Nugent, who came on as a substitute, hit the crossbar with his header and missed a good chance to equalize.
He kicked the grass hard, very upset.
He raised his head and gave a thumbs up to Xia Xing who passed the ball to him not far away.
Man, your pass is superb!
Xia Xing waved to Nugent to comfort him.
Looking up at the time board on the field, there were already two and a half minutes of injury time.
There was still half a minute left in the game, and Leicester City had almost no chance.
Although Xia Xing had the fighting spirit to not give up, it was almost impossible to equalize now.
Manchester City was one man short, and they would definitely pass the ball back in the backfield at this last moments. How could they give Leicester City a chance?
Sure enough, under Kompany's control, the last half minute was quickly consumed.
Even though Leicester City's front and midfield players pressed forward, they failed to steal the ball.
The referee blew the whistle and the game was over!
"This ups and downs game is finally over!
"Maybe most people guessed the final result,
"but there must be veryfew people who would have guessed the final score,
"and the process!
"2 to 3!
" Leicester City fell behind by three goals in the first half,
"In the second half, they fought back and almost equalized the score!
"If that goal had been scored, Manchester City would have been in real danger!
"They would have suffered a loss with one less player!
"But fortunately, they held on.
"Despite losing the game, Leicester City still won the applause and respect of the fans.
"This team from the Championship showed their style!
"Although their League Cup journey this season is over,
"But they still left an unforgettable mark on this season's League Cup!
"They performed very well!
"Let us congratulate Manchester City for advancing to the semi-finals of the League Cup!
"Let us also applaud Leicester City!"
Although the Manchester City commentator sitting on the side did not speak, there was a little more respect in his applause.
For the sport of football, strength is always the prerequisite for gaining respect.
The Leicester City players who walked off the field were unwilling, but they could also leave with their heads held high.
They did not lose face!
Pearson stood on the sidelines and sent greetings and hugs to every player who left the field.
"Boy, you played well today!"
"You were great today!"
"You worked hard, go down and have a good rest."
When Xia Xing walked off the court, Pearson hugged him tightly without saying a word.
"Xia! You did a great job!"
"Coach, thank you for your trust in me!"
Turning back, Xia Xing walked towards the away fans' stand again. He wanted to thank the fans with his teammates.
This game was played at the Etihad Stadium, and the huge roar of Leicester City fans gave them unlimited encouragement.
Even when they were suppressed in the first half, Leicester City fans still applauded and cheered.
This enthusiasm deserves the title of the best 12th man!
After thanking them, Xia Xing turned and walked towards the locker room.
"Xia!"
"Huh?"
Xia Xing turned his head and saw a young man greeting him.
He was dressed in casual clothes, about 1.8 meters tall, with a beard.
He had never seen him before, and he was definitely not a coach or staff member of Leicester City.
Is he a stadium staff member?
Xia Xing was still in a daze, and the man came up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Xia, you performed very well today."
"Thank you, you are..."
"Don't worry, you will know who I am soon."
"Oh?"
"You are probably the only one in this Leicester City team who can keep up with my thinking."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, we'll see each other soon. Goodbye, kid from China."
The bearded young man turned and left, saying hello to Pearson and Shakespeare, and walked away.
Who is this guy?
Weird.
Never mind.
Without defeating Manchester City, Xia Xing's system task failed to be completed, and he lost the opportunity to obtain the S-level card Kevin Keegan.
But it doesn't matter, it's just a card, anyway, there will definitely be a lot of tasks in the future.
Xia Xing didn't care too much about this defeat, and the same was true for his teammates.
Losing a difficult game did not have a big impact on Leicester City.
In fact, everyone knew that it was too difficult to beat Manchester City.
You know, they are the top of the Premier League and a team that will compete for the Champions League this season.
It's not shameful to lose to them.
And the next batch of intensive league schedules are the most critical.
Although Leicester City is leading by 10 points in the league, it cannot be taken lightly.
There is no absolutely strong team in the Championship, and any opponent is a threat.
In this league with loose penalties, any game has a lot of randomness.
The League Cup journey ended on December 18th. In the next nine days, on the 21st, 26th and 29th, Leicester City will have three games, the 21st to 23rd rounds of the Championship.
The devil's Christmas schedule in England is not only the case in the Premier League, but also in leagues of all levels.
Especially in the Championship, there are 24 teams in total and more schedules.
The next opponents are not easy to deal with.
Especially the opponents Queens Park Rangers in the 21st round of the Championship and Reading in the 22nd round are both very strong.
They were both Premier League teams last season and were relegated to the Championship.
The ambition and expectations of promotion to the Premier League this season are even more overwhelming.
Every team that has just fallen is looking forward to returning to heaven.
But the final result often disappoints them.
In the two games, Leicester City played two 1-0.
Although they failed to win by a large margin, they passed the test.
In the case of intensive combat, a large area of rotation must be made, and the strength of the team will inevitably be affected.
In this case, Leicester City has done a good job of winning, and winning against the former Premier League teams.
Both goals were scored in fast breaks, and the assists were from Xia Xing.
In the current Leicester City lineup, Andy King has handed over the token of the offensive core.
Xia Xing has become Pearson's absolute trump card.
Whether it is a solo charge or a subtle pass, Xia Xing has performed very well.
Both of these passes were also very deadly.
After Reading lost, the commentator in the live broadcast room made a comment.
"Many people often discuss a topic, that is, how big is the gap between the Premier League and the Championship?
"You know, if you just look at the ratings, the gap between the two sides is not very large.
"After all, the ratings of the Championship are ranked behind the five major leagues.
"And what about strength?
"Many people think that the Championship teams must not be able to match the premier league,
"But I disagree.
"Due to the unique physical collisions of the English Championship teams,
"their style of play is very unique.
"For example, Manchester City almost fell to Leicester City a few days ago.
"And Leicester City's opponents Queens Park Rangers and Reading also lost to Leicester City in the past two games.
"This fully proves that the top teams in the English Championship are not absolutely weak teams compared to the Premier League teams !
"They also have the strength to fight back!"
(End of this chapter)