Report: Sheffield United 0 Leicester City 0 (4-5 pens)

- Leicester City beat Sheffield United 5-4 on penalties to earn two Checkatrade Trophy points on Tuesday evening 

- The Foxes’ Northern Group H opener against the Blades ended in a goalless draw at Bramall Lane 

- Max Bramley saved the decisive spot kick for Steve Beaglehole’s outfit 

- City fielded strong squad, with a number of first teamers involved 

Leicester City beat Sheffield United 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw at Bramall Lane to earn two points from their Checkatrade Trophy Northern Group H opener on Tuesday evening. 

It was a tight affair as both sides defended well, while Max Bramley excelled in goal for the Foxes after coming on midway through the first period. 

The 'keeper pulled off a string of brilliant stops to keep the Blades’ frontline out, before going on to save the decisive penalty. 

While City converted all five of their spot kicks, John Fleck was denied by Bramley, who helped his side to a shootout win. 

The Foxes fielded a strong squad at Bramall Lane, with Ben Hamer, Luis Hernández, Yohan Benalouane, Marcin Wasilewski and Matty James occupying all five overage spots, while England Under-21s internationals Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray both started. 

The hosts were positive early on, with skipper Billy Sharp, who netted the winning goal against Oxford United at the weekend, side-footing just wide inside 10 minutes. 

City responded well, as Gray beat two men and saw a powerful shot blocked, before Benalouane nodded over from six yards with 13 minutes on the clock. 

Sheffield United’s Fleck then had two opportunities, first curling a free kick wide, while substitute stopper Bramley comfortably watched the midfielder hammer over from distance shortly after. 

Danny Rowe had the final effort of an even first period, as he drilled Layton Ndukwu’s deflected cross into the side-netting just before the break. 

Blades stopper Simon Moore was forced into a brilliant save five minutes into the second half, as he tipped over a looping, deflected effort from Gray. 

Bramley collected a curling strike from Harry Chapman just before the hour mark, before the forward sent an effort wide three minutes later.

The lively Chapman threatened again with 16 minutes to play, but after breaking the offside trap, he couldn’t beat Bramley, who pulled off a superb stop to keep the striker out. 

It was substitute David Brooks who next came close to opening the scoring and certainly would have done were it not for another good save from Bramley on the 80-minute mark. 

Elliott Moore then forced a close-range stop out of Simon Moore, as City came close to finding a winner with just five minutes to go. 

Gray clipped the roof of the net with a free kick shortly after, but both sides failed to break the deadlock and the game went to penalties. 

Chilwell netted City’s first spot kick, then Bramley denied Fleck, before Gray, Muskwe, Harvey Barnes and Ndukwu converted from 12 yards to earn the Foxes two points. 

With a positive result under their belts, City will now turn their attentions to a Premier League 2 clash at Liverpool on Sunday 11 September (2pm kick-off). 

SHEFFIELD UNITED: Moore, Hussey, Fleck, O’Connell, Sharp (c) (Duffy 46), Done (Brooks 64), Coutts, Freeman, Wilson, Reed, Chapman 

SUBS NOT USED: Long, Basham, Wright, Wallace, Whiteman 

CITY: Hamer (Bramley 23), Hernández, Wasilewski, Benalouane (Moore 46), Chilwell, James (c) (Barnes 76), Miles, Rowe, Ndukwu, Gray, Muskwe 

SUBS NOT USED: Wood, Pascanu, Mitchell, Watts 

ATTENDANCE: 3,632 (177 away) 

REFEREE: Nigel Miller