Steve Cooper, the under-fire Leicester City manager, escaped a confrontation with a pitch invader on Tuesday thanks to a quick-thinking Walsall player who floored a fan making a beeline for the away dugout.

David Okagbue, the Walsall defender, tackled the supporter, who had entered the pitch 16 minutes from time, as he looked to make his way over to Cooper. The Leicester City manager had been subjected to chants of “this is embarrassing” earlier in the game as the Premier League side struggled to overcome their League Two opponents.

The fan, who gestured towards the visiting dugout as he ran onto the pitch, was apprehended by stewards before being led away.

In the match itself, a Carabao Cup third-round tie, Leicester eventually prevailed 3-0 on penalties thanks to three saves in the shoot-out from goalkeeper Danny Ward.

Cooper spoke about fan discontent after the game. “That’s fine, you have to build a bit of credit with the supporters. They will only make me work even harder. I’ll never have a problem with fans’ opinions and reactions because they are entitled to that,” he said.

“I want to do well for this football club – I’ve bought into what it stands for, I take that responsibility seriously. Nobody said this season would be easy. It’s going to be a challenging season but nobody is up for it more than me.

“We can definitely play better. I won’t be hiding away from chants, no problem with it. I’m even more committed to that now than I have been before and even that was at its maximum.”

Some Leicester supporters have yet to be won over by Cooper, who managed the club’s rivals Nottingham Forest but was sacked last year following a run of one win in 17.

“I didn’t really see it,” Cooper said about the pitch invader. “But I obviously heard the chanting in the crowd and I’ll own that.”

Leicester struggled throughout the match and the away fans chanted “Cooper, Cooper sort it out” as the match headed to penalties.

“It’s maybe nights like this that you can look back on to form a strong relationship – that’s my objective,” Cooper added.

Cooper signed a three-year deal at Leicester in the summer but his time in charge has been tumultuous, amid a row with the referees body, the PGMOL, regarding an alleged use of “false images” during a VAR decision in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, as well as escaping a points deduction this season after winning their legal row with the Premier League over profitability and sustainability rules.

Leicester are 15th in the Premier League and have yet to win a game following their promotion from the Championship.