LONDON — Leicester City scored two stunning goals in extra time through Wilfred Ndidi and Demarai Gray to reach the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-1 win over second tier Derby County in a replay Wednesday.
The victory came as a minor relief for champions Leicester which is one point above the Premier League relegation zone after failing to win a league game this year.
Ndidi, a January signing from Racing Genk, put Leicester 2-1 ahead with a bullet finish and Gray slalomed through the Derby defense to rubber-stamp Leicester’s progress.
Leicester had taken the lead a minute after halftime when Andy King headed home from close range, but Derby clawed its way back when Abdoul Camara’s free kick took a wicked deflection on its way into the net.
Leicester, who along with Derby fielded a largely second-string side, visits third-tier Millwall in the last 16 on Feb. 18.
With Leicester’s Premier League future looking increasingly uncertain after a run of four straight defeats, manager Claudio Ranieri made 10 changes to the side that lost 3-0 to Manchester United Sunday.
Leicester went ahead a minute after the restart when Gray’s superb cross to the far post was headed back by Marc Albrighton for King to head into the empty net from close range.
The lead lasted 15 minutes, Derby drawing level as Camara’s free kick took a huge deflection off Ben Chilwell in the wall and skidded past Leicester keeper Ron-Robert Zieler.
Ndidi was introduced by Ranieri for extra time and the Nigerian picked up the ball and drove towards the Derby goal before letting fly with an unstoppable effort that hit the inside of the post on its way into the net.
With seven minutes of extra time remaining, Gray set off on a jinking run, leaving several defenders for dead before firing high into the net.
Juve extends Serie A lead
Champion Juventus extended its lead at the top of Serie A to seven points with a 2-0 win at Crotone as nine-man AC Milan stunned Bologna 1-0 Wednesday.
Having seen its lead cut by Roma’s 4-0 success over Fiorentina Tuesday, second-half goals from Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain kept Massimiliano Allegri’s team on course for a sixth straight scudetto.
The defeat leaves Crotone languishing in 19th place and nine points from safety.
Milan ended a three-match losing streak in sensational fashion as Mario Pasalic tapped home from close range a cross from Gerard Deulofeu.
But victory had seemed improbable after the dismissals of center-back Gabriel Paletta in the first half and Slovak midfielder Juraj Kucka just before the hour mark.
Milan stays in seventh but is now just two points behind bitter city rival Inter in the final Europa League qualifying spot.
It was more misery for mid-table Bologna after its 7-1 trouncing at Napoli over the weekend. — Agencies
