Leicester City 3, Derby County 1: Relief for Claudio Ranieri as Foxes ease pressure on under-fire boss with FA Cup victory
Under-fire Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri insists the gloom engulfing the club has started to lift after his side navigated their potentially treacherous FA Cup fourth round replay with Championship side Derby.
Extra-time was needed after Derby’s Abdoul Camara cancelled out Andy King’s opener, but substitute Wilfred Ndidi, with his first goal for the Foxes, and a stunning solo strike from Demarai Gray saw the hosts through.
Leicester now face a fifth round tie with League One Millwall at the Den on 18 February, although the victory resonated beyond a simple passage to the tournament’s last 16.
The defending Premier League champions have been on a woeful run, losing four successive top-flight matches, and languish just a point clear of the relegation zone, while claims of player unrest and dressing room disharmony continue to dog their campaign.
“In this moment everything goes wrong, but tonight one thing went right,” said Ranieri, who was given a vote of confidence by the club’s owners on Tuesday. “Derby played good football and we won. This is what we needed and what I wanted.
“The fresh air is good for the players. We want to do well in all competitions. We want to go forward in the FA Cup. The Premier League is not so good but we have to stay in the Premier League.
“We are now focused on Sunday [Leicester’s Premier League match at Swansea] and three goals tonight is good for the confidence.”
Leicester opened the scoring inside the opening minute of the second period as a deep, inswinging cross from the impressive Gray was headed back across goal by Marc Albrighton and nodded home by King.
Derby levelled shortly after the hour mark when on-loan Middlesbrough midfielder Julien de Sart rolled a short free-kick to Camara, whose thumped shot took a huge deflection off Ben Chilwell on its way past Foxes goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler.
The clash was almost settled in regulation time as Derby left-back Max Lowe appeared to lose his bearings and chested a cross against his own post with Derby stand-in stopper Jonathan Mitchell rendered helpless.
Ranieri threw on £15m January signing Ndidi and the 20-year-old responded within 238 seconds by surging forward and rifling a 20-yard effort beyond the despairing dive of Mitchell.
Leicester secured victory and their passage to round five with seven minutes of extra-time remaining as Gray’s incisive, slaloming run ended with the winger maintaining his composure and angling a drive high beyond Mitchell.