Advertisement

Kasper Schmeichel penalty shoot-out hero as Leicester City reach League Cup third round at Newcastle's expense

Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy celebrate following the penalty shout-out win  - Action Images
Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy celebrate following the penalty shout-out win - Action Images

Steve Bruce said he would take the cup competitions seriously, that this would be the exciting shift in approach he would bring as Newcastle United manager. But this was an all too familiar and depressingly early exit for the Magpies.

Newcastle actually lasted longer in the competition than they normally do, but it was by minutes rather than days, losing on penalties to an almost full-strength Leicester City side.

And it came at a cost, as Bruce lost another three players to injury, including Matt Ritchie who was forced off by what he called a “horror tackle” from Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudray.

“His leg is a mess, he has cuts in three places and ankle damage,” he added. “You don’t like to see players sent off but when you lunge in and are over the top, it can damage people. Believe me, it’s a horrible one.”

Bruce had stopped short of saying he would prioritise the cups - what manager of a relegation-threatened side can ever say that? - but in making seven changes to the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur, he inevitably left himself open to criticism when the team sheets arrived.

In the end, his side played reasonably well, Yoshinori Muto’s second-half goal cancelling out James Maddison’s deflected free-kick, but they have lost in the second round of the Carabao Cup for the third year in a row, as Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel saved both Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden’s spot-kicks. They have not played more than two games in this competition in 11 out of the last 14 seasons.

“I was forced to make five or six changes [because of injuries] and we have lost three tonight,” said Bruce. “We just have to get on with it and I’m pleased with how we went about things, particularly in the second half, there was nothing in the game.”

Newcastle started well, springing forward whenever they could but their lack of cutting edge – Bruce had only one fit striker to put in the team – is a concern.

Some of the football was promising, but the end product unsatisfactory, and Leicester took the lead when Maddison’s free-kick flicked off the head of Ritchie, leaving goalkeeper Karl Darlow completely wrong-footed.

Newcastle were not playing badly, but they needed some creativity and found it from a set-piece of their own, Fabian Schar’s quickly-taken free-kick catching Ricardo Pereira napping. Willems did well, taking the high ball down, on the run, on his chest. He may well have been fouled by the Leicester full-back as he tried to recover ground, but the ball broke kindly for Muto to tap in from close range.

Yoshinori Muto and Ciaran Clark -  - Credit: Action Images 
Yoshinori Muto (left) celebrates scoring Newcastle United's equaliser against Leicester City Credit: Action Images

Leicester might have won it through Ayoze Perez, but he was kept out by former teammate Darlow, while at the other end a thunderous strike by Shelvey was kept out by the fingertips of Schmeichel.

Things fizzled out after that, the game played at a pre-season pace, as both sides seemed content enough to decide things with a penalty shoot-out.

“I think our team selection showed this is a competition we want to take seriously,” said Leicester assistant manager Chris Davies.

Match details

Newcastle United (3-5-1-1): Darlow; Clark, Schar, Fernandez; Krafth (Manquillo 50), M Longstaff, Hayden, Shelvey, Willems (Dummett 78); Ritchie (Atsu 45); Muto.
Subs not used: Dubravka, Dummett, Ki, Lascelles, S Longstaff.
Booked: Ritchie, Fernandez.

Leicester City (4-3-3): Ricardo, Morgan (Evans 57), Soyunch, Fuchs, Tielemans, Choudhury, Maddison; Barnes, Vardy, Perez.
Subs not used: Ward, Justin, Gray, Albrightson, Mendy, Praet.
Booked: Soyuncu, Choudhury, Morgan.

Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex).

ttendance: 22,727.

Carabao Cup third-round draw in full

Wolves v Reading

Oxford v West Ham

Watford v Swansea

Brighton v Aston Villa

Sheff Utd v Sunderland

Colchester v Tottenham

Portsmouth v Southampton

Burton v Bournemouth

Preston v Man City

MK Dons v Liverpool

Man Utd v Rochdale

Luton v Leicester

Chelsea v Grimsby or Macclesfield

Sheff Wed v Everton

Arsenal v Nottm Forest

Crawley v Stoke