As suspected a totally new line-up and a number of players given a chance that normally don’t play in the first team, and without knowing how Wigan lined up you always get a type of game that you cannot really plan.
Leicester started the game with Ward in goal, Justin and Chilwell as full backs, Morgan and Benkovic in central defense. Mendy, Praet and Choudhury in midfield, Albrighton, Gray and Barnes up front. Normally you would either see Vardy and surprisingly Iheanacho was left on the bench. Vardy hopefully will be back for the next Premier League fixture, but as we know Leicester can play without him as well.
Leicester were the dominant team and all over had 59% possession and with the lively three up front, pressure was there all the time and after 19 minutes Wigan youngster Tom Pearce scored an own goal in the strangest way possible, stumbling over the ball and touching it so it curled down in the left corner.
Leicester were 1-0 up and few believed this would be a difficult game, but as we all can experience from time to time, surprises might occur and so it did Wigan actually scoring, but the goal was correctly disallowed.
A blow was the injury of Wes Morgan, but to just put Caglar Soyuncu in did not make the team any weaker, but of course sad to see “the captain” leaving the ground with problems, and that might put fuel to the rumours about a new central defender coming in during the now opened transfer window.
Just before half time Ben Chilwell “walks” forward with the ball, perfectly pass it to Harvey Barnes who via a Wigan defender scores and the game is really over by the time as Leicester were 2-0 up.
2nd half becomes more like a transport really, making then two more changes, Christian Fuchs coming in for Filip Benkovic and Wilfred Ndidi replacing Papy Mendy.
Leicester produce a number of chances in 2nd half with both Gray and Barnes having attempts, and Wigan have their one and two attacking options, but in all it was a controlled 2nd half and Leicester are safely through to the 4th round of the FA Cup.
- Positives:
- Scoring two goals, keeping a clean sheet, winning
- The full squad involved
- Filip Benkovic getting his first start
- Doing what was expected, nothing more, nothing less
- Harvey lively and getting a bit of self confidence
- Negatives:
- Wes Morgan injured
- Player Ratings: Ward 6. Justin 6, Chilwell 6, Benkovic 6, Morgan 6, Mendy 6, Choudhury 7, Barnes 7, Praet 6, Albrighton 6, Gray 6 Subs: Soyuncu 6, Fuchs, Ndidi
Match Stats:
- Possession: 59 / 41
- Corners: 4 / 0
- Shots on target: 5 / 0
- Fouls: 8 / 13
- Offsides: 1 / 8
TCF - FILBERT WAY 
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