Under-23s suffer home defeat to Foxes

A below-par second-half performance cost our Under-23s dearly as we slumped to a 5-1 defeat to Leicester City in the Premier League 2 on Monday afternoon.

Having fallen behind to Layton Ndukwu’s early strike, we played our way into the game, grabbed a deserved equaliser through Kion Etete and looked good value to go on and pick up a positive result at Hotspur Way.

But Callum Wright’s goal just 28 seconds into the second half put us on the back foot and we never recovered, Admiral Muskwe quickly heading in a third for the visitors before substitute Jake Wakeling and Wright added late strikes to make for an unflattering final scoreline.

Harvey White’s excellent early free-kick forced a flying save from Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk inside four minutes while Alfie Devine and J’Neil Bennett saw shots repelled in a subsequent attack as we tried to force our way in front, but it was the Foxes who found the breakthrough when Ndukwu cut in from the left and curled home on his right foot on 13 minutes.

We were getting crosses into Leicester’s box on a handful of occasions and after one from Bennett caused problems for Stolarczyk, it was from the wide areas that our equaliser originated, Marcel Lavinier’s cross from the right nodded back across goal by Danny Rose for Etete to head home his second goal in as many games on 27 minutes. Etete could have doubled his tally with another header from Jack Clarke’s corner five minutes later but his effort went wide, while Jamie Bowden’s low shot was saved by Stolarczyk just before the interval.

Any momentum we were building in the first period quickly evaporated on the restart as a loose ball fell for Leicester skipper Wright to lash inside the near post on his left foot from the edge of the area just 28 seconds into the second half. And when Muskwe stooped to send a header from Adam Leathers’ free-kick looping past Brandon Austin on 53 minutes, we had it all to do.

White’s free-kick was saved by Stolarczyk low down to his left, but we were struggling to create chances and suffered another blow on 73 minutes when Wakeling’s shot from the left angle squirmed beyond Austin at his near post for 4-1 to the Foxes.

Skipper Jubril Okedina went close at the other end with a header and then made a vital goalmouth block from Muskwe with Austin having rushed off his line to make an initial save, but despite some late pressure from us, our misery was compounded when Wright lashed home a low shot in the third minute of added time.

Match data

Goals: Spurs – Etete 27; Leicester – Ndukwu 13, Wright 46, 90+3, Muskwe 53, Wakeling 73.

Yellow cards: Leicester – Nelson 3, Ndukwu 6, Leathers 63.

Referee: Elliott Swallow.

Venue: Hotspur Way.

Weather: Gentle breeze, nine degrees.