A number of changes made to the starting line-up and as we thought a starting position to Hamza Choudhury, replacing Oliver Skipp. Gary Rowett also gave a rare start to Bobby De Cordova-Reid, lining up the two full internationals alongside Harry Winks in that midfield three.
Asmir Begovic taking over from Jakub Stolarczyk, something we believe was again a very wrong decision and might have costed Leicester a point today. Asmir Begovic is in no way the better goalkeeper, he is a player close to 40, something that makes him far from ideal in this job at this point.
What you will lack when you replace Jakub Stolarczyk with Asmir Begovic is the range as well as the agile level of the goalkeeper. Both are terrible in distribution and lack football understanding to be a player giving you somehting extra.
The game was a tight affair from the early minutes, but everything looked solid in the back as well as that extra fighter in midfield in Hamza Choudhury. Hamza is a midfielder and can do that job at Championship level, and he showed his worth first half.
Patson Daka should have been given a panalty early on, but no whistle heard. Portsmouth used ther physique and they fight much more for every ball. Leicester do have players highly skilled, but in some way the rythm and passing options seems to dry out, with little or no interaction between players to build up those pockets to play in and create chances with special moves that makes it possible to score goals.
Defeat at Fratton Park.#PORLEI | @BCGame pic.twitter.com/c0gSv07qUw
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 18, 2026
There were little or not much more happening first half, few attempt from both sides, most of the game being battled out in midfield and as we said, Lascelles, Vestergaard, Thomas and Pereira looked to control everything in front of Begovic.
Then in the 63rd minute the game came to a settlement. Luke Thomas and Bobby De Cordova-Reid tried to hold on to their much stronger and heavier Portsmouth opponents. But if you look away from the ball and instead just watch your opponent you will miss every aspect of a situation. That was excactly what happened and Ibane Bowatt scored from close range. Asmir Begovic showed why he is not a goalkeeper to trust at this level anymore, not coming out to clear the ball, instead he waited and the ball went in behind him.
Gary Rowett took out Hamza Choudhury and Bobby De Cordova-Reid a few minutes later, and then in real giving the two new men in the starting line-up the feeling of mistake as they both were subbed off. In fact blaming the two for the goal scored, giving Jordan James and Divine Mukasa a few minutes towards the end.
Jordan Ayew and Olabade Aluko came on later in the game, again leaving Joe Aribo on the bench without minutes after talking him up as a good footballer. What a useless statement to make, when you do not use the player at all in the game.
Leicester had soft attempts, and could have scored, but they do not have the energy in this team to win football matches. Portsmouth pulled themselves out of the relegation zone, with this win. Leicester looks down at the minute with 8 points away from safety with 3 games left to play. One straw of hope is the fact that West Bromwich can be given points deductions and of course having that game left at Ewood Park on the last day of the season, hoping for a chance to stay up with a win on the 2nd of May.
Positives
- An honest attempt from Gary Rowett to make some type of change
- First half looked good enough to get all three points
Negatives
- Again letting in a goal from a set piece situation
- The talk of Joe Aribo in front of the game, leavng the player in the freezer again
- Divine Mukase showing no effort to play to the best for the team
- This was a must win game, but it never looked like Leicester had the ability to manage that
- Gary Rowett has no plan and no set up that will work, not willing to change formation and looks far from equipped to get this team out of problems, as he managed with Oxford last season. He never managed to get this group back on track with a troubled time at the club
- The behaviour of Harry Winks after the game shows his lack of understanding in what it is to be a footballer and not performing to standards in line with the salary earned
Line Up:
Begovic 3, Pereira 5, Vestergaard 5, Lascelles 5, Thomas 5, Winks 4, De Cordova-Reid 4, Choudhury 6, Daka 5, Mavididi 3, Fatawu 3, Subs: James, Aluko, Ayew, Mukasa
- Leicester City, Man of the Match
- Hamza Choudhury
Match Stats (H/A)
- Possession: 47 / 53
- Shots on Target: 2 / 3
- Corners: 5 / 7
- Fouls: 11 / 12
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