Ipswich saw off Leicester 3-1 at Portman Road Stadium on Monday evening to progress to the next round of the League Cup. The hosts took the lead through Sindre Walle Egeli in the sixty-second minute, then held on despite a second-half fightback from the visitors.
Leicester had the better of the opening exchanges and earned a yellow card through Olabade Aluko in the fortieth minute. Ipswich responded with their own bookings — Cameron Humphreys and Jack Clarke both went to the referee before the break. The visitors made a double change at the hour mark, bringing on Admir Bristrić for Conor Chaplin.
And here's the thing about the second half: Ipswich came out sharper. Egeli finished a chance in the sixty-second minute, then Aluko equalised for Leicester just five minutes later with a well-taken effort. Three minutes after that, Marcelino Núñez restored the home side's advantage. Things came to a head when Núñez added a second in stoppage time to put the result beyond doubt.
By then, the statistics told a different story. Leicester dominated possession at 57 per cent and created more big chances — three compared to Ipswich's two. The visitors also registered slightly higher expected goals at 1.88 to 1.37. But Ipswich had the edge in shots on target inside the penalty area and made more crosses, twenty to nine. The away keeper had to make seven saves to the six required by his counterpart.
The result means Ipswich move into the Round of 32 with momentum from a run that includes four wins in their last five matches. Leicester, meanwhile, go out having lost two of their last five, including a 2-1 defeat to Burton Albion on Saturday. The hosts have shown they can raise the tempo when they need to, and that was evident in the decisive second-half period.
