Leicester go top with comeback win over Millwall

4 months ago 116
Patson Daka celebrates a goal for LeicesterPatson Daka (left) scored to put Leicester in front in the match for the first time

Leicester City fought back to beat lowly Millwall with three second-half goals and return to the top of the Championship.

The Lions stunned their hosts after nine minutes when Murray Wallace swung a cross into the box and Tom Bradshaw flicked a header past Foxes keeper Mads Hermansen.

City turned the game on its head shortly after the break, levelling when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's floated cross looped into the net off Jannik Vestergaard's shoulder, before Wilfred Ndidi stood up a deep cross for Patson Daka to nod in an unmissable second from a yard out.

Ricardo Pereira forced home after Tom Cannon's shot was blocked to wrap up the three points, before Kevin Nisbet hammered in a stoppage-time consolation for Millwall from George Saville's corner.

Relive Wednesday's Championship action

Leicester have hogged the Championship's top spot for the vast majority of the season and moved back to the summit just 24 hours after Ipswich had leapfrogged the Foxes with their victory at Watford on Tuesday.

A 17th win of the season also means the Foxes are the joint-quickest side to reach 50 points in a Championship season, tying with Ipswich, who had reached the landmark in their 21st game.

Millwall, in contrast, are now within a point of the relegation places in 20th position after a fourth defeat in five under Joe Edwards - although two of those losses have come away to the division's top two.

Edwards reacted to a lack of goals by dropping leading scorers Zian Flemming and Nisbet to the bench, and the new broom seemed to work as replacement Bradshaw gave the Lions a shock lead.

Having conceded just a fifth league goal of the season at King Power Stadium, Leicester slowly turned up the heat and could have had a penalty when Abdul Fatawu went down under a challenge from Wes Harding.

Vestergaard's long-range effort also forced a save from Millwall's Matija Sarkic and Ndidi should have done better than blaze over when teed up by Fatawu, but the hosts were largely frustrated before the break by a five-man Lions defence.

Without Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho and having managed just two attempts on target in the first 45 minutes, Enzo Maresca's men showed their clinical side to be in the lead just seven minutes after the restart.

The hosts bossed the ball as Millwall sat back and cashed in when Pereira netted - with perhaps a touch off Ndidi - and it proved decisive when uncharacteristically sloppy set-piece defending allowed Millwall a late second, but the hosts saw out a nervy final few minutes.

Line-ups

Leicester

Formation 4-3-3

30Hermansen21Ricardo Pereira4CoadyBooked at 37minsSubstituted forJustinat 59'minutes23Vestergaard3FaesBooked at 82mins25Ndidi8Winks22Dewsbury-HallSubstituted forPraetat 79'minutes18Fatawu20DakaSubstituted forCannonat 71'minutes10Mavididi

Substitutes

1Ward2Justin7Casadei17Choudhury26Praet28Cannon39Maswanhise41Stolarczyk45Nelson

Millwall

Formation 3-4-1-2

20Sarkic18Leonard5CooperBooked at 21mins45HardingBooked at 13mins17Norton-Cuffy14CampbellSubstituted forMitchellat 83'minutes23SavilleBooked at 74mins3M WallaceBooked at 24minsSubstituted forMcNamaraat 45'minutes39HoneymanSubstituted forLongmanat 82'minutes9BradshawSubstituted forNisbetat 74'minutes19WatmoreSubstituted forFlemmingat 74'minutes

Substitutes

2McNamara4Hutchinson7Nisbet8Mitchell10Flemming11Longman22Emakhu25Esse33Bialkowski

Referee:Keith Stroud

Attendance:28,960

Live Text

Match ends, Leicester City 3, Millwall 2.

Second Half ends, Leicester City 3, Millwall 2.

Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Kevin Nisbet (Millwall).

Goal! Leicester City 3, Millwall 2. Kevin Nisbet (Millwall) right footed shot from very close range to the high centre of the goal following a corner.

Attempt saved. Kevin Nisbet (Millwall) header from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by George Saville with a cross.

Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Stephy Mavididi.

Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Dan McNamara (Millwall).

Delay over. They are ready to continue.

Delay in match because of an injury Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Millwall).

Attempt blocked. James Justin (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Jake Cooper.

Attempt saved. Jake Cooper (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by George Saville.

Substitution, Millwall. Billy Mitchell replaces Allan Campbell.

Substitution, Millwall. Ryan Longman replaces George Honeyman.

Wout Faes (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Foul by Wout Faes (Leicester City).

Zian Flemming (Millwall) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Attempt blocked. George Honeyman (Millwall) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ryan Leonard.

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