Leicester City booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win at Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.
Abdul Fatawu was the match-winner last night after curling home a powerful left-footed strike in the 114th minute.
Enzo Maresca‘s side are now potentially 90 minutes away from reaching Wembley and will find out their last eight opponents in Wednesday’s draw.
Whilst Fatawu’s wonder strike will rightfully earn most of the plaudits, one player, who was an outcast for a time, deserves a great deal of praise for his exceptional performance against The Cherries.
Hamza Choudhury reviving Leicester City career
Hamza Choudhury was on loan at Watford last season and it looked as though his time at Leicester City was coming to an end.
The Hornets had an option to buy clause on Choudhury but upon Maresca’s arrival at the club last summer, he tied the midfield enforcer down to a new deal running through till 2027.
The Italian head coach placed a great deal of faith in the 26-year-old and he’s since rapaid that trust with several outstanding performances for the Championship league leaders this season.
Last night was another example of that. Choudhury was one of only two players to retain his place in the starting line-up, alongside Jannik Vestegaard, and he was perhaps deserving of the man of the match award.
Playing in an inverted right-back role, the Foxes academy product broke up play tremendously and displayed a willingness to receive the ball in tight areas of the pitch.
His stats were very impressive.
Hamza Choudhury stats v Bournemouth
Choudhury received the highest rating on the pitch in City’s fifth-round win against Andoni Iraola’s top-flight outfit, as per Sofascore.
The battling midfielder played 120 minutes and won five ground duels, made three interceptions and two blocks whilst maintaining an 88% pass completion rate.
As well as his excellent defensive contributions, Choudhury was also impactful in the attacking phase and made two key passes, creating one big chance.
Maresca’s reinvention of the former outcast has been a real surprise to City fans. Not many would’ve envisioned Choudhury as an inverted right-back but he’s flourishing in the role and is getting better each week.
If Ricardo Pereira, who has been plagued by injuries in the past, ever needs a rest between now and the end of the season, the East Midlanders have a ready-made replacement ready to come in and fill his void.
What a career arch is been.