Match Recap: Leicester City u23s 1-0 Leeds United u23s

It was an energetic end-to-end start to the game, with both teams countering each other with electric pace and exciting play. Leeds forced the keeper into a good save as McGurk broke forward on the counter, nutmegging his man before switching the play to McKinstry. The Scotsman went for the first time shot across goal, with the keeper’s parry agonisingly close to falling for Max Dean.

The two sides continued to battle it out throughout the first half, with Leeds coming so close to scoring on the stroke of half-time. McKinstry once again was the dangerman as The Whites recycled an initial attack. McKinstry lashed a shot across the keeper from the left channel, with Young between the sticks parrying it back into the danger area where another White shirt was waiting. McGurk stretched as far as he could go to try and tap it home, but he couldn’t quite reach.

McGurk should’ve scored just moments later as it broke to him in the box after Cody Drameh’s great work to win the ball back and progress it forward. He took a touch with time and space, smashing his shot straight at the keeper from 12 yards.

Early in the second half, it was Leicester showing their dangerous side as gaps opened up in the Leeds defence. Maswanhise cut inside and went for goal with a clear opening, with Nohan Kenneh making a last-ditch sliding block to keep the scoreline at 0-0.

Leicester then took the lead on the hour mark, as the cross from Flynn on the left side dipped between Kenneh and Sutcliffe toward the back post, with Maswanhise reacting first to the loose ball and poking it past the keeper from inside the six-yard box.

This gave the Foxes the comfort of sitting in a strong block to try and hold on for the victory and even hit the Leeds youngsters on the counter. They should’ve killed the game-off late-on as McAteer was put through on goal, taking a touch and looking to place it into the top-right corner, but he put it wide to keep Leeds in the game.

The away side came so close to equalising as a tantalising ball across the six-yard box from the left was missed by Dean and scuffed by Flynn whose attempted clearance bounced off the outside of the back post. Lewis Bate went down in the box with less than a minute to go in added time, having seemingly been clipped on the left channel, the referee saw nothing wrong, a big call late in the night.