Leicester City ended a 52-year wait to feature in the final of the English FA Cup by securing a narrow win over Southampton in the Sunday night's penultimate clash. The Foxes stood their grounds to run away with a 1-0 victory thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho's second half strike.
The scoreline barely reflected the night's performance and it was not for the lack of trying as Leicester did all they could to break down Southampton's robust setup. In front of the 4,000 fans who were allowed to witness the proceedings, Brendan Rodgers' men were kept at bay for the first 45 minutes as the Saints sought their own glory.
But it did not take long for the narrative to change with Iheanacho finding the game's only goal with the help of Jan Bednarek. The Nigerian was brilliantly set up by Jamie Vardy who latched onto Youri Tielemans' pass from the halfway line and sprinted all the way into the Saints' penalty area. He then squared the ball to the former Man City teenage star to finish off but the latter was his initial effort almost missing the target before going past hitting the shin of Bednarek.
15 - Kelechi Iheanacho is the first Nigerian player to score 15 goals in a season in all competitions for a Premier League club since Odion Ighalo scored 17 in 2015/16 for Watford. Seniorman. #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/9QtlWId0rJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 18, 2021
The strike was enough to seal Leicester their first FA Cup final since 1969 while extending Iheanacho's record as the highest scoring African in the competition's history to 14. For Southampton, the semi-final defeat was the club's 10th in history, two of which have come in the last four seasons.
On May 1, 2021, Leicester will go head to head with Chelsea at Wembley for their first FA Cup title. The Blues booked their spot earlier after defeating Manchester City in the other semi-final tie played over the weekend.
4 - Each of the last four goals scored at Wembley in the FA Cup have been scored by African players - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's brace in last season's final, Hakim Ziyech yesterday and Kelechi Iheanacho today. Takeover. #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/l7sq6uJlIa
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 18, 2021