U23s Report: Leicester City 3 Reading 2

- The Foxes twice came from behind to earn all three Premier League 2 points 

- Raul Uche, Alex Pascanu and Harvey Barnes found the net for City 

- The Club’s Under-23s are now five games unbeaten in Premier League 2 

Leicester City’s Development Squad twice came from behind to secure a thrilling 3-2 Premier League 2 victory over Reading at Belvoir Drive on Friday. 

After a goalless first period, Reading took the lead through Tyler Frost, who fired past Max Bramley a minute after the break. 

City looked good value for an equaliser and found one with 25 minutes to play thanks to a superb header from substitute Raul Uche. 

Reading went 2-1 up just two minutes after Admiral Muskwe was denied from the spot, but the Foxes continued to battle and turned the game on its head. 

Alex Pascanu, who netted a sensational volley for the Club’s Under-19s earlier this month, converted from a tight angle for 2-2, before Harvey Barnes netted an 87th-minute winner to help his side to a second-consecutive Premier League 2 win. 

The Club’s Under-23s, strengthened by Matty James, Yohan Benalouane and Bartosz Kapustka, had not lost in four league fixtures heading into the clash, but came up against a well-drilled Reading ride. 

City were tested from the off, as only a brilliant save from Bramley kept out Andrija Novakovich on nine minutes. 

Bramley did well to deny Frost shortly after, before Benalouane saw a header cleared off the line midway through the first period. 

Efforts from Danny Rowe and Kapustka followed, but there would be no breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes. 

The game sprung into life after half-time and it was Reading who would break the deadlock through Frost, who converted a loose ball from close range. 

The Foxes reacted well after going behind and deservedly drew level through substitute Uche. The Spanish youngster broke free of his marker to send a brilliant header in past Luke Southwood on 65 minutes. 

An opportunity to take the lead came with 20 minutes to play, as Darnell Johnson was hauled down in the box. Muskwe stepped up, but the striker couldn’t beat Southwood from 12 yards. 

The visitors rallied and restored their lead shortly after. Novakovich surged down the left and found East, who converted the striker’s low cross to make it 2-1 to Reading. 

Just two minutes later, City were level again. Kapustka’s searching pass found Pascanu, who brought the ball down brilliantly with his first touch before volleying in from a tight angle. 

The Foxes, not content with a point, continued to threaten and eventually found a winner with three minutes to play through Barnes, who was earlier denied through Southwood. 

The midfielder’s strike helped City to their second Premier League 2 win in five days, with a home clash with Brighton and Hove Albion next up in the Premier League Cup on Saturday 5 November. 

CITY: Bramley, Johnson, Moore, Benalouane (c), Pascanu, James (Uche 63), Kapustka, Rowe (Miles 46), Barnes, Ndukwu, Mitchell (Muskwe 46) 

SUBS NOT USED: Debayo, Iversen 

GOALS: Uche 65, Pascanu 75, Barnes 87 

READING: Southwood, Sheppard, Medford-Smith, Bennett, Cooper (c) (Andresson 63), Keown (Odimayo 63), Barrett, Rinomhota, Novakovich, East, Frost 

SUBS NOT USED: Howe, Tupper, Cardwell 

GOALS: Frost 47, East 73 

REFEREE: Wayne Barrett