LCFC: Flowers, Sinclair, Taggart, Lennon, Guppy, Gilchrist, Elliott, Impey, Cottee, Oakes (Marshall 68 mins), Savage (Zagorakis 82 mins)
Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Dudfield. Walsh
Sent Off: None.
Booked: None.

Referee: Uriah Rennie. Obviously had a bet with his fourth official sidekick Lardybot Winter that he'd avoid showing any red or yellow cards during the whole game. Entered the field to a tremendous barrage of booing.

Goals:

7 mins. A break down the United left by Impey left Hughes standing, and a ball whipped into the penalty area found Cottee, who hit a shot to Given's right that the 'keeper got contact with but couldn't prevent from going in. A case of Deja Vu - West Ham's first on Wednesday posing similar questions of the Irishman 0-1
52 mins. Leicester doubled the lead with their first attack of the second half, as Savage received a forward ball outside the box and had time to change the direction his run and elude numerous defenders, before lofting a memorable 20 yard effort into the top right hand corner with Given nowhere near stopping it. 0-2

Waffle:  

A short whinge if I may, after having spent a hundred notes on tickets and half the week on trains to see three hoyed away defeats:

I came from sunny York on Saturday, just up the road, but had a pre-match beer (or six) with a lad who'd flown in from Germany for the game, along with exiles who'd driven from most corners of the country. However, even these efforts pale into insignificance when placed against the Shaw family. Originally from Wallsend, John Shaw brought his family from New Zealand to the match and what a miserable bloody time they must have had...And I won't even mention the poor newly-weds who took their place in the ground "in full costume" after the ceremony - if the lassie had thrown the brides bouquet at Given I wouldn't have fancied him to clutch it to his bosom.

They all had one thing in common - if they turned up to work and weren't up to the job, either due to lack of skill or sheer laziness, they'd rapidly know about it. While most of the crowd accepted the inevitable and gave the players no grief at all (many having left remarkably early), hopefully Bobby sent the teacups flying as he put the boot in post-match. Too many players decided to live on their reputations and avoid what old fashioned people call "muck and bullets." Against most teams this would be inadvisable, against a Martin O'Neill side, plain stupidity. 

Hardly worth singling out individuals, as to be honest, none of the starting eleven or any of their three replacements will look back with any degree of fondness on their abject display. Christ knows what a Leicester attack composed of some more substantial than a tired dwarf and a converted centre half might have achieved.

Had we been in the cup final, I could almost have understood a slackening of effort as we coasted down to a May date at Wembley, with bookings and boots being studiously avoided, but we haven't even got that expensive weekend of inevitable misery to "look forward to."

The season might be over, but surely we can expect more than this half-arsed excuse for a performance for our efforts?

Having been promised "a thank you present" (their words, not mine) after the cup semi let down, I trust the lads will deliver against a Leeds side facing a tricky Turkish task in midweek, and on the crest of a domestic slump. I'm not overly optimistic though...