Leicester 2, Birmingham 0, positives and negatives, player ratings and match report, Championship fixture

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Leicester had Stephy Mavididi back in the line-up, Jeremy Monga moved to the bench. Marti Cifuentes is structuring his first eleven and looks to get the momentum he is looking for.

Birmingham had no Jay Stansfield in their line-up, being out with an injury. That was of course a major negative for the opponent not having one of their best players available.

Leicester started positive and got a good momentum early on. They also got rewarded in the 8th minute when Louis Page found Abdul Fatawu close to the Birmingham goal. The Ghana international showed his worth and curled the ball into the net with a beautiful strike.

Leicester kept their momentum and pushed for a second. However, they slightly lost control. Birmingham made some adjustments and managed to gain more possession.

The Leicester defence looks tight and solid at the moment. Choudhury, Thomas, Vestergaard, and Okoli are operating well together. This made the day very silent for Jacub Stolarczyk.

3️⃣ more points 👏#LEIBIR pic.twitter.com/TA5ayJ2Qsr
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 29, 2025

This was the first time this season, Leicester actually scored a goal in the first half in a league game. Birmingham is a physical side and they never gave up. They had the momentum. However, that solid Leicester defensive unit became vital. It was important to turn the game in the correct direction.

Leicester made an early change, bringing on Patson Daka for Louis Page, moving Jordan Ayew into a offensive midfield position. This substitution gave Marti Cifuentes a chance to stretch the Birmingham defence significantly more. Daka has a very different movement and style compared to Jordan Ayew. He chases the ball in the corridors and is more of a runner. Ayew, in contrast, possesses other qualities to his game.

No real change in the dynamics of the game. Birmingham is chasing their equalizer. Leicester is defending themselves with a good and solid block. Then in the 71st minute of the game, Marti Cifuentes brings on Jeremy Monga for Stephy Mavididi. He also replaces Hamza Choudhury with Ricardo Pereira.

In the 87th minute Wout Faes comes on for Abdul Fatawu.

Leicester gain more momentum. They have qualities on the bench that can change the game in some ways. Leicester are getting more and more control. The magic happens in the 88th minute. Jeremy Monga trolling with the ball and finally makes a quality pass inside the bocks. Riccardo Pereira arrives and has not problem putting the ball in the net behind the Birmingham goalkeeper. Leicester are 2-0 up.

9 minutes added time, but it all becomes more and more evident, Birmingham will not get any goals or any points this afternoon. Demarai Gray, back at Birmingham, never found a solution coming up against his former team mates Hamza Choudhury and Riccardo Pereira.

Leicester are on 9 points after 4 games played. This start looks promising. We are just waiting for the final days of the transfer window. We want to find out what type of squad Leicester will have. The next game is played away to Oxford on the 13th of September.

Positives
- Abdul Fatawu what a wonderful strike and finish
- Jeremy Monga and Louis Page with the two assists
- Riccardo Pereira scoring and back in the frame
- Marti Cifuentes again showing class in his judgement of the game
- Winning, keeping a clean sheet and scoring two goals
- Jordan Ayew showing his will and work rate, great performance
Negatives
- Leicester losing momentum and struggle in the midfield area at times
- Using the short ball too much when a long ball can stretch Birmingham
- Not really having the formula to break down a 4-4-2 set up
- Giving Birmingham too much and not dominating the game as we would like to see

Line Up:
Stolarczyk 7, Choudhury 6, Thomas 7, Vestergaard 7, Okoli 7, Skipp 6, Soumare 6, Page 6, Ayew 8, Fatawu 7, Mavididi 5, Subs: Daka, Pereira, Faes, Monga