Leicester City 2 - West Bromwich Albion 1

Date:	Monday 5th January 2026
Competition:	Sky Bet Championship
Leicester: 3.4	(4-2-3-1) Stolarczyk, Ricardo Pereira, Okoli, Nelson, Choudhury, James, Skipp, Fatawu, Decordova-Reid (Page, 70), Monga (Mavididi, 70), Ayew (Daka, 80) Unused subs: Begovic, Vestergaard, Marçal, Thomas, Thomas, Aluko
WBA: 5.8	(4-2-3-1) Griffiths 5.4, Campbell 6.4, Phillips 5.8, Mepham 4.8, Styles 6.4, Molumby 6.2, Mowatt 6.6 (Diakité, 79 4.0), Price 5.1 (Iling-Junior, 79 3.2), Johnston 6.8, Grant 7.2, Heggebø 5.8 (Maja, 72 4.4) Unused subs: Wildsmith, Bielik, Dike, Gilchrist, Taylor, Bostock Manager: Ryan Mason 3.5
Scorers:	Ayew (18), Fatawu (94); Grant (34)
Referee:	Stephen Martin 4.7
Attendance:	27,130 Home Fans 2.8 Away Fans 8.3

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Ratings submitted so far: 12

oshawabaggie:

Firstly, a huge shoutout to the fans who supported brilliantly from start to finish. The result was a complete travesty. Albion dominated 75% of the game but were thwarted by a combination of great goalkeeping, the woodwork, poor finishing and bad luck. Neither the players nor the coach should be blamed for this loss, although they probably will be.

Despite the loss, Albion should be encouraged by the performance.

Ancient Baggie:

How unlucky was that. We completely dominated the game and didn't get an ounce of luck. For what it's worth in my opinion I don't think getting rid of Mason is the answer although that will probably be the case. Tactically we were better and more committed than Leicester, the players are still trying and as the great Bomber Brown said on commentary, sometimes it's just a cruel game.

Brendan Clegg:

Even for those of us who have thought for a few months that Mason is out of his depth that was a tough one to take, but once again I was left leaving a stadium in disbelief that we'd lost a game we should have won, to a last minute goal, where it felt like his subs and in game management negatively impacted us.

The eye-opener was Griffiths back in goal and I felt he was probably nailed on to make a clanger with that recall - not sure why now, or why he was ever dropped in the first place for a player who is clearly worse. Other than that, it looked a pretty solid team.

The first 20 minutes or so were pretty nothing from either side - both teams looking poor if I'm honest. then, out of nowhere and by putting 3 passes together, the Foxes carved us open too easily down our left (does Mepham ever go with a runner) and it was a goal similar to those Southampton scored against us. For me - Griffiths was a bit ponderous and got caught in no mans land when he should have been out like a cat to take out the ball and player... but the defence in front of him... good grief.

Our players didn't look surprised... our fans made their thoughts clear with some direct and some ironic chants... and we carried on.

There was little going for us despite a bit of increased pressure but, from nowhere, we stopped playing sideways and backwards passes, moved the ball quickly up the pitch and a ball over the top to the left released Grant who - up to that point had been dreadful I have to say in terms of his movement, energy and touch... staying so narrow and never giving Styles an easy ball - sort of turned into prime Henry, sped away and then opened his body up to curl a great finish into the far corner from the edge of the box just as a defender was sliding in.

And from then on, for most of the game before and after half time we bossed it. I wouldn't say we were brilliant or anything, but it was absolutely the case that we wanted it more; we were running harder and winning the battles.

Leicester, with an array of talent that really on paper should be up there in the top 2 in this division (the quality of the players on their bench who came on etc was scary) simply didn't want it. They were going through the motions - clearly is not well there.

But despite this and despite our dominance we couldn't make it count. Chances came and went - we saw good saves, we hit the post, we getting lots of joy but we were also seeing that same poor decision making (shooting when passes were on) and quality problems ( final ball, first touch, giving the keeper a chance) that have penalised us before.

Heggebø did looked gassed again so subbing him did make sense... but it felt like one for Dike not Maja. Still, we created and I think Maja thumped a header that required a decent save.

With 10 to go it looked like Mowatt got injured and he was subbed along with Price for Diakite and SIJ. That's where we lost control and momentum... SIJ looked poor and like he was playing on ice and in a game that we had to win and in which we were so on top I just thought another striker was the move to make. Instead Grant went up top and with it, apart from another header, we didn't create anything.

Into the 5 mins of injury time and I probably jinxed it by saying to my son - this is just like Charlton was... Leicester came off the ropes, went up our end, not enough pressure was put on the ball and despite us having loads of bodies back the cross that came in was volleyed home with premier league quality. It was laughable but it was also very painful... and I did feel for the players who had given a lot.

But it's not a one-off and the situation is now dire. We will go down if Mason isn't removed - it's a harsh reality but if we act now there is a window and plenty of games left for us to comfortably avoid drama and go again. No player is going to believe in him genuinely... I think he's also lost belief in himself.

A word to the away fans who were magnificent. It really was like the old days. So much passion and support... and I think the players deserved it because they really did try and really did look to be hurting.

