Key events
63 min Leicester need to find ways of getting Mavididi and Fatawu on the ball more often … and, as I speak, the former crosses, winning a corner. But before it can be taken, Valery goes down with apparent cramp, and Otegbayo looks to be struggling with it too.
62 min This is ringing out of the away end.
61 min Leicester move forward again and Ayew, who’s been quiet, drags a shot wide and plenty.
60 min I wonder if we might see a Wednesday change soon. Pedersen doesn’t have many options – he’d be relying on kids – but his starting XI look bushed, as well they might.
58 min We see pictures which show us that, as the cross that led to the equaliser came in, Winks was offside, and he also attempted to play it but missed his kick. In the Prem, VAR disallows that – rightly so – but what a relief not to have it involved.
56 min Leicester are into this now and it’s feels like a long 34 minutes for Wednesday. They find Mavididi out on the left, he twinkles into the box beating a weak challenge, shoots … too close to Charles, who beats away.
GOAL! Leicester City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Vestergaard 54)
Leicester’s set-pieces have been clever all day and so, too, is this one. With Wednesday expecting a high outwswinger, El Kahnnouss curls low and, though someone ought really to clear, Justin’s run confuses the issue and the ball makes its way into Vestergaard who takes a touch, steadies, then another, and slams high past Charles.
53 min It’s a while since Wednesday mustered an attack and Leicester have a free-kick out on the right, El Khannouss with it…
51 min “Soumare is the most anonymous footballer,” reckons Graham Randall, though I’m not sure if there are degrees of anonymity. “Just don’t understand why he’s still played. This is what he is like every match. Offers nothing.”
Well Winks could well command a first-XI spot, so perhaps he won’t be for much longer. I do, though, think there’s something there, more so than with Skipp.
49 min It goes short, nothing happens, and goes wide again to Winks, who curls a delectable cross through the corridor and towards the far post, where Ingelsson does brilliantly to poke behind with Fatawu scavenging. The eventuating corner comes to nowt.
48 min Wednesday build well, Cadamarteri running the outside-left channel and, when he’s found, he skips inside Okoli before ramming a shot wide. Immediately, Leicester counter, Fatawu winning a right-wing corner…
46 min Winks, of course, fell out with Ruud van Nistelrooy over his 100-mile commute and various, but he’s back now and, at 29, should still be good enough to be a factor in this league.
46 min We go again…
A half-time change: Leicester send on Winks for Skipp. I was hoping to see them together.
Half-time reading:
HALF-TIME: Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
That was a pretty fun half and Wednesday deserve their lead – they’ve defended well, attacked with enterprise, and Leicester haven’t got going.
45+3 min El Khannouss stamps on the gas to screech across the face of the box, earning a yard before unleashing a shot that hits Bannan on the arm. Leicester want a penalty, but he was pretty close, the ball came at him quickly, and his position was not an unnatural one. Good decision from the officials.
45 +2 min Crystal Palace have beaten Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in normal time; they add the Community Shield to the FA Cup won in May.
45 min We’ll have three additional minutes.
44 min Leicester have picked it up, Iorfa heading away well when Fatawu crosses from the right. But Wednesday then counter, cadamarteri running in behind Okolu before slowing him up and sliding an excellent pass inside for Jamal Lowe, who crosses low … but there’s no one attacking the box, never mind its six-yard iteration.
42 min The delivery is excellent too, arcing out and ripping in to pick out Okoli at the back post. He might go for goal, but instead heads back across, where Vestergaard arrives … to power wide! That was a really good chance, and though Leicester will be disappointed not to have equalised, the execution of the creation was very nice.
41 min More like it from Leicester, Fatawu dipping infield and curving a delicious cross to the back post, which causes minor panic and winns a corner.
40 min Wednesday knock it about at the back then, when Leicester win the ball, they can’t penetrate, Cadamarteri chasing and almost shaking off Okoli, who recovers just in time. The contest between those two is developing nicely.
38 min Since going behind, Leicester have done the cube root of zilch.
37 min At Wembley, the Community Shield has gone to penalties. In their history, Liverpool are 20-8 at them…
36 min “Clearly the secret of comedy is timing,” returns Bill, who is, I imagine, still grimly glad but slightly less so.
34 min “It’s been a cruel summer for Wednesday,” writes Bill Preston, “and I am grimly glad the season has started to get some focus back to what’s happening on the pitch. After getting such a stomp on in the first half of last season, I fear it’ll take some thrilling heroics to even be within touching distance of the previous 12th-place finish, let alone out of the relegation places. Not hopeful today, goal difference means being bottom or not: I’d settle for a 3-1 loss. Still, the sun’ll rise again tomorrow, and each day is a step closer to eventual success.”
Trudat, and it’s nice to see solidarity from the Leicester fans. As a Manchester United fan, a different thing, I know, we’ve experienced only glee from rivals when protesting the pillage of our club.
32 min Oh man, the highs and the lows. Sven minutes after scoring his first goal for Wednesday, Chalobah departs, replaced by Fusire.
30 min Ach, Chalobah looks to have diddled a hammy. I fear that’s his afternoon done, and probably a few more besides. He looks absolutely devo’d.
30 min We see another angle of the celebration, Chalobah leading players towards fans, cavorting with bodies everywhere. Nothing else makes you feel like this – I’ve no skin in this game and my eyeballs are lightly sweating nevertheless.
28 min And now Bannan has another chance to stick a free-kick into the box … but the delivery isn’t flat enough and Leicester clear.
27 min I wouldn’t say that the goal was coming, but Wednesday have played really well so far. Leicester have not.
GOAL! Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Chalobah 25)
Wednesday win it high with Chalobah and the ball goes into Lowee J, who does well to find Valery out wide. He charges on to it, cuts back to the edge and, arriving with perfect timing is Chalobah, who punches low, then sees a loopy deflection off Skipp take the effort high above Stolarczyk! And what celebrations! Chalobah makes straight for the away end, a moment of glorious communion allowing all involved to forget their worries just for a second. Football!
26 min Happier times: this, Wendesday’s kit from 1984-85, is one of the greats.
24 min But, as I type, Leicester win a throw deep inside the Wednesday half … which is too hard and too high for Fatawu.
23 min Leicester are struggling to pick holes in the Wednesday defence. You can only credit their manager and captain, who’ve galvanised the team into what it, so far, a gritty, confident performance.
21 min Palmer wins a flick-on following a long goalkick which, out of nowt, allows Ingelsson to cut back, and Lowe J shoots low … his effort deflected behind for a corner which comes to nothing.
19 min Gradually, Leicester are exerting control. Their defenders, given time on the ball – it’s hot and Wednesday aren’t pressing – are picking passes into midfield, with Fatawu and Mavididi stretching the play in wide areas.
17 min The corner is cleared but Justin wins the second ball, inadvertently heading backwards to El Khannouss, who arrives on to it beautifully, lashing a low shot that looks set to zip inside the near post but, in the event, lasers just wide of it.
15 min El Khanouss spreads nicely and the ball makes it sway out to Fataeu, who ducks inside Ingelsson with a deft little meg then, from 25 yards, attempts a curler … but Charles is wise to the ruse, holding easily enough. Leicester, though, come again, Mavididi wining a corner down the left.
14 min I said earlier I thought Leicester would dominate possession with Wednesday sitting off and seeking to counter; well, I was wrong. They’re taking it to their hosts, and so far have been the better team.
13 min There’s been a development at Wembley!
12 min Now it’s Wednesday with an attacking free-kick, Bannan curling towards the back post where Iorfa is up … but he can’t impart any power into his header and Stolarczyk is there.
