Foxes give fans a dream Cup outing at Wembley
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Jamie Vardy provided the cross for fellow striker Kelechi Iheanacho's goal that saw off Southampton and sent Leicester City into the FA Cup final. They face Chelsea on May 15.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LONDON • Leicester reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 52 years as Kelechi Iheanacho's solitary goal earned a 1-0 win over Southampton in front of 4,000 fans at Wembley on Sunday.
The biggest crowd for a football match in England for 13 months was made up of key front-line workers and local residents as part of a test event for the return of fans in bigger numbers in the coming weeks.
An 8,000-strong crowd will be in attendance at Wembley this Sunday for the League Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham, while 21,000 will be in the Wembley stands for the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 15.
"Even thought there were only 4,000 it felt great," said Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers. "It will be amazing when we get supporters back into stadiums. I did hear some Leicester supporters in there and it was really nice.
"We have the chance to create history. That is what this game is about, creating a memory. I have been made aware since I've been at Leicester how important this Cup is for the supporters."
There was little for the neutrals to get excited about on the field, though, as the Foxes struggled to put away an out-of-sorts Saints side, who had been relying on Cup glory to save their season and had won just two of their last 14 Premier League games since the sides last met in January.
While Southampton had enjoyed a fine run in the tournament, knocking out holders Arsenal along the way, they could not raise their level for their biggest game of the season, with zero shots on target.
The breakthrough came 10 minutes into the second half as Jamie Vardy left Jan Bednarek trailing in this wake before crossing for Iheanacho. He needed two tries after fluffing his first effort, but made no mistake when the ball kindly broke back to slot home his 12th goal in as many games.
"The FA Cup loves me and I love the FA Cup," the Nigeria striker said. "I watched it when I was little and now I get the chance to play in the final. It is a big dream for me."
Rodgers' side have a shot at winning the FA Cup for the first time following runners-up finishes in 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
