Leicester 2-1 Walsall: Saddlers suffer elimination in the EFL Trophy

Walsall suffered elimination from the EFL Trophy after they were beaten 2-1 by League One side Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Andy Dallas fired Walsall ahead after 10 minutes with his second goal in as many games, but John Lundstram equalised with a superb overhead kick in the 20th-minute.

Will Smallbone completed the comeback with a controlled volley just past the half-hour mark, as Walsall finished third in their group.

Leicester were in the Premier League when these two teams last met in the Carabao Cup in 2024, but just one division separated them ahead of their final EFL Trophy group fixture.

Lee Grant made seven changes from the 3-1 defeat at Newport County in the FA Cup first round on Saturday, as Walsall switched to a 3-5-1-2.

Roman Dixon made his long-awaited return from injury and first year scholar Ryan Sjoerdsma was handed his second senior start.

The hosts inevitably dominated possession during the opening exchanges, but it was the Saddlers who took the lead against the run of play after 10 minutes.

Tai Sodje pounced on a loose pass, before Moore slotted a neat through ball into the path of Dallas. His initial finish hit the post, but he persevered to force an angle for a second bite of the cherry, which he buried into the far bottom corner.

Bristric had two chances in quick succession to equalise. First, Luke Thomas flashed a cross to the near post, but the Bosnian failed to hit the target from a few yards out. His second effort was hit on the swivel and whistled inches over the bar from the edge of the box.

Leicester did restore parity within 10 minutes of conceding when Lundstram produced an outstanding response. A corner was flicked on by Will Alves and ex-Premier League midfielder Lundstram unleashed a classy overhead kick beyond Tom Wooster.

It was very much one-way traffic for the Foxes after their leveller and Smallbone came close to completing a quick turnaround when he volleyed Conor Chaplin’s cross into the side netting.

The former Southampton midfielder did give Leicester the lead just past the half-hour mark when he was left unmarked to caress his volley into the corner following Tommy Watson’s cross.

Ryan Leak had been forced off just moments before with an injury and was replaced by Elicha Ahui.

Walsall restricted Leicester in the second half, but were unable to pose an attacking threat of their own, despite Grant calling on the cavalry from the bench.

Smith was initially deployed at left wing-back, but Grant tweaked things for the closing stages, as Ahui switched to left-back.

The game threatened to burst into life late on, although clear-cut chances remained limited. Sodje sliced a low shot wide and Wooster prevented Leicester from adding a third with an excellent low save to deny substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Next, Walsall face a 10-day break before they return to league action at York City on November 21.

Teams

Walsall (3-4-1-2): Wooster; Burke, Leak (Ahui 31), Connolly (c); Dixon (Simper 61), Sprangler, Moore, Furlong (Smith 69); Sjoerdsma (Simper 61); Sodje, Dallas (Pressley 69).

Not used: Kilroy, Adomah.

Leicester (3-4-2-1): Cornell; O’Hora, Aluko, Thomas; Alves, Smallbone (Braybrooke 71), Lundstram, Watson (Coulibaly 76); Chaplin (De Cordova-Reid 70), Doyle (Neale 89); Bristric.

Not used: Ravizzoli, Okoli. Neale, Fletcher.

Referee: Michael Barlow