Griffiths - 5 Didn't have much to do... was alright... that first goal I think he needs to do more
Campbell - 8 Look... he still wasn't great on the ball but in terms of giving it everything he had against a really good opponent, you couldn't ask for more.
Phillips - 6 Don't think he was bad... and yet we conceded 2 goals again.
Mepham - 5 Could be a great player but he needs an absolute roasting and some good coaching
Styles - 7 Another who gave his all, maybe should have come into the middle for Mowatt.
Mowatt - 7 Ran it for spells, he's leggy but the pride and effort were there.
Molumby - 7 Disciplined, moved it sensibly, played within himself much better
Grant - 7 As mentioned, had a poor start, scored a great goal, was then at top form and a constant threat until we put him up front where he's just not good enough a player
Price - 5 Ran about, if he scores we probably win, still made poor decisions and passes but I think he probably should have stayed on if Mowatt was injured.
MJ - 6 Was more consistent than Grant but couldn't make all his good play count.
Heggebø - 6 We've run him into the ground... he needs a rest. But he kept battling.

Maja - 5 Some good touches and clever play but also he's lost a yard that to be honest he didn't have to lose and it's killed him. One moment in the second half he was played in, his first touch was superb to put himself through but then he didn't have the legs or bravery to slide in and finish across the keeper.
Diakite - 5 Just not a player to bring on when you are looking for the win as opposed to holding on.
SIJ - 3 Had a stinker, couldn't get his feet warm and probably was at fault for losing his man for the goal.

A two week break with a free hit game is as good a time as any to make a change. They have to act now... PSR doesn't really matter if League 1 is where we end up anyway.

[ And so it was that the Club finally decided that enough was enough and parted company with Mason the next morning. James Morrison will take charge of the first team for the time being and we wish him luck. ]

Kev Buckley:

The end of Bilkul's "Third Age': Leicester 2 Albion 1

Not clear how much the Leicester fans' choice of game, for their "stay away protest", was down to the visit of the Albion, given that this game, on very cold night, saw two "mid-table mediocrity" sides (Both managers having been in charge for 29 games and having won just 9) going up against each other, although for long periods of it, those that stayed away would seem to have made the correct choice, as both sides struggled to create all that much.

Mason's four changes pretty much had the best XI available to him starting the game, depending on whether or not you think Wildsmith's showings of late justified the recall of Griffiths, who had found himself out of the side after a similar number of poor showings.

Leicester had had the better of the opening quarter-of-an-hour, before Grant went off on a promising dribble but then seemed to run out of ideas: or perhaps had too many choices, as regards a shot or a pass, and didn't really make one.

Two minutes later though. as he found himself tracking a Leicester player in our left-back area, he let the player run into space, hoping for an offside flag that wasn't raised, which allowed that player to get in around the back at the end of a slick passing move from the hosts, after which the pull-back found yet more Leicester players goal-side of our defenders, and one of them had no problem finishing the move off.

Going behind, as it often does, saw the Albion perk up a little, and after one period of pressure saw a Johnston header only half cleared, Molumby blazed over.

Within three minutes of that, Albion scored on the break, winning the ball on our right and playing across to Mowatt, who sent Grant scampering away into the inside-left channel, a channel devoid of Leicester defenders. Grant's right-footed finish, curled around the keeper, from the edge of the box was just sublime.

With five to go to the break, Campbell had a back post header that went all the way across the six-yard-box without anyone, defender or attacker getting anything on it.

Price would have two chances, either side of the fifty minute mark, the first being blazed over, but the second, after Johnston had chased down a long ball out to his wing and pulled back an inviting cross, saw a slight deflection taking the cushioned goal-bound shot onto the post.

As the hour passed, some awful Leicester defending led to Heggebo stretching to try and covert a cross, only to see the keeper save an attempt that, had he been able to get a bit more power into it, might have given us a lead that we would have deserved.

A couple of minutes after that though, Heggebo came off for Maja, with a double substitution, within ten minutes of that change, seeing a like-for-like swap of Diakite for Molumby, whilst Price came off for Illing-Junior.

Within a minute of the double change, two players who had started the game combined: Johnston's trickery setting up a Campbell header that wasn't powerful enough, before we had two corners in a row as normal time ended.

Four minutes in the time allowed for stoppages though and the home side scored the winner with a fine strike, and would even butcher a chance, on the break, to have made it 3-1.

Albion should have at least come away from this one with at least a point, courtesy of Grant's fine effort, but, whether a draw, against yet another poor mid-table side in a poor division, would have been enough to prevent time being called on Mason's tenure, seems unlikely.

My thoughts on the timing of sacking would be that: with the Bilkul having told anyone who was listening, that Mason was the man(ager) who had been brought in, because he had brought in to the way they had mapped out the way the club would have to move forward, he could, and should, have been left in place to see what extra resources they might have been able to give him, asap, not least as the next game is a "shot to nothing" FA Cup tie, that we'll probably play the reserves, such as we have any to speak of, in, anyway.

As it is, barring Bilkul bringing in someone from one of the other continental sides they still have an interest in - as Chelsea's owners were able to do with Rosenior - it's hard to see just how Morrison, after all, part of the team enacting Bilkul's way forward will do anything different to Mason, with exactly the same players. What, for example, would Morrison have asked Monday's starting XI to have done differently, given they are the best XI we have?

Add to that, that any players the club were thinking of bringing in, would have been players who would have complemented the style that Bilkul wanted Mason to develop, and it's hard to see all that many managers wanting to come in, without any real opportunity to have any input into the club's January window activities, so are the club now just looking at someone who merely ensures we don't head further downwards, with what we have?