Newport County stun Leicester City with FA Cup third round giantkilling

Newport County's Padraig Amond scores the winner from the spot
Newport County's Padraig Amond scored the winner from the spot Credit: PA

The corrugated iron roof in the main stand rattled – and felt like it would come off – as Newport County knocked Leicester City out of the FA Cup.

This was a classic third-round tie; a tie to remember; a tie that resonated like that old stand that shook, that rattled, that rolled. Newport, 13th in League Two, 74 places below their Premier League opponents, were brave, bold and quite brilliant and went through with a late penalty to make it even more dramatic, even more memorable, even more raucous.

Changes in kick-off times, in team line-ups, in priorities have all again affected the FA Cup, but this was a tie as good as any in the competition’s rich 148-year history. No one inside Rodney Parade, the second oldest ground in the Football League after Preston’s Deepdale, will forget it.

It all went wrong for Leicester once the teamsheets were delivered – not just because Christian Fuchs’ surname was spelt incorrectly, with the “h” replaced with a “k” in what Newport insisted was a genuine mistake rather than a piece of mischief, so it was not for public consumption. Certainly Leicester were left cursing afterwards.

That teamsheet will also provoke much debate among Leicester’s supporters, and despite beating Manchester City, Chelsea and Everton recently in the league, this result will add to the questions being asked about manager Claude Puel.

Jamille Matt puts the home side ahead
Newport state of mind: Jamille Matt puts the home side ahead Credit: Action Images via Reuters

He made seven changes and did not even include Jamie Vardy in his squad. After wholesale alterations against City in the unsuccessful Carabao Cup quarter-final, this was another opportunity spurned for a club who sit seventh in the Premier League in no danger of going down or, conversely, going any higher. 

Puel was defiant, claiming that eight of his team had won the Premier League – but none of that should detract from Newport. 

There was nothing fortunate about this result. They took the game to Leicester from the start, played with a stunning positivity, defended bravely – and then had the belief and reserves of energy to go again after Leicester’s equaliser.

Leicester scored in the 82nd minute – just as Tottenham Hotspur did in the fourth round last season, through Harry Kane, before beating Newport in the replay. Then Kane cancelled out a goal by Padraig Amond, and in a delicious twist for Newport, it was the Irish forward who went on to score the penalty that won this tie.

“I was more nervous taking a penalty against Forest Green a few weeks ago,” Amond later said. “What an opportunity to put the club’s name up in lights, to knock out the Premier League champions. This is our chance to be giant-killers. Just make sure you do it.”

He did. And so did Newport. This will be one of the greatest results in their history, maybe the greatest, and the first time they have beaten a top-flight side since defeating Sheffield Wednesday in 1964. It felt all the more deserved after Newport had gone bust, reformed and fought their way back.

Rachid Ghezzal of Leicester City scores
Rachid Ghezzal's fearsome strike looked to have saved the Premier League side's neck, but Newport were not to be denied Credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images

They set the tone from the start – and scored early. It was a magnificent goal and came with Robbie Willmott tearing past Fuchs and crossing for Jamille Matt to rise above Wes Morgan and guide a header that struck goalkeeper Danny Ward’s right-hand post on its way in.

The fans were already straining every sinew just as Matt, a 29-year-old Jamaican striker who has spent his career in the lower leagues, had done in scoring his first goal in eight games.

Newport were unrelenting, and their fans rose to give the players a standing ovation after an injury caused a break in play, and they roared them off at half-time.

Maybe, even before that goal, had come the tie’s pivotal moment as Newport goalkeeper Joe Day saved sharply from Rachid Ghezzal with Shinji Okazaki then spurning two good chances. For the first, he headed wide from a corner and after being teed up by Fuchs, his goal-bound shot struck defender Mickey Demetriou in the stomach.

BBC Sport pundits Ian Wright (left), Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker watch
The BBC, including Leicester legend Gary Lineker, were there Credit: PA

Puel had seen enough and withdrew Okazaki – he should also have taken off the equally ineffective Kelechi Iheanacho but did not have Vardy on the bench. On came James Maddison, and he made a difference, gaining control as Newport’s ferocity inevitably subsided. It would have been impossible to maintain.

Leicester went close. Marc Albrighton cut in from the left, and his shot was deflected to beat Day only to crash back off the crossbar before Iheanacho went close with a volley across the face of goal. 

the Newport manager Michael Flynn
Mastermind: the Newport manager Michael Flynn Credit: Leicester City via Getty Images

The pressure grew. Fraser Franks superbly blocked a Maddison shot before, finally, after another scramble and another Maddison effort, the ball was cleared to just outside the area. Ghezzal met it with a powerful, first-time rising shot to draw Leicester level.

