Leicester City will feel hard done by not to be in the FA Cup Fifth Round after a stoppage time defeat to Manchester United.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid gave the Foxes the lead with a header in the first half but Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men couldn’t make their dominance count.
Joshua Zirkzee levelled in the 68th minute after a saved effort from Mads Hermansen kindly fell into the feet of the Dutchman, who tapped home from close range.
It looked as if it would go to extra time until Harry Maguire scored a late winner – but it wasn’t without controversy after replays showed he was clearly offside.
Fans were outraged that Maguire’s goal stood but, as per the FA rules, VAR wasn’t allowed to intervene for United’s winner due to the technology not coming into use until the Fifth Round.
Van Nistelrooy was fuming with the offside goal and Leicester once again left Old Trafford empty handed for the third time this season.
There were still some positives as Bilal El Khannouss shined for the Foxes, but there was one other player that deserved plenty of praise.
Caleb Okoli impresses on return to Leicester starting XI
It’s been a tough time for Caleb Okoli since Van Nistelrooy was appointed.
Reports in January claimed that Okoli wanted to return to Italy after falling out of favour under the new Foxes boss.
But, with Jannik Vestergaard injured, the centre-back came into the starting XI and impressed with a solid display.
His most important contribution of the game saw him produce an epic goal line clearance to keep the score 0-1 at the time as he directed an effort on goal onto the crossbar and out of play.
The Italian was brilliant at defending, registering seven clearances and having over 55 touches on the ball.
Furthermore, Okoli had a 91 per cent pass completion rate and won half of his aerial duels in a performance that may silence some critics.
| Caleb Okoli stats vs Man United | |
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 55 |
| Clearances | 7 |
| Pass completion rate | 39/43 (91%) |
| Blocked shots | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 1/4 |
| Aerial duels won | 1/2 |
Caleb Okoli still has a future at Leicester City
Before Friday’s game it seemed like Okoli would be a surefire exit in either January or the summer.
Okoli and Van Nistelrooy reportedly fell out over the defender’s choice of boots but he may have slipped back into contention after a strong performance in the heart of defence.
Given Leicester’s troubles at the back, the 23-year-old could be given a second chance to prove his worth and force himself back into contention.
If he is to play at Arsenal and impress again, he may be part of the Foxes squad for a while longer yet.