An Important Win, Says Albrighton
- Leicester City beat Birmingham City 1-0 at King Power Stadium on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup
- Ricardo Pereira headed the Foxes to victory in the 82nd minute
- Midfielder Marc Albrighton praised City's determination to seal safe passage
- The 30-year-old says winning the tie after a tough run was important for the squad's confidence
After being frustrated by their Sky Bet Championship visitors, Albrighton played a key role in City's winner, sending a cross in for Ricardo Pereira to head past Lee Camp.
The Foxes had to wait until the 82nd minute for their breakthrough against a resolute Blues side, but the 30-year-old midfielder says Leicester did well to remain calm and see the game out.
Following a third consecutive victory over second-tier opposition - following earlier success against Wigan Athletic and Brentford - City will now host Chelsea in the quarter-finals later this month.
Reflecting on Wednesday's win, Albrighton told LCFC TV: "[It was] hard fought tonight. We knew it was going to be hard, they’re on a good run, so we knew it was going to be a difficult game.
Albrighton: We Were Well Deserved Winners
Marc Albrighton spoke to LCFC TV following Leicester City's 1-0 FA Cup win over Birmingham City on Filbert Way.
"I thought we controlled the most part of the game. [We were] probably a little sloppy at times but other than that I thought we were well deserved winners.
"We said at half-time that it might well go to extra-time but we’ve got to keep on doing what we were doing.
"We suffocated them, we were playing all the game in their half and eventually they were going to tire and that’s what happened at the end. We over ran them slightly and got the goal late on."
Albrighton was delighted to contribute to Leicester's goal, and also praised Ricardo's finish, which booked City's place in the last-eight of the competition for the first time since 2018.
"[It was] a great header from Ricky," he added. "He’s got up well and directed the header, but I thought we had chances before. We put ball into the box and created enough in the second half to win it.
"[We had to] remain patient and not switch off because the moment you switch off, I think they proved that counter-attacking was their strength and set pieces as well.
"We knew we had to be careful, they’re a big side. They put the ball in the box from anywhere near your half and we had to make sure we were concentrated at all times and we were."
Following last Friday's 1-0 reverse at Norwich City in the Premier League, Albrighton says securing a victory was paramount for the Foxes, while also expressing excitement ahead of tackling Chelsea.
"Obviously we were disappointed against Norwich," he continued. "To bounce back with a win and a clean sheet no matter who the opposition is important.
"We’ve done that tonight and we look forward to Monday night (vs. Aston Villa in the Premier League). That was important for us.
"Anything at home we were happy with. So we are more that happy with Chelsea at home. We feel like we can beat them and have a trip to Wembley."