Incredibly, Newport hit back. They poured forward, and 18-year-old Vashon Neufville, on loan from West Ham, and making his debut, crossed with Albrighton inexplicably raising his left arm. The ball struck it, and referee Chris Kavanagh had no hesitation in giving the penalty that Amond nervelessly stroked past Ward to, as he promised, put Newport’s name up in lights – and almost lift the roof.

Match details

Newport County (4-4-1-1): Day, Forbes (Pipe, 67), Franks, Demetriou, Neufville, Willmott, Bennett, Dolan (O’Brien, 86), Semenyou, Amond, Matt (Bakinson, 77).
Substitutes not used: Townsend (gk), Marsh-Brown, Sheehan, Foulston.
Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Ward, Fuchs, Evans, Morgan, Simpson (Gray, 59), James (King, 72), Choudhury, Albrighton, Okazaki (Maddison, 46), Ghezzal, Iheanacho.
Substitutes not used: Jakupovic (gk), Soyuncu, Pereira, Mendy.
Booked: Okazaki.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
Attendance: 6,705.

                                                                                                    

FULL TIME: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1

They have done it! A wonderful win for fourth tier Newport County, what a story. And what a performance, to come back and win it having been pegged back.

90+mins: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1     

This is a terrific effort, though, as Maddison curls a lovely shot that just - JUST - flies wide.

90+mins: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1    

Oh, Leicester! That might have been the moment. Gheezla plays it in to feet, Choudhury takes his time to tee up King, but that is a weak effort.

90+mins: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1   

Newport can break. Semenyo, who looks to have a bright future, shows a cool head to slow it down. He waits, no support really comes so he has a go, and wins a corner.

LCFC get that back. Two minutes left.

89 mins: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1  

A ball lofted into the box, but a commanding shout from Day, and he gathers that safely.

Four minutes will be added.

88 mins: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1 

Albrighton, he must feel he owes the team, and here he is going for goal. It's an easy get.

Ball sent forward, Iheanacho chases it down. Franks puts it behind for a corner. LCFC expects. But it is cleared okay.

87 mins: Newport County 2 Leicester City 1

It's backs to the wall stuff for the Newport lads now, they are dug in. Demetriou hacks clear. Safe.

GOAL! Newport County 2 Leicester City 1 (Amond 85p)

He has done it! He sends the goalie the wrong way and rolls it into the net. Incredible heart from Newport.

Amond will take it

He steps up...

PENALTY TO NEWPORT

Incredible. Marc Albrighton has been Leicester's best player but he has given away a penalty with a crazy handball.  Neufville crosses, Albrighton inexplicably jumps in the air and is hit on the elbow.

GOAL! Leicester have done it

Ah, that's a shame on one hand but it was a strike worthy of levelling any game.

Leicester with a fine move, down the flank, a cross comes in and it's nodded down cleverly by Kelechi Iheanacho. A good clean strike from Maddison, the keeper does well to parry it, and Franks then hacks it clear in desperation. Unlucky for Newport, it falls to Ghezzal on the edge of the area and he has absolutely LASHED it. Keeper gets a hand to it but cannot keep it out.  Newport County 1 Leicester City 1 (Ghezzal 82)

76 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                             

Now Jamille Matt IS coming off. Tyreeq Bakinson on.

75 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                            

Morgan rises majestically and heads at goal. Cleared. Leicester are piling on the pressure now.

74 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                           

Goalscorer Matt is down and it looks like he is going off, but he is staying on after all.

72 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                          

James is replaced by Welshman Andy King. Opportunity!

70 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                         

Fraser Franks the centre half is giving his all here! He's a John Terry it is okay to like as he hurls himself manfully in front of a shot.

68 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                        

Albrighton runs at the defence, shoots, but that's always going well wide.

66 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                       

Pressure starting to mount a bit,  but LCFC are not exactly causing havoc.

They have a couple of corners. First one is cleared easily enough.

Next one as well. But here is Albrighton with a dangerous run. No. He slips it to Ihenacho, upon whom progress flounders.

Tyler Hornby-Forbes replaced by David Pipe, a veteran.

61 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                      

Albrighton looking the boy most likely. Dangerous. 

But here Newport are nearly the architects of their own downfall. A distinctly non-Premier League ball is humped forward by Leicester. Demetriou panics and swings at it - inadvertently teeing up Iheanacho! He spins, connects, and shoots wide.

