- Leicester beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium
- The championship leaders last reached the quarterfinals in 2021
- Virgil van Dijk with colossal performance to win League Cup… IAN LADYMAN names his five best Premier League captains in the everything is beginning podcast
An extra-time goal from Abdul Fatawu put Leicester into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and eliminated Bournemouth from the Premier League.
A match of few chances was decided by a good moment of quality to give the 2021 winners a tie.
Both teams made a significant number of changes, with the Premier League side making six from their defeat to Manchester City, while Leicester made nine from the team that lost at Elland Road last Friday.
Leicester got off to a fast start and tested Bournemouth’s resolve after just ninety seconds. Callum Doyle’s cross from the left crossed the home goal and a clearance was required from defender Milos Kerkez.
The hosts, and Alex Scott, should have given Bournemouth the lead in the 21st minute.
Abdul Fatawu (right) scored a spectacular goal as Leicester beat Bournemouth 1-0
Enzo Maresca’s team is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021
Bournemouth lacked a cutting edge despite dominating possession in the first half.
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A powerful run into the area by Luis Sinisterra returned the unmarked midfielder, who connected first time from seven meters. However, he failed to keep his shot and the ball went over the bar.
Leicester were on the back foot for most of the half but almost took the lead with two chances seconds apart.
Captain Marc Albrighton’s shot in the 42nd minute bounced off the post and into the path of Wayna Marcal, who unleashed an excellent shot that was equally excellently saved by Travers.
Bournemouth themselves almost took a half-time lead that was thwarted by the opposing goalkeeper, when Alex Scott launched a corner kick that was parried away by Jakub Stolarczyk.
The lead was almost achieved four minutes after the restart in strange circumstances.
A seemingly tame delivery into the box from Marcos Senesi missed as defenders watched, and both they and goalkeeper Stolarczyk were relieved when it hit the post and was safe.
Nerves were clearly beginning to set in among the home fans with the teams very prepared, although the Leicester fans were loud.
Their cries could have been even louder had Yunus Agkun not managed to put the ball over the bar as he ran, beating the offside trap and failing to contain his effort as extra time loomed.
Over the extra half hour, play became sloppier, perhaps due to fatigue and the slippery surface.
But there was nothing sub-par about the goal that gave Leicester the lead just before the break.
After capitalizing on a Kelechi Iheanacho lay-off, Abdul Fatawu unleashed a stunning curler into the top corner from outside the box that Travers simply couldn’t reach.
The urgency for Bournemouth became increasingly evident, and substitute Romain Faivre went wide, ruling out the Premier League side.
