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Both teams had done many changes to their side, but still quality was clear to see, Leicester had Maguire, Ndidi and Gray on the field as the only full first teamers, Man City fielded Stones, De Bruyne, Aguero and Mahrez, so there were no b-teams out there.

Hamza Choudhury was given a rear start in this game, playing with five in midfield and Kelechi Iheanacho on top. Leicester struggled a lot in the start of the game, and De Bryune came clear with a clinical shot after 14 minutes.

Leicester silently managed to get into the game and had a bit of pressure around 20 to 30 minutes of the game, but the attempts from Gray and Ndidi didn’t really turn out in any concrete shots on goal.

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Puel had to do something and early in the 2nd half he decided to give Maddison and Albrigthon a fear chance to shine, and was heavily rewarded after 73 minutes with a fantastic pass from Ndidi to Albrighton, who had a wonderful touch on the ball and his volley shot hit the net so hard that Man City’s good goalkeeper Arijanet Muric had no chance.

Leicester were level after 73 minutes and from there on and out the game it was just still water and not really any big chances to neither sides, so it all ebbed out in a penalty shoot out, but great credit to Leicester for their second half performance.

Hamza Choudhury had some great tackles and showed quality and for Tcf the best Leicester City player on the field. Credit also to Demarai Gray and Harry Maguire who also stood out, and of course Albrighton and a hard battling Ndidi in midfield.

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The penalties started well with a Harry Maguire goal, but the attempts from Maddison, Fuchs and Souyuncu were like candy for Muric, who saved two and one went into the sthands.

Man City are through to the semi’s, so are sensationally Burton Albion, who took on Middlesbrough away at The Riverside and came home with a 1-0 win.

Sorry for Puel this time, trying to give a number of players time on the pitch, and also getting that great goal, but in the end it was another quarter final exit against Man City, so as we say “same procedure at last year”.

• Positives:
  • Getting back against Man City and showing quality in 2nd half
  • A good performance by Hamza Choudhury
  • 1-1 against Man City is not a bad result after 90 minutes
  • No injures and players more players getting 90 minutes
• Negatives:
  • The penalty shoot out

• Player Ratings: Ward 6. Simpson 6, Fuchs 6, Suyuncu 6, Maguire 7, Ndidi 7, Choudhury 8, Gray 7, Iheanacho 4, Ghezzal 4, Iborra 4, Subs: Maddison, Albrighton, Pereira

Match Stats: H/A

• Possession: 39 / 61
• Corners: 4 / 7
• Shots on target: 2 / 3
• Shots wide: 2 / 4
• Fouls: 9 / 10
• Offsides: 6 / 3

 

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The line-up was as we predicted, but to see Gray and Vardy as a partnership up front and moving Maddison out to the flank, gave me an idea of something that would not work well. You get two forwards moving as twins up front, both with the same runs.

First half was dull, but Leicester City had a good period in the middle, controlling the game and looked close to getting something. A goal was scored by Vardy, but surely it was a free kick when he attacked debuting Palace goalkeeper Guaita.

Then again, close to the end of first half, watching sloppy defending which gave Palace captain Milivojevic a free path and not really making enough effort to try to stop his clinical shot from reaching the goal, as Schmeichel was a bid hidden and had no chance to save from a distance that with proper defending would have easily been stopped.

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Leicester City came out in the 2nd half without Maddison, surely some injury made that move happen, and we just have to wait and see what Puel will say about one of his best players being substituted with Rachid Ghezzal.

Ghezzal is at Leicester City not really a finished article and his display is a bit up and down, and he makes too many errors to be able to play at this level at this time. If Puel have a plan for Ghezzal, we have not yet seen it.

Demarai Gray is another matter, he is a vital player in the team but over the last games he is far from delivering what is needed from a player that should score goals and pass players, he is doing nothing of it at the moment.

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Selhurst Park is not the easiest grounds to play at, and despite a difficult start for Roy Hodgson’s men, they are a handful at home. But the fact that both Tomkins and Zaha were absent, should have boosted Leicester City chances a lot.

Jamie Vardy came close after a good combination with Kelechi Iheanacho, hitting the post and really unlucky not to see his chance resulting in nothing. In all Leicester City deserved a point in this game, and they had most of the play and feel sorry for the players.

With only one point in the last three games, there will be fans asking for Puel’s head, but the same people just want to see somehting done, as they also were in favor of sacking Claudio Ranieri.

Would like to see this through January and hopefully points are picked up to be safe among the top 10 teams in the division, to ask for Puel’s head now is not something we would favor at all, since Leicester City in this game came very close to a good result.

