Leicester Defeated In Extra-Time By Chelsea
Marc Albrighton and Kelechi Iheanacho were handed starts by Claude Puel, as the City boss made two changes to the side that beat West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
It was Albrighton who had the first opportunity of the game, too, as he hooked a Danny Simpson cross wide, before skipper Wes Morgan had a header blocked by Antonio Rüdiger just moments later.
Wilfred Ndidi then had a long-range drive parried to safety by Willy Caballero, but despite a number of early chances falling the Foxes’ way, Chelsea took the lead three minutes before the interval.
After Riyad Mahrez was dispossessed on the edge of the Blues box, Willian raced forward on the counter attack and slipped in Álvaro Morata, who took a touch before side-footing into the bottom corner.
The Foxes went in search of a leveller in the second half as Mahrez attempted to catch Caballero off his line, but fired into the stands, before Jamie Vardy headed over an Ndidi pass shortly after.
Eventually, City deservedly drew level. Vicente Iborra had two shots blocked in the box, but Vardy – netting his seventh goal in his last nine appearances – was on hand to scramble the ball home.
Urged on by the Blue Army, substitute Shinji Okazaki came just inches away from poking home, before Vardy forced Caballero into a low stop six minutes before the full-time whistle.
With just three minutes to play, Kasper Schmeichel made two huge stops to force the tie to extra-time, denying Morata twice from close range.
Goalscoring chances in extra-time were few and far between but when former Fox N’Golo Kanté sent a cross into the area, substitute Pedro was there to head beyond Schmeichel.
Puel made several substitutions in extra-time and it was Adrien Silva who came the closest to finding a leveller, but after a neat pass from Mahrez, the Portugal midfielder’s effort was blocked inside the box.
Despite all of their efforts, City couldn’t find a second equaliser against the Blues, who emerged as 2-1 winners to set up a semi-final tie with Southampton at Wembley Stadium.
Major moment
The first half of extra-time looked like it would finish even, but when Pedro got up well to meet an N'Golo Kanté delivery, Chelsea went in front for a second time in the game.
While City recovered from falling behind in normal time, they could not replicate it in extra-time.
Who impressed?
Skipper Wes Morgan was a dominant force in the heart of defence for the Foxes on Sunday evening, throwing his body on the line on several occasions for his side.
Denying N’Golo Kanté and Marcos Alonso at one end of the pitch, Morgan was also unfortunate not to head City in front with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Facing the likes of Álvaro Morata, Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro, he can be proud of the way he performed against the London outfit.
A special mention should also go to Marc Albrighton, who put in a huge shift on the wing before eventually dropping into right back in extra-time.
Where do we stand?
After exiting the Emirates FA Cup, the Foxes can now pour all of their efforts into finishing as high as possible in the Premier League. They currently sit eighth in the table, just three points behind Burnley.
Coming up…
Next up for Claude Puel’s men is a Premier League trip to the AMEX Stadium to face Chris Hughton’s Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 31 March (3pm kick-off).