Leicester City 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Leicester win 4-3 on penalties
Albion’s wait for their first League Cup quarter-final since 1978 goes on but this was the nearest they have been since that December night, when Peter Ward equalised at the home of the then League Champions.
This evening Harvey Barnes scored after six minutes following a mix up between Adam Webster and Albion keeper Jason Steele.
Barnes had another couple of chances to double Leicester’s lead.
But the most glaring misses were from Albion’s Aaron Connolly and Jurgen Locadia, with the latter looking less and less like a footballer as the game went on, especially not a £14 million one.
However, it was Jeremy Sarmiento who caught the eye, and his industry helped Albion after Alexis Mac Allister’s shot was deflected wide.
Adam Webster equalised from Pascal Gross’s delivery, almost on the stroke of half time. But Aussie referee Jarrod Gillett still had time to play and from the restart Sarmiento sent a back pass to Steele that was woefully short. Ademola Lookman nipped in and put Leicester back in front.
As the second half started Enock Mwepu replaced the injured Dan Burn.
It was largely Albion in possession. James Maddison had half chances for the Foxes but Albion had a host of opportunities.
Gross and Connolly both had good chances to score, but eventually it was the vastly improving Mwepu who headed home a superb equaliser header from fellow substitute Marc Cucurella’s cross.
Albion had chances to win it, most notably from Connolly who had a one-on-one with Foxes keeper and Welsh international Danny Ward – also Locadia who managed to mis-time a header from around four yards out, as Gross fired a brilliant corner.
In the shootout Neal Maupay missed Albion’s second spot kick but, after Ricardo Pereira converted, it fell to Mwepu to score Albion’s vital fourth kick. Instead, Ward saved.
Gross and Mac Allister were Albion’s other shoot out scorers, while Maddison, Barnes and Patson Daka were all successful for Leicester.
Albion travel to Liverpool for a Premier League fixture on Saturday (30 October) having not won in five matches although the Seagulls are still perched in fifth spot in the Premier League.
