City Advance In Carabao Cup With Victory At Sheffield United
Craig Shakespeare made eight changes to the side that beat Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday and while Ahmed Musa, Demarai Gray, Ben Chilwell, Islam Slimani and Wilfred Ndidi all had efforts in the opening 45 minutes, the first period finish goalless.
City responded with an excellent display after the break and were soon ahead as Gray weaved in and out of the Blades defence before slotting past Jake Eastwood with 52 minutes on the clock.
Soon after, the Foxes doubled their lead. This time, Slimani got on the end of a perfectly-weighted through-ball from Andy King before rounding Eastwood and firing home for 2-0.
Just four minutes after the Algerian’s first strike, it was 3-0 with Slimani again on the scoresheet to net a brace. Gray delivered a brilliant cross from the right and City’s No.19 was there to tap home at the back post.
While City were in control, Chris Wilder’s men pulled one back with seven minutes to play through Caolan Lavery, whose cross fooled everyone and found the back of the net.
Slimani came close to netting a hat-trick just moments later but saw his shot blocked and it was Musa who would round off the scoring in the Steel City. The Nigerian’s first effort was denied, but he was there to tuck home the rebound to make it 4-1.
Key moment
Gray Delighted With Second Half Display
Foxes midfielder Demarai Gray talks to LCFC TV after his side's 4-1 victory over Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night...
After a frustrating first half, the Foxes were unfortunate to head into the break with the scores level at 0-0.
Up stepped Demarai Gray, whose fine solo strike ultimately opened the floodgates as City scored three times in 15 second-half minutes.
It was vitally important for Gray to score when he did and he’ll no doubt be pleased with his contribution in Sheffield.
Who impressed?
Islam Slimani was handed a start by Craig Shakespeare on Tuesday evening and he did not disappoint.
Determined from the off, the City striker netted twice in four minutes in the second period to effectively put the game beyond the hosts.
He was denied his first Foxes treble only by a last-ditch block late on, but he’ll receive plenty of plaudits for his performance at Bramall Lane.
Where do we stand?
Craig Shakespeare’s men will find out their Carabao Cup Round 3 opponents on Thursday morning, with the draw taking place in Beijing, China at around 4:15am BST.
Coming up…
Attentions now turn to Leicester City’s Premier League trip to table-topping Manchester United – the Foxes’ final fixture before the first international break of the 2017/18 campaign.