Tom Cannon scored his third goal in a week as much-changed Leicester moved into the fourth round of the FA Cup following an entertaining 3-2 victory at fellow Championship side Millwall.
Cannon scored twice in his first start for the Foxes against Huddersfield on New Year’s Day and was one of just four players retained from that game in their line-up as manager Enzo Maresca reminded everyone of the considerable strength of depth at his disposal.
Cesare Casadei and Ricardo Pereira put the Foxes 2-0 up and, after Duncan Watmore halved the deficit, Cannon struck with Zian Flemming setting up a nervy finish late on.
The first good chance went to Millwall, who as a League One club beat the then-Premier League champions the last time the two teams met in the FA Cup in February 2017.
In the fifth minute, Flemming’s pass put Watmore into space and he advanced into the area before his shot was beaten away by Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
Another opening for the Lions soon followed when Watmore played a clever ball inside for Danny McNamara, whose effort also brought Stolarczyk into action.
But the Lions’ bright start counted for nothing as Leicester struck from their first real chance in the 16th minute when Marc Albrighton chipped in a superb cross that was nodded in by Casadei at the back post.
Millwall tried to hit back and captain Jake Cooper should have equalised when he sent a free header from Joe Bryan’s corner over.
The Foxes then showed their quality again by doubling their lead in the 39th minute when Casadei played Ben Nelson’s pass first time into the path of captain Pereira, who finished firmly into the bottom corner.
The tie could have been settled within eight minutes of the second half when Cannon’s shot was superbly tipped away by Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, who recovered to keep out Albrighton’s follow-up.
Instead, it looked like game on after 56 minutes when George Honeyman’s corner was nodded down by Flemming for Watmore to finish from close range.
However, Leicester restored their two-goal cushion five minutes later when Cannon beat Sarkic to Callum Doyle’s long pass outside the area before calmly rolling into the empty net.
The same combination almost manufactured a fourth for the Foxes as Cannon got in behind Wes Harding, but this time bent his shot narrowly wide.
It was all going the Foxes’ way now and it needed another double save from Sarkic, denying first Cannon then Albrighton to prevent the scoreline becoming even more emphatic.
Millwall gave themselves some late hope in the 86th minute when Flemming made the most of some awful marking to volley in Bryan’s corner, but time ran out for the 2004 finalists.
