Jonathan Morgan had been named LMA Manger of the Month for the second time after leading the Foxes to the FA Women’s Championship summit in December and the table toppers’ next task was a tricky looking test against Sheffield United.
Facing a side consistently positioned within the top four throughout the campaign to date, Leicester took a first-half lead in Quorn when Ashleigh Plumptre got her head to Sophie Barker’s corner, scoring her first goal for the Club on 23 minutes.
Katie Wilkinson equalised with just over a quarter of an hour to play. The Championship’s eventual Golden Boot winner curled a free-kick around the wall and into the bottom corner to square things up.
The strike would later be named Championship Goal of the Season, but it would not rescue a point for the visiting Blades as Natasha Flint, who had netted a late leveller when the two teams met in Chesterfield, was on the scoresheet once more.
Remi Allen collected possession after some neat interplay outside the box and fed Charlie Devlin, who laid the ball off for December’s Player of the Month, Flint. It sat up nicely for the former England youth international to strike first-time into the bottom corner.
City held on to see out a 2-1 win and would do the same a week later in another potentially pivotal match-up with Liverpool at Prenton Park.
Things were not going to plan, however, when Missy Bo Kearns slid in to meet Amalie Thestrup’s cross and direct the ball beyond Kirstie Levell after just 10 minutes.
Flint’s 15th goal of the season across all formats made it 1-1, as she dispatched a confident penalty, calmly passing her spot-kick into the net just before the break.
The Reds were soon down to 10 players as half-time substitute Melissa Lawley received a straight red card a mere two minutes into the second half and Devlin took advantage in devastating fashion late on.
Allen’s decisive forward run and pass to Flint was briefly cut out by Liverpool captain Niamh Fahey, but she only served to flick the ball into the path of City’s No.7, who fired in a powerful effort that found its way into the near corner.
That impressive win came just three days after the Foxes beat Crystal Palace in a tight Continental Tyres League Cup Quarter-Final at Hayes Lane. The scores were locked at 0-0 until the 89th minute, when Leicester won a free-kick in a threatening position.
Allen lined up to tee Flint up for a right-foot shot but feigned that pass and instead back-heeled the ball to her team-mate, who rocketed a left-footed strike into the top corner, sending City into the last four in dramatic fashion to set up a tie with Bristol City.
Although there were no further matches during January, Leicester did move in the transfer market to bring 19-year-old midfielder Charlotte Fleming to the Club from Chelsea.
Attacker Shannon O’Brien also arrived, joining from Coventry United, while City had secured the signing of Watford goalkeeper Sophie Harris earlier in the month, following an injury to Demi Lambourne.
O’Brien in particular would have a key role to play in the upcoming February fixtures.