Season Review For City's Women
- LCFC Women played 30 matches in the 2023/24 campaign
- City featured in three different competitions
- A 10th placed finish in the Barclays Women's Super League was confirmed
- The Foxes made it to the semi-finals of the Adobe Women's FA Cup
Across 30 games in three competitions, the Foxes secured their highest-ever points tally in the Barclays Women's Super League, in which they confirmed a fourth consecutive season, and reached the semi-finals of the Adobe Women's FA Cup.
Kicking off the 2023/24 campaign in October, the team got off to a flying start with a 4-2 win over newly-promoted Bristol City. Former Fox Carrie Jones opened the scoring at Ashton Gate, but a left-footed rocket from Aimee Palmer was the kickstart that Leicester needed.
A Jutta Rantala double, either side of a Lena Petermann goal, sent them on their way to a big three points on a big day for the new signings, who tallied up seven goal involvements between them. Things were up and running and continued in a similar fashion the following week.
City's first home game of the season saw them welcome Everton to King Power Stadium and the hosts' new strike force of Rantala and Petermann was flowing brilliantly. The latter scoring the only goal against the Toffees after latching onto a brilliant through ball from Sam Tierney. Leicester had two wins from two and it was about to get better.
Placed in Group B, arguably the toughest set in the Continental Tyres League Cup which also consisted of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton; the Foxes had a winning start to the competition, beating the Reds 2-1 at Pirelli Stadium, which included a stunning free-kick from Palmer.
With a 100 per cent record till in tact, Leicester faced their toughest game yet when they made the trip to Leigh Sports Village to take on Man Utd in the WSL. Although not seeing out a victory, a first goal of the season for captain Aileen Whelan earned the visitors a point, who remained unbeaten heading towards the later stages of the month.
Unfortunately, the run did have to come to an end, and did so on home soil the next game, when an early goal from Chloe Kelly inside ten minutes sent the Citizens on their way to three points, defeating Leicester who wouldn't see victory again until January.
What followed next were back-to-back defeats; first against Liverpool, in which Missy Goodwin's only WSL goal of the campaign would see her win the Goal of the Season award, before Arsenal overturned a 2-0 half-time deficit on Filbert Way.
The Foxes managed to steady the ship with a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. A first half goal from Belgian international Janice Cayman being levelled out by Celin Bizet Ildhusøy just before the hour mark in Leicestershire, before attention turned once again to the League Cup.
A cold Wednesday night in Manchester was one of the highlights of the season for Leicester who met Man City for the second time in a second competition. Two goals inside four minutes from Cayman, who was on a roll with three goals in as many games, and Sophie Howard gave the Foxes an unexpected, but deserved lead.
Deyna Castellanos and Laura Coombs drew the scores back level again at the end of 90 minutes, but in the League Cup, penalties followed to determine an extra point for the victors, which turned out to be Leicester, thanks to heroics from Janina Leitzig. The German 'keeper was introduced late on into the game specifically for the shootout, and went on to save three of five penalties faced.
A 5-2 defeat at the home of eventual champions Chelsea followed, before a frustrating afternoon on the south coast in which City dropped two points against Brighton & Hove Albion due to a late brace from Elisabeth Terland; Petermann and Rantala on the scoresheet in the first half.
Two more games remained in 2023, which started with a 3-1 loss to the Red Devils in Group B of the League Cup. Whelan once again among the goals at Leigh Sports Village, but Lucia Garcia, Lisa Naalsund and Katie Zelem ensured the points stayed with the home side.
The year was seen out with yet another WSL draw for the Foxes, this time against West Ham United. Petermann got things rolling at King Power Stadium but eight minutes into added time, an equaliser was struck by Honoka Hayashi. Leicester would have to wait until after the Christmas break to put things right from that one.
Winning ways did return for Leicester after a month-long stint away from the action, and did so in a first FA Cup game of the season, when they faced Derby County in the third round. Petermann, Cayman and Deanne Rose sent City through to the next stage where they would face Birmingham City.
Before that, however, WSL duties had to resume and did so agonisingly with a 1-0 reverse to Aston Villa in Burton; Rachel Daly scoring the only goal before the East Midlands' outfit triumphed over Everton in the group stage game of the League Cup.
Tierney, Rose, Goodwin, Rantala and a first goal of the season for Shannon O'Brien sent the Foxes on their way to a 5-1 demolition, but sadly, results elsewhere confirmed a third-placed spot in the group, bringing an end to their progress in the competition.
However, the win did give City confidence who faced Everton again just four days later at the end of January at Walton Hall Park, this time in the league. A much tighter affair, the outcome remained the same, as the in-form Cayman swivelled and scored a brilliant effort from the edge of the box to earn Leicester their third WSL win.
The hangover from before Christmas was seeming to disappear, with the help of new signings Saori Takarada and Yuka Momiki as the Foxes soon made it four wins from five. A late 2-0 loss to Man City was followed by consecutive victories over Barclays Women's Championship side Birmingham City and then Bristol City.
Facing the Blues in the FA Cup Fourth Round, Cayman was on the scoresheet once again, along with O'Brien, who netted a brace, Takarada, Rose and Whelan. Beating the lower-level opposition in style, City were through to the quarter-finals.
The good fortune continued in the league, as relegation strugglers Bristol City arrived to Filbert Way, knowing a win was a must, and although they broke the deadlock through Ffion Morgan, City ran riot, completing a 5-2 win against the Robins, in which the headlines were stolen by Academy striker Denny Draper, who scored her first WSL goal of her career.
A 4-0 defeat to Chelsea introduced us into March, but attention quickly turned to an FA Cup date with Liverpool. Knowing a win would place Leicester in the hat for the final four for the first time in their history, top scorer Rantala got the party started, finding the net after Cayman struck the post before confirming the victory not long after the hour mark at Prenton Park - the Foxes were through.
Not knowing this at the time, but that historic win on Merseyside would be Leicester's last of the season, as they were beaten by Spurs and Brighton, before goals from Momiki and Tierney earned themselves a point against Villa at the end of the month.
The biggest day and the biggest game was upon us in mid-April, when the Foxes made the trip to London to face Tottenham. Around 2,000 of the Blue Army had also headed to the capital and were making themselves heard all afternoon, taking the noise level up a notch when Rantala opened the scoring brilliantly.
A hard-fought, valiant effort ended in the most heartbreaking way, as Martha Thomas netted an extra-time winner, sending Spurs to Wembley, where they were beaten 4-0 by winners Man Utd, but although it was the end of the road, City can be proud of the efforts along the way.
Losses to Arsenal and the Red Devils came before Howard's header at Chigwell Construction Stadium, earned Leicester their last WSL point of the term, in a draw with West Ham United, taking the tally up to 18, confirming a consecutive 10th placed finish with safety in the division already secured.
A final day loss to top four Liverpool brought an end to proceedings, and a remarkable career for Whelan who announced her retirement, but although it seemed like a disappointing season, it had been a positive one of firsts; two more points than last year's total, with 11 more goals scored, and the Foxes won't forget the FA Cup Semi-Final anytime soon.
Leicester may not have ended where they wanted to, but in a season of high and lows, they have made great improvements and learned important lessons which will be invaluable on their way to success. The team can now enjoy a well-earned break, before the next chapter in their history is written.