City's Under-21s Narrowly Lose Out To Rovers
Henry Cartwright and Kian Pennant both netted for Leicester in a five-goal thriller, but it wasn't quite enough to claim a share of the spoils in east Lancashire.
City came into the game in excellent form, winning their last three across all competitions, including back-to-back home wins over Middlesbrough and then Stoke City in PL2. Coach Leon McSweeney made three changes from the team that dispatched the Potters, bringing in 'keeper Stevie Bausor for Harry French, Olabade Aluko for Michael Golding and Josh King up top in place of Pennant.
It was a less than ideal start, however, with Igor Tyjon opening the scoring inside three minutes. Good play from the hosts saw Harry Leonard backheel the ball to Dominik Biniek, who in turn found Tyjon and he took a touch inside the area before beating Bausor.
The young Foxes required a response, but it was the Lancashire outfit who threatened again - Harley O'Grady-Macken picking out Tyjon, looking for a second, but saw his shot cleared off the line before Leonard struck the upright.
That let off saw Leicester spring into life with King feeding Logan Briggs, who opted to play in Jayden Joseph, but Nicholas Michalski was equal to his effort. Another good opportunity soon presented itself from Aluko's cross, hit first time by Briggs over the top of the bar.
Joseph's free-kick from range then almost wrong-footed Michalski, landing narrowly wide of the post, but Cartwright was soon felled by the Blackburn 'keeper in the box and the referee was quick to point to the spot. The midfielder picked himself up and emphatically dispatched his penalty into the far left corner, following up his goal against Stoke with another from the spot to level matters just ahead of the half-hour mark.
But with seconds of the first half remaining, Owen Beck's run down the left led to a low cross which Lewis Bell turned home from close range to re-establish the home side's lead.
Liam McAlinney was one of two Leicester changes at the break and the centre-back made a goal-saving block to deny Leonard when the forward looked certain to score and extend Rovers' advantage. City's job quickly became tougher once Aluko was shown a second yellow card, reducing the Foxes to 10 men early in the second period.
Fellow half-time substitute Pennant looked lively, though, using his pace to create an opening but found Michalski equal to his strike. And at the other end, Bausor was called into action several times in quick succession, firstly to deny Leonard before making another diving save and then tipping Leonard's header over the top to keep Leicester in the game.
Blackburn's player advantage was wiped out when Paul Murphy-Worrell received a second yellow of his own, and City wasted no time in restoring parity in terms of the scoreline. Joseph, down the right, picked out Pennant in the middle and he barely had to break stride to side-foot into the roof of the net on 68 minutes.
A Leicester turnaround was almost complete when Cartwright's cross was headed onto the post by captain Harvey Godsmark-Ford, but the hosts soon went one better as James Edmondson directed Beck's corner in off the bar with a quarter of an hour to play.
That would prove to be the killer blow, with a speculative effort from distance from Jake Evans the best the away side could muster in the closing stages.
Now sitting ninth in the PL2 table, remaining on nine points from six matches, next up for the Foxes youngsters after the international break is a meeting with Nottingham Forest at LCFC Training Ground on Monday 21 October (7pm BST kick-off).
The details...
City: Bausor, Aluko, Grist (McAlinney, 46'), Godsmark-Ford (c), Lindsay (Ali 79'); Cartwright, Onanaye (Hill 79'); Joseph, Briggs, Evans; King (Pennant 46').
Unused sub: French.
Goals: Cartwright (p) 29', Pennant 68'.
Images: Blackburn Rovers FC.