carabao Cup exit to League Two outfit Walsall as he saved three penalties to send his side into last 16.
After a goalless draw in which City mustered just one shot on target and fans chanted “This is embarrassing!”, Ward dived right to keep out all three Saddlers spot-kicks. Ricardo Pereira, Conor Coady and Oliver Skipp all converted to send City into the hat for Wednesday’s fourth-round draw.
A defeat to a side in the fourth tier would have seen unrest grow further in the fanbase amid a winless start in the Premier League. But City’s struggles in the 90 minutes mean it’s relief rather than joy at getting through.
After eight changes for the previous round, heavy rotation was expected again and Cooper delivered, with only centre-back Caleb Okoli keeping his place from the draw with Everton. Among the 10 changes, summer loan signing Odsonne Edouard was handed his full debut while Boubakary Soumare was given his first City start since the day the club were relegated.
But the changes were not conducive to flowing football, with City unable to muster a shot on target or a clear-cut chance in the first half. In fact, the period’s best opportunity went to the League Two side.
Nathan Lowe ventured down the right flank and cut the ball low across the box, with no City players tracking the runners arriving at the back post. Charlie Lakin came in and hit a first-time shot from 10 yards that Danny Ward had to beat away.
At the other end, Facundo Buonanotte looped a header off target, but every other effort came in from distance and did not trouble Tommy Simkin in the Walsall goal, with moments of nice, first-time combination play failing to get City into the box. The 56 places between the two teams in the league ladder were not evident on the pitch.
It did not get better for City and they should have conceded minutes into the second period. Abdul Fatawu sold Conor Coady short in his own box, Lowe latched onto the ball and teed up Albert Adomah for a shot eight yards out middle of the goal. He put it wide.
That let-off didn’t lift City. Instead, Walsall piled the pressure on, City trapped in their own half. “Cooper, sort it out!” chanted a section of the 2,000-strong away following.
It took until the 79th minute for City to have their first shot on target, Abdul Fatawu crossing and Buonanotte stooping to head goalwards, but with Tommy Simkin getting down to comfortably save. But in the end, it was the hosts who looked more likely to grab a late winner, with City under pressure in the final 10 minutes.
The match went to penalties and finally the difference in quality showed. Ricardo, Coady and Skipp all converted their spot-kicks with aplomb, while Ward dived to his right to keep out Walsall’s three efforts, saving strongly from the first two before gratefully tipping away Liam Gordon’s tame third penalty to earn the victory.
Danny Ward: He made a strong save to deny Lakin in the first half and showed great composure with the ball at his feet. Then he was the hero of the hour with three saves in the shoot-out, the first two excellent stops. 8
Ricardo Pereira: He was looking for forward passes but the outlets were not always there, forcing him backwards, while playing in the back three in possession meant he couldn’t show off his attacking instincts either. He wasn’t poor, but he was some way from his usual technically-excellent self. 5
Conor Coady: He produced an excellent defensive header early on, generally marshalling dangerous situations well. But he got caught in no man’s land for Adomah’s big chance, and his long balls to Fatawu did not at all pay off. 5
Caleb Okoli: The only man to stay in the line-up from the Everton draw, he was one of the few players who looked Premier League class. The Italian carried out all of his defensive duties with ease, whether that was clearing his lines, winning physical battles, or chasing down attackers. 6
Luke Thomas: His touch wasn’t sharp enough in the early stages and he went backwards too often with his passing. Playing as the advanced full-back, there were very few moments where he made a difference in attack. 4
Hamza Choudhury: He did really well to cover when his team-mates lost the ball, sliding in to intercept or tackle. In the press, he was aggressive, and he moved the ball with confidence too. 6
Boubakary Soumare: He made a slow start, not offering himself as an outlet, and when he did, he needed to turn on the ball more often. As he warmed up, he attempted to move the ball more quickly, but not to any great effect. 5
Abdul Fatawu: For an hour, he was really poor. He overran the ball and his crosses and passes didn’t find their mark, the Ghanaian even making a defensive mistake that nearly cost City. But he was also the liveliest player in the final half-hour, finally getting past his man and causing problems for Walsall. 5
Facundo Buonanotte: His link-up play can be smooth, but he was trying to do too much at times, his first-time passes not coming off, leading to Walsall breaks. His decision-making was poor at the top end too, albeit he did keep pushing and didn’t lose confidence. 4
Bobby De Cordova-Reid: His combination play was the most composed of the City attackers, and he showed good footwork, but he didn’t influence the game much on the front foot. He was out of the game in the second half. 5
Odsonne Edouard: There was good movement at times, and decent link-up, but the final ball wasn’t right, he wasn’t quite alert enough to chances in the box, and he was tackled in good moments too. It’s not the sort of performance that will challenge Vardy’s starting spot. 4
Jordan Ayew: He just didn’t get into the game in the way City needed to as a substitute striker. Didn’t threaten the Walsall back-line. 4
Oliver Skipp: Tucked his penalty away nicely in his biggest contribution. We wasn’t seen much beyond that. N/A
Bilal El Khannouss: A couple of nice through balls during his few minutes on the pitch. But he also seemed to get in Fatawu’s way by drifting too far right. N/A
Kasey McAteer: By the time he came on, City were finally to see joy down the right with Fatawu, and so he was ignored on the left. N/A
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