Leicester City’s Six Steps To FA Cup Success

The road to glory concluded with 2015-16 heroes Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan hoisting aloft the trophy under the Wembley arch but it was a long, tough trek to get there. We look back at that journey to examine Leicester’s six steps to success in the world’s oldest cup competition.

FA Cup 2020-21 third round – January 9, 2021

Stoke (0) 0-4 (1) Leicester

A trip to promotion-chasing Stoke of the Championship looked a tricky test in the third round but a Brendan Rodgers tactical masterclass saw Leicester sail through.

Michael O’Neill’s 3-5-2 formation was designed to frustrate the Foxes. With a towering defensive trio at the back and three hardworking midfielders in the centre of the pitch, O’Neill hoped to congest the midfield and push Leicester out wide to fire in hopeful crosses that his aerially dominant defenders could clear.

However, Rodgers combated this by using the space out wide to his advantage. He trusted his tactically astute midfielders, Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi, to hold firm in the middle of his 4-2-3-1 and was confident that his centre-back pairing could contain Stoke’s front two. This allowed Rodgers to release his fullbacks, who rampaged forward to effectively form an extremely attacking 2-2-6 formation when in possession.

With Timothy Castagne and James Justin acting as auxiliary wingers, Leicester continually overloaded the flanks to create two-on-one situations against the Stoke wingbacks, passing them with ease. Rather than being forced to cross high from wide, the Leicester wingers now ran at the Stoke centre-backs, causing havoc as they provided cutbacks and low crosses from dangerous positions.

The result was devastating; with the Stoke wingbacks bypassed and defence stretched to breaking point, Leicester scored all four goals from the flanks.

FA Cup 2020-21 fourth round – January 24, 2021

Brentford (1) 1-3 (0) Leicester

With Leicester battling for the top four and Brentford in the thick of a Championship promotion bid, both managers rested players. And with so many changes – Rodgers making nine – it was no surprise that the first half was a disjointed, scrappy affair.

While neither side could create from open play in the first half, Brentford showed their strength at set-pieces; the hosts took an early lead from a corner and were twice denied from set plays by the Foxes’ reserve goalkeeper, Danny Ward.

At half-time, Rodgers demanded a greater intensity and pressing from his players, which saw immediate rewards. Just 49 seconds into the second half, centre-back Caglar Soyuncu pushed deep into the Brentford half to force a mistake from which Cengiz Under stroked home the equaliser.

Brentford where overwhelmed by the increased tempo from Leicester, who grabbed the lead just five minutes later – Tielemans winning a penalty and converting from the spot. A third goal seemed inevitable with the Foxes now commanding two-thirds of the possession and it duly arrived on 71 minutes courtesy of James Maddison.

FA Cup 2020-21 fifth round – February 10, 2021

Leicester (0) 1-0 (0) Brighton

Rodgers again made a swathe of changes, resting key players in the middle of a gruelling run of 15 matches in 50 days. And with inexperience on both flanks –Vontae Daley-Campbell made his debut on the right while Luke Thomas made only his tenth domestic start on the opposite wing – Leicester struggled to break down Graham Potters’ well-drilled 3-5-2.

With the match locked in stalemate on the hour mark but there to be won, Rodgers went for it by introducing Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho. It worked wonders. Maddison immediately opened up the midfield with a series of sublime passes and suddenly the Seagulls looked vulnerable. But while Leicester were clearly in the ascendancy, they had to wait until the final act to get their just reward. Fittingly, Maddison started the move with an exquisite flick into the area that forced a corner and it was fellow substitute Iheanacho who headed home the winner from the set-piece.

Rodgers’ substitutions had not only won the tie; they had signalled his intent. No longer was the FA Cup a distraction – the Foxes had their eyes on glory.

FA Cup 2020-21 quarter-final – March 21, 2021

Leicester (1) 3-1 (1) Manchester United

Manchester United arrived full of confidence having gone unbeaten for 14 matches but a hugely energetic Foxes display utterly dismantled the Red Devils.

Injuries denied Rodgers many of his key creative talents so the Leicester manager looked not to outmanoeuvre Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 4-2-3-1 with neat interplay but to panic them into mistakes with an extremely aggressive high press.

Rodgers pushed his defensive midfielders right up to the toes of United’s midfield two, putting them under immediate pressure every time they received the ball. The tactic quickly unsettled United pair Nemanja Matic and Fred, who gave up the first big chance of the match with a dangerous loose pass to Iheanacho.

Eventually the approach bore fruit as Fred was again targeted upon receiving a poor ball out from Harry Maguire. Tielemans rushed the United midfielder and harried him into a dreadful backpass, which Iheanacho raced on to, rounding the goalkeeper to slot home the opener.