Simpson comes off. Gray comes on.

59 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                     

Newport have not had a kick. Their clearances are going straight to the opponents and it is attack vs defence at the moment. On the upside, said attack is not exactly fizzing and firing.

57 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                    

But LCFC not really able to turn the screw despite having the ball these last few minutes.

54 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                   

A somewhat pedestrian Leicester attack suddenly crackles into life as Albirghton picks the ball up on the left, cuts inside and lets rip: it beats the keeper, who can but stand and watch and pray as it crashes onto the crossbar.

52 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                  

Iheanacho does well to leap in between two defenders as a cross comes in but only manages to 'shoulder' the bal.

51 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                 

Amond tries a bicycle kick! It is not one to write home about.

50 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0                

Matt has the ball up front for Newport, LCFC are stretched here and if he can just pick out the arriving, unmarked Amond.... ah he cannot.

47 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0               

It's a quiet start to the second half. 

46 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0              

Okazaki, who has not been great, is taken off and Maddison comes on. Presumably Puel has simply forgotten that Iheanacho is even playing else he would have had the hook and all.

Right then. Second half is underway.

Here's the Newport chairman Gavin Foxall

He says that he missed the goal because he was in the loo! Oh dear.

HALF TIME: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0

Newport have been dropping a little deeper in the last few and are probably the happier side to hear the whistle. BUT what a half of football, they have had the better of things I would say, and certainly it is Leicester City who have all the questions to answer over half time and beyond.

Fantastic FA Cup tie, really enjoyable. Can Newport cling on? They need to keep doing what they're doing, if they get a nosebleed and shut up shop, I think they'll get picked off.

44 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0             

You can tell Leicester are rattled: Okazaki has gone in the book for a foot-up tackle. Not a notorious hardman, it is fair to say.

39 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0            

Fuchs with excellent pace down the left and he drills the cross through the area, Okazaki meets it at top speed and really the ball could have gone anywhere. It pings off his shin and is blocked by Franks. The force is with Newport and they clear, more or less. Okazaki ought to have done more.

34 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0           

Lennie Lawrence is working for Newport! I didn't know that. He is a sort of eminence grise figure for the young manager Michael Flynn

Lennie Lawrence Credit: BBC

32 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0          

A good example of the species here. Lets enjoy that for a minute or two, there is a delay in play as Amond gets treatment.

Newport County fans show their support with a replica Credit: Getty

Upon resumption, another hairy moment for LCFC as the ball fizzes across their goal. The linesman's flag is a welcome sight.

30 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0         

Albrighton is gifted the ball cheaply, runs at goal and shoots. Straight at a grateful Day.

29 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0        

Oh so nearly two! Newport down the left, a perfect cross from Amond, and there's that man Jamille Matt again. His first touch is a tiny bit heavy and he cannot stab it home.

27 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0       

Puel and some of the players looked very annoyed with Ghezzal when he insisted on taking that DFK by the way.

The player has swapped wings with Marc Albrighton.

25 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0      

My man of the match so far is certainly Wilmott, further good old fashioned wing play here as he pins his ears back and drives for the touchline. Wins a corner, which is not especially convincingly dealt with.

22 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0     

Rachid Ghezzal has a chance from a freekick and is widely jeered by the home fans as his dead ball curler floats comfortably over.

19 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0    

Antoine Semenyo breaks, great verve and pace, he has a shot and it is deflected behind. The ball breaks to Dolan, who drills it low through a forest of leggos, and the keeper is relieved indeed to get behind the ball.

18 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0   

Oh big chance! Leicester down the left, this time it is Fuchs' turn to skin Wilmott. He centres, Albrighton has the goal at his mercy but manages to pick out a Newport defender.

From the corner, a header back across by Evans and Okazaki somehow fails to nod it in from point blank.

16 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0  

Simpson and Semenyo battling for the ball outside the LCFC box, the Leicester man fouls. Good spot for a freekick.

Dolan with a superb curling freekick that draws a full-length leaping save.

15 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0 

If Claude Puel was hoping for an immediate response, he will be disappointed. Game has not really got going since the goal.

11 mins: Newport County 1 Leicester City 0

Oh that is superb. Come on Newport. Dig in for a bit now, nothing silly.

The scorer Matt is a Jamaican. Here's from Wiki

Matt began his career at Sutton Coldfield Town, before moving to Kidderminster Harriers in 2010. He spent three seasons at the club, before moving to Fleetwood Town in January 2013. He signed on loan for Stevenage in November 2015, and for Plymouth Argyle in March 2016. He moved to Blackpool in June 2016. He spent the 2017–18 on loan at Grimsby Town, before signing for Newport County in June 2018.

