Leicester City’s Under-18s were edged out by Sunderland in the Barclays U18 Premier League at the Academy of Light on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts took the lead in the first half through Andrew Nelson, who fired in past Leicester shot-stopper Max Smith-Varnham. City’s Kairo Mitchell then burst through on the break, but couldn’t direct his effort on target as the young Foxes looked for an equaliser.
Following a sustained spell of pressure, Trevor Peake’s outfit found a levelling goal with 20 minutes to play through Harvey Barnes, who finished well while one-on-one with Sunderland’s James Talbot.
Talbot then produced two outstanding saves to deny the Foxes’ frontline, before Jordan Blinco side-footed in late on to seal a victory for the Black Cats.
Leicester next face a U18 Premier League trip to Derby County on Saturday 18 April (11am kick-off).