Tranmere hosted Leicester City yesterday evening in the EFL cup.
Match Report: Tranmere Rovers v Leicester City
 Tranmere Rovers 0 | v | 2 Leicester City  |
| Goals | Ndidi (55′) Vardy (59′) | |
| Assists | Casadei (55′) Ndidi (59′) | |
| HT 0-0 |
Despite a determined effort, Tranmere Rovers were eliminated from the EFL Cup, after a two-goal loss against Leicester City on Tuesday night.
Joe Murphy made a remarkable start for Rovers, returning 23 years after his encounter with the Foxes in the 2000 Final of the same competition while playing for Tranmere.
In the opening moments of the game, Leicester took the initiative with Harry Winks missing the target, sending his shot wide of Murphy’s goal from a distance of 25 yards.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s attempt also veered wide in the early stages, this time from the box’s edge, yet Murphy remained untroubled.
In the 17th minute of the match, Cesare Casadei delivered a menacing ball across the goal, which Jordan Turnbull adeptly turned behind.
During the first half, Leicester opted to circulate the ball patiently, searching for openings. Nonetheless, the Rovers’ defence remained resolute, providing minimal opportunities for them to exploit.
A cleverly executed one-two nearly created an opening for Kieron Morris and Josh Hawkes against the visitors. Subsequently, Dan Pike took a long-range shot, causing Jakub Stolarczyk, the Leicester goalkeeper, to make a sharp save.
Leicester had an opportunity of their own with ten minutes remaining in the first half, as Casadei narrowly headed a corner from Marc Albrighton just over the crossbar.
During halftime, the Foxes made several substitutions, introducing Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi, Yunus Akgun, and Wanya Marcal in place of Dewsbury-Hall, Winks, Albrighton, and Stephy Mavididi.
In the opening six minutes of the second half, Hawkes nearly set up Jennings for a goal-scoring opportunity, but Wout Faes intervened, executing a crucial block.
Just moments later, Morris tested Stolarczyk with a low shot, prompting the goalkeeper to make a diving save. Following an impressive sequence from Rovers, Leicester managed to break the deadlock as Wilfred Ndidi’s shot from a tight angle found the net off the post.
Just four minutes later, Jamie Vardy met a cross with a header, securing a second goal for the Foxes.
During his debut performance at left-back, Dan Pike showcased excellent skills and sent in a cross in the 68th minute. Sam Taylor came close to directing the header towards the goal, but couldn’t quite connect.
Substitutions were made 8 minutes later, introducing Kane Hemmings and Charlie Jolley into the match, replacing Kieron Morris and Sam Taylor.
In one of his characteristic sprints, Vardy came close to breaking through the defence, but Murphy was swift in coming off his line to seize the ball.
Moments thereafter, Vardy interacted with Murphy, delivering the ball to Akgun who aimed to tap it into an empty net. However, Turnbull executed a crucial challenge to thwart Leicester’s attempt at a third goal.
Ndidi tested Murphy once again, prompting the goalkeeper to make another save. Following that, Chris Merrie made a well-timed slide to effectively eliminate the threat.
In the closing moments of the game, Kristian Dennis was brought on for Regan Hendry as Rovers intensified their efforts to find a goal. However, despite their spirited performance, Rovers ultimately bowed out of the EFL Cup.
Tranmere host Wrexham in League 2 on Saturday 2 September for their sixth game of the 2023/24 League Two season.
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Credit: Tony Coombes
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