Following a United equaliser, Tielemans and Iheanacho again combined to restore Leicester’s lead. The Belgian bounced a fantastic one-two off Iheanacho and raced past the visibly wilting pair of Matic and Fred to fire in from the edge of the area.

The previously assured Manchester United midfield had been pulled apart; harried into errors as Leicester forced 25 turnovers inside the opposition half. The constant Foxes’ pressure took a heavy toll on the visitors and when Iheanacho headed in to seal a 3-1 win, the margin of victory was no less than Rodgers’ men deserved.

FA Cup 2020-21 semi-final – April 18, 2021

Leicester (0) 1-0 (0) Southampton

While relentless Leicester pressure sank Manchester United, it was precision that saw them past Southampton – Rodgers spotted a fatal weakness in the Saints’ set-up and exploited it mercilessly.

This time, Leicester dropped the press and allowed Southampton to bring the ball out, tempting the Saints’ fullbacks forward before engaging. The intention was clear; lure Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters forward and then hit the space that the attack-minded defender had left behind him.

While Ayoze Perez was nominally positioned behind the front two, both he and Vardy drifted to the left as soon as the Foxes pressed, occupying the area behind Walker-Peters in the hope of a quick turnover and pass.

It worked. Perez found space on the left-hand corner of Southampton’s box for the first shot on goal and again got free in the same area to produce a dangerous cross from which Iheanacho almost scored. Leicester were in control all over the pitch but their focus on that right-back weakness returned five shots to Southampton’s none in the opening 45 minutes.

The same tactic provided the only goal of the game ten minutes into the second half. Jonny Evans recovered the ball midway into his own half and Ricardo sent an inch-perfect pass down the left touchline for Vardy. Vardy spun Jan Bednarek – the Southampton centre-back trying to cover for Walker-Peters – and outpaced him, pulling back for Iheanacho to score.

Southampton rallied in response but the Foxes quickly weathered the storm to steer a confident course to their first FA Cup final appearance in 52 years.

FA Cup 2020-21 final – May 15, 2021

Chelsea (0) 0-1 (0) Leicester

Often it is preparation that decides the outcome of a match. Sometimes it’s perspiration. Every once in a while, it’s pure inspiration that wins the day. In the 2021 FA Cup final, Leicester combined all three ingredients to upset the odds and stun favourites Chelsea.

Rodgers certainly played his part, risking their ire of the Leicester supporters in selecting the work rate and movement of Perez behind his front two rather than the craft of Maddison. But it was a big call made with a plan; the focus on unsettling Chelsea’s possession play – a tactic for which Perez’s energy in among the Chelsea midfield would prove vital. Out wide, wingbacks Thomas and Castagne would rein in their attacking instincts to stop Chelsea outflanking them. Behind Perez, Tielemans and Ndidi would patrol and spoil, upsetting the Blues’ passing and looking to pinch the ball to quickly release Vardy and Iheanacho.

However, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel surprised everyone with his own tactical tweak by swapping the positions of wingback Reece James and centre-back Cesar Azpilicueta, bringing James’ pace to the middle of the Blues defence to counter Vardy’s threat.

Both managers proved successful in stifling the threat of their opponents but were struggling to outmanoeuvre their opposite number. A tight, cagey affair ensued in which neither team was able to muster a shot on target until the 53rd minute – a tame Marcos Alonso header into Kasper Schmeichel’s gloves.

The preparation and perspiration was working better for Leicester, however, with the underdogs looking every part the equal of Chelsea. All they needed now was the moment of inspiration. And, wow, did they get it…

With both teams struggling to find a way through their opponents as the match ticked into the 63rd minute, Chelsea’s James played a poor pass out of defence. Perez, ever willing, intercepted and the ball ran to Tielemans, who found himself midway into the Chelsea half in acres of space – a rare event in such a tight encounter. Chelsea sensed little danger as they tracked the runs of Vardy and Iheanacho but Tielemans used the space, drove forward and thundered a stunning 25-yard screamer into the top-left corner. Wembley erupted at one of the all-time great FA Cup final strikes.

Leicester were nearly there but Tielemans’ strike would not prove to be the final act of inspiration. As Chelsea inevitably piled forward, the defence was tested and soon it was Schmeichel’s turn to step up. First, the Foxes goalkeeper dived low to deny Ben Chilwell in impressive fashion. But the great Dane saved the best until last, matching Tielemans’ heroics by producing an incredible stop from a Mason Mount piledriver – a full-length wonder-save that left the Chelsea forward open-mouthed in disbelief.

Rodgers’ preparations and the perspiration of his team had laid the foundations against the soon-to-be-crowned European Champions. But on the biggest of occasions it can often be a moment of inspiration that makes the crucial difference. Tielemans and Schmeichel stepped up and Leicester, at long, long last, finally got their hands on the FA Cup trophy.