GOAL! IT'S MATT FOR NEWPORT COUNTY!!!!

Fantastic stuff. It's that man Robbie Wilmott down the right again, he's got pace to burn and he is direct and determined. He drives down his flank, he's had old Chris Fuchs on toast there, he stands the ball up with a perfect cross and there's the big man Jamille Matt to head the ball home!

Newport County 1 Leicester City 0 (Matt 10)

Marking in the box was nothing to write home about. Wes Morgan, well beaten for the header, won't enjoy the replays of that.

7 mins: Newport 0 Leicester 0     

Rachid Ghezzal with a really good run and he's opened them up here... but the chipped shot is weak.

6 mins: Newport 0 Leicester 0    

Ghezzal lays it off to Okazaki, who hits the target. Day equal to the challenge

 

5 mins: Newport 0 Leicester 0   

Willmott again bright, and he's got a shot away.

4 mins: Newport 0 Leicester 0  

Early scare! Newport opened up far too easily and here's Ghezzal with a chance to curl one at goal, decent save there from the keeper Day. 

The ensuing corner is cleared, but not convincingly. 

2 mins: Newport 0 Leicester 0 

Newport making some progress down the right, number 7 Willmott is a busy bee, putting pressure on the LCFC left defence.

Iheanacho has been second best to a couple of headers.

1 mins: Newport 0 Leicester 0

The playing surface looks excellent, the home fans are making a good noise, and we have a game!

Scarves ready, teams ready, Cup Magic ready? Credit: PA

Players are out on the pitch 

Handshakes. Demetriou of Newport is carrying a child, the child has a shirt with 'Daddy' on the back.

Newport are in orange shirts with black shorts, Leicester City in a white shirt with blue accents vaguely reminiscent of a classic England kit.

Leicester

Powerful looking LCFC side Credit: BBC

But Iheanacho has not scored in 15.

Teams again

Newport County: Day, Franks, Bennett, Demetriou, Hornby-Forbes,  Willmott, Dolan, Neufville, Amond, Matt, Semenyo. Subs: Pipe,  Marsh-Brown, Bakinson, Sheehan, Foulston, O'Brien, Townsend. 

Leicester: Ward, Simpson, Morgan, Evans, Fuchs, Choudhury,  James, Ghezzal, Okazaki, Albrighton, Iheanacho. Subs: Soyuncu,  Gray, Maddison, Ricardo Pereira, Jakupovic, Mendy, King.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire) 

Here's the Newport side

Credit: BBC

The lad Neufville on the left is on loan from West Ham, he's only been at the club a couple of days. Up front on the right, 18 year old Semenyo is one to watch as well by all accounts. Veteran keeper has the club appearance record.

Ian Wright on being the big boys in a tie like this

"The night before the game, you are petrified, everyone is here, the BBC" ie wanting you to slip up and create a story.

Newport

went bust in the 1980s and are back in the league. They had a great Cup run last year, beating Leeds, and earning a replay with Spurs at Wembley.

No question of the BBC 

putting out a weakened side for the FA Cup: Gary Lineker himself is pitchside at Newport.

Anyhow perhaps that's a good omen

for our underdogs this afternoon.

One recent Premier League champion was not in the mood for romance: Man City have put seven past poor Rotherham.

Jordan have beaten Australia!

In footer. Not in cricket, although who is to say that their boys couldn't sort out the baggy green in that as well.

Well in Newport County

here are their brave men and true to take on the Premier League side.

This match is on BBC1

Giving us a rare chance to enjoy a bit of Sue and the boys on Question of Sport. I say enjoy. I've got the sound down.

Fans are ready

Serious business for this jester Credit: Getty

Newport taking their time with the team news - perhaps there has been a late niggle or injury?

Leicester side to face Newport

Cup Magic! Step right this way

Well, we hope so at least. Unless we are Leicester City fans, of course, but then they more than most should appreciate the romance of the underdog, hmm? Anyway, we are all Newport County this afternoon, and here's hoping that they can pull off a legendary Cup upset, or at the very least give the Premier League champions of 2015-2016 a game.

We will bringing you all the live action from Rodney Parade shortly, and the first order of business will be the team news any minute now.

In the meantime, let us enjoy the civic anthem of proud Newport.

Meanwhile, follow all the action from the other games this afternoon with Rob Bagchi and his clockwatch

A more-than reasonable assessment here.

 

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