90 min: Birmingham look beaten. They have struggled tonight with the lift in standards and a lack of fluency. Monga meanwhile is running them ragged. Still, there’s nine (9!) added minutes.
Goal! Leicester 2-0 Birmingham (Ricardo, 88)
Leicester get the chance on the attack, at last. Birmingham try to clear their lines. Monga shows his skills down the line, and his cross finds Ricardo, his fellow sub, to finish beautifully. Nice finish, even better creation from the sweet sixteen kid.
86 min: Dykes is the target for a launched ball. On comes Wout Faes, to boos. From who? The home fans, it seems.
85 min: Lynden Dykes is on, to face his former QPR manager, Marti Cifuentes. Fatawu leaves the field, and yes, it’s cramp. Worse than a broken leg as Kevin Keegan once said.
83 min: Fatawu, the scorer, is down. It looks like cramp; he has only just come back from a serious knock.
81 min: Brum pushing and pushing but Leicester keep clearing their lines. Paik slips on the touchline to much amusement from home fans but their team is under serious pressure as they can’t keep the ball.
79 min: Stephen McCrossan gets in touch: “Right, that’s it, I’m getting the next train down from Glasgow….Honestly, I’m getting a bit annoyed now.”
It could be worse, it could be Russell Martin’s Rangers, who with no skin in the game, I have enjoyed hugely this season.
Niall Mullen is also in: “Given Tom Brady’s involvement with Birmingham I wonder in what situation would it be advantageous to have the ball slightly deflated. Maybe against Arsenal’s set pieces? Or if you have a keeper with Onana-wrists?”
77 min: Free-kick with Monga as draught-excluder in the Leicester wall. Gray takes it, into the wall, Anderson shoots and then Laird, great save from the keeper. Klarer heads over, Doyle had fouled Stolarczyk; Leicester didn’t have their Ducksch in a row. Stolarczyk is down hurt.
76 min: Ricardo takes down Kyogo. That’s a terrible challenge. He gets yellow. It might be red. That’s the end of Kyogo and Koumas. Tommy Doyle, a good passer, as is Ducksch.
75 min: Ricardo breaks up a Brum attack, taking down Koumas. Leicester look to be replenishing their confidence and Chris Davies is to make some changes.
73 min: There’s an awful lot of 16-year-olds in the game right now. Monga made his debut when still 15. That used to be unheard of.
71 min: Multiple Leicester changes. Choudhury and Mavididi off, on comes Monga and Ricardo – teenager and veteran. The latter puts on the captain’s armband.
69 min: Oof, Anderson and Choudhury clash, and that’s painful for the Leicester player.
67 min: Stolarczyk hurried into another kick that spins out of play. This seems Birmingham’s best chance of finding a goal, to be honest.
65 min: Klaren is booked for an off-the ball lunge. He then heads away a Thomas free-kick. Daka shoots – the first shot since the Fatawu goal. It’s been that type of performance.
63 min: Comedy of errors as Stolarczyk, the Leicester keeper, smashes the ball out under pressure and Gray trips over it. Liquid football.
62 min: How can Birmingham tempt out Leicester? It’s proving tough. Chris Davies looks tense and nervous. His team have been punchless. Kyogo clatters Okoli and that’s a booking for the former wantaway Celtic striker.
60 min: Big cheers from the home fans as Allsop is pressed as he tries to play the ball as a rush goalie. High praise for the high press.
58 min: Fatawu is booked as his continuing battle with Laird ends in him pulling back the full-back. More Birmingham pressure, relieved by an offside trap well set.
56 min: The ball spins out after a clearance and Kyogo swings his shot just over, it spinning like a top. Young Louis Page goes off, and on comes Patson Daka for Leicester.
55 min: Ayew does his job at the near post in heading away the corner. But the Leicester defence will have to face more of this.
54 min: Birmingham making lots of noise. Their team is still far too deliberate. But they do manage to press out a corner.
52 minutes: Some chunky challenges being thrown in. The expected goals is 0-1 v 0.39. Good luck to whoever’s winning there…
51 min: Stephen McCrossan is raging: “Speaking as an admittedly grumpy Celtic fan after our midweek shambles, I thought your comment on Kyogo being glad to be free of Celtic was a bit harsh given that he’s been at Rennes for the last six months. He was a great wee player for us for a couple of seasons and then decided he wanted to go. Fair enough. So take it back or I’ll come down there and give you a right good talking to.”
I’d still say he’s glad not to be at Celtic. Now he gets to hang with Tom Brady. And Jeff Lynne. Probably.
50 min: Demarai Gray, still soldiering on, escapes and whips the ball to the back post. Samuel the overlapping full-back heads over. Better from Blues.
48 min: Leicester begin the game with possession, which became a rarity in that first half. Allsop almost gets into trouble when Klarer does a no-look pass and Jordan Ayew – absent in the first half – almost steals in. Allsop comes to the rescue of his captain.
We are back
46 min: So, what can Chris Davies’ team do to get through this Leicester wall?
And looking ahead to the weekend’s big one with Barney Ronay:
Transfer news: Let’s see about this one.
Mary Waltz: “If Leicester think they can just sit back and keep this one-goal lead I think they are fooling themselves.”
That appears the plan. Let’s see if it works.
Half-time: Leicester 1-0 Birmingham
The game has reflected the stakes. Letting Abdul Fatawu go was the one mistake made and Birmingham paid for it. Marti Cifuentes’ plan is working, Chris Davies’s is struggling to create enough chances.
45+5 min: Mavididi crashes the ball behind for a corner, taken deep. Gray gets a chance to take another but it’s cleared. The half closes with a scramble and applause from home fans.
45+2 min: Leicester forwards starved of the ball, Brum’s forwards starved of chances. It’s made for an intriguing tactical battle only lifted by that Fatawu finish.
45 min: Choudhury is silly in smashing into Ethan Laird. He’s booked, too. Five minutes added on.
44 min: The same happens again, Choudhury smashing long, the ball back with Birmingham, and Leicester defending well.
42 min: Choudhury smashes in Koumas to make a vital tackle but Fatawu is ploughing a lone furrow. Leicester keep giving the ball to Leicester.
40 min: Birmingham knocking on the door but seem to lack the incision and creativity. Luke Thomas comes across to smash away. Leicester’s defending has been a trifle agricultural. But effective nonetheless.
38 min: Gray’s pass fizzes across the box but no takers. Chris Davies wants much more from his team.
37 min: Birmingham not getting many numbers forward. They are taking their time when attacking. Mind, Fatawu is isolated by his teammates dropping back.
35 min: Young Koumas has left something on Leicester’s Okoli, who goes down injured while making a clearance. Foul given, no booking. The exuberance of youth.
34 min: For a club of such uncertainty, yo-yoing, the Leicester fans are behind their team.
33 min: Skipp has to do some sweeping up in midfield, where Birmingham have been in control.
