Marti Cifuentes marked his debut as Leicester City’s manager with a comeback victory, defeating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1. The match saw Sheffield’s captain, Barry Bannan, receive a red card.
Despite financial struggles and fan protests against owner Dejphon Chansiri, Sheffield initially took the lead. However, Leicester capitalised on their numerical advantage to secure the win.
Sheffield Wednesday’s off-field issues have been significant. The club faced three embargoes in the off-season, resulting in delayed payments and the sale of key players at reduced prices. Manager Danny Rohl left and was replaced by Henrik Pedersen. Fans expressed their discontent by arriving late to the game, receiving applause from Leicester supporters.
Leicester City, relegated from the Premier League last season, struggled initially but found their rhythm after halftime. Bilal El Khannouss and Yannik Vestergaard came close to scoring in the first half. Vestergaard eventually equalised with a powerful shot into the top corner after 54 minutes.
Sheffield Wednesday had already suffered injuries to Nathaniel Chalobah and Yann Valery before Bannan’s dismissal for a second yellow card. This left them vulnerable, allowing Leicester’s substitute Wout Faes to score an unmarked header from an El Khannouss corner in the 87th minute.
This victory extends Leicester’s unbeaten streak in opening league games to seven matches (W4, D3). Their last defeat in such a fixture was against Manchester United in 2018-19. Additionally, they have not lost to Sheffield Wednesday in their last four league encounters (W3, D1), with their longest undefeated run against them spanning six games between 1967 and 1981.
Despite taking an early lead through Chalobah’s deflected goal from Yann Valery’s pass, Sheffield couldn’t maintain their advantage. Pierce Charles was kept busy in goal for Wednesday, making 11 saves during the match. The last Championship goalkeeper to make at least ten saves was Paul Nardi for Queens Park Rangers against Blackburn Rovers last September.
Sheffield Wednesday had previously managed to avoid defeat in 13 Championship games when scoring first. However, this streak ended with a loss to Luton Town on September 21, 2024. This latest defeat highlights their ongoing challenges both on and off the pitch.