If you like to read more from the game, look here, and to sum it all up, just continue for the positives and negatives, player ratings and match stats

• Positives:
  • Keeping possession and pushing for a result
  • Vardy hitting the post, and working hard over 90 minutes
  • Christian Fuchs getting a game and doing ok
  • Better than last season, being hammered 5-0
  • Maguire played 90 minutes, looked fresh and good
• Negatives:
  • To many sloppy passes and overall inaccurate play
  • Gray is no longer performing as he should, disappointing to see him
  • Not able to defend at crucial times in the game
  • Maddison possibly injured
  • Struggling to create chances and everything looks a bit random

• Player Ratings: Schmeichel 6. Pereira 6, Fuchs 6, Morgan 6, Maguire 6, Ndidi 5, Mendy 5, Gray 4, Vardy 7, Maddison 6, Albrighton 6, Subs: Iheanacho, Okazaki, Ghezzal 6

Match Stats: H/A

• Possession: 45 / 55
• Corners: 4 / 4
• Shots on target: 1 / 1
• Shots wide: 5 / 10
• Fouls: 10 / 8
• Offsides: 6 / 3

 

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A good run of games, if you look at results, and not really talk much about the over all performance which in a way has been less than convincing, but no one can take away results from a manager and players.

The game against Spurs was seen as a difficult hurdle, but seeing both Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen placed on the bench made it a bit more optimistic. Tcf hoped for a Harry Maguire return, but he never left the bench, strange in a way.

To be without Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire will always weaken a Leicester City team and with such a young crew of players you will get performances from the full range between top and bottom.

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The start of the game was good, and credit to Vicente Iborra with great distribution, playing with a good vision and mixing the long and short pass as much as possible, seeing a variety that Mendy and Ndidi struggles with at times.

Puel had again made changes, out with Soyuncu, Diabatte, Albrighton and Simpson, in with Iborra, Pereira, Gray and Evans, probably strengthening the team a bit from the one starting against Fulham.

But with a bit of pressure, Leicester City, never managed to convert anything into great goal chances, with just one attempt on goal from Wilfred Ndidi, but the shot ended high up in the terraces.

The first half was almost finished, and in extra time, when Son managed to get in front of the Leicester City defense, curling the ball in from just outside the penalty box, and Schmeichel had no chance at all. Would call it sloppy defending, and again conceding a goal in such a vital part of the game is hurtful.

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Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho are two young guys given a lot of responsibility and they are struggling to be the players “To Play the Piano” when Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire is absent. Wes Morgan must be credited in this game for his leadership and also Kasper Schmeichel again made some crucial saves. Vicente Iborra tried but got tired and had to leave the field early in the second half.

Mark Albrighton, Shinji Okazaki and Rachid Ghezzal were all given the chance from the bench without being able to impress, despite Shinji coming close and looks better and better. We should not write Shinji off completely, he is lively and a treat inside the box.

Ghezzal don’t really look like a team player and doing stuff for himself, overlooking Ben Chilwell on an overlap late in the 2nd half and shooting from long distance, bad judgement from the Algerian international. You must address the fact that Harvey Barnes is playing at a much better level with West Bromwich at the moment, and could be a solution for Puel in January, with so much sloppy play on the flanks, especially from Gray and Ghezzal.

The run of games without a loss stopped against Spurs who scored their 2nd from a Dele Alli header, and again Claude Puel had to see his side defeated at home, with a mix of bad player changes and a system error, and of course without Vardy and Maguire, who would believe that Leicester City would defeat Tottenham Hotspur, few or just the most unrealistic Leicester City fans out there. A draw would have been a result from heaven.

If you like to read more from the game, look here, and to sum it all up, just continue for the positives and negatives, player ratings and match stats

• Positives:
  • A good start, with a number of good combinations
  • Keeping a bit of pressure and getting six corners
  • Leicester City fans doing their best to help the team
  • Schmeichel and Morgan taking responsibility and trying their best
  • Iborra playing a good first half, keeping the midfield balanced
  • Maddison trying from a difficult position
  • Creating enough to be able to score a goal
• Negatives:
  • The use of Kelechi Iheanacho, looking totally lost
  • Gray needs to step up and be more accurate in everything he does
  • Ghezzal exposed defensively, bad judgement offensively
  • Chilwell needs to address his passes better in front of goal
  • Three yellow cards, Mendy, Albrighton and Gray
  • Too many changes and vital system errors by Puel

• Player Ratings: Schmeichel 6. Pereira 7, Chilwell 7, Evans 6, Morgan 7, Ndidi 6, Mendy 5, Gray 6, Iborra 6, Maddison 6, Iheanacho 4, Subs: Albrighton, Okazaki, Ghezzal

Match Stats: H/A

• Possession: 40 / 60
• Corners: 6 / 5
• Shots on target: 3 / 1
• Shots wide: 5 / 3
• Fouls: 11 / 7
• Offsides: 3 / 1