Carabao Cup: Wolves 0 Leicester City 0 (1-3 on pens) – Report and pictures

Conor Coady cleared off the line and Ruben Vinagre went close at the other end in a first half of few chances.

John Ruddy saved superbly from Marc Albrighton with Leicester creating the better opportunities, but neither team could win it and it went to penalties.

Romain Saiss, Diogo Jota and Adama Traore all saw spot kicks saved as Danny Ward was the hero for Leicester, who won 3-1 on spot kicks.

Analysis

Wolves have played six matches in the Carabao Cup under Nuno Espirito Santo – and they've yet to concede a single goal.

However they've now been dumped out of the competition on penalties after a 0-0 draw for the second year in a row, writes Tim Spiers at Molineux.

It's been a remarkable run of six matches and 600 minutes. Last year's defeat to Manchester City felt oh-so cruel after Wolves put on a heroic display at the Etihad, but in truth Leicester were fair victors in this one.

Nuno's team enjoyed more of the ball (60 per cent) but it was the Foxes, who selected a strong team that included Jamie Vardy, who fashioned the night's better opportunities in front of an impressive attendance of 21,562.

For a while it felt like a dazzling pre-match lights show, plus the usual fireworks and fire, would be the most interesting thing to happen all night, but this cup tie slowly warmed up at a chilly Molineux with both teams clearly motivated to progress to round four.

Wolves had enjoyed a comfortable win with a similar XI against Sheffield Wednesday in the last round but they found Leicester a far tougher nut to crack and the Foxes should have had the game won twice over as we headed nearer to a rare Molineux penalty shoot-out – the first at the stadium since an FA Cup defeat to Fulham in January 2015.

Wolves were indebted to a superb John Ruddy save and a poor Marc Albrighton miss, while at the other end they (reflected their league form) just couldn't find that clinical spark.

It's a crying shame for the likes of Ruddy, Kortney Hause, Ruben Vinagre and Romain Saiss that they will find game time hard to come by now. But Wolves' priority is very much the Premier League – even more so after this defeat.

Match report

Ivan Cavaleiro made his first appearance of the season after recovering from a back injury, while Leander Dendoncker made his Molineux debut in defence.

Only Conor Coady and Jonny Castro Otto remained in the team that drew 1-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday. Matt Doherty wasn't involved (he had played at Hillsborough in the second round), leaving Coady as the only player to start every match this season.

Leicester named a strong XI that included Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Shinji Okazaki and Marc Albrighton.

There was a decent atmosphere in the opening stages with the South Bank full, the North Bank practically full and Leicester bringing around 2,000 with them from the East Midlands.

It was the Foxes who had the better of the opening stages with Vincente Iborra whistling one wide from 20 yards and then dropping a header just over the bar as Wolves began on the back foot.

Romain Saiss then threw his body at an Adrien Silva shot before there was a nice moment when Kortney Hause bossed Jamie Vardy as he shepherded the ball out of play for a goal kick. He repeated the trick for good measure a few minutes later as the South Bank lapped it up, with Vardy being booed after his red card against Wolves last month.

Wolves fashioned their first opportunity when Jonny Castro Otto lashed over after a nice header into his path from Cavaleiro. And then Ruben Vinagre took matters by the scruff of the neck, driving past two defenders and sprinting into the box where his shot from a tight angle was pushed over by Danny Ward.

Adama Traore and Cavaleiro were doing their best to get Wolves going with a couple of purposeful runs from deep, although the latter was understandably short of match sharpness.

Otherwise though Wolves were lacking inspiration and indeed control, with the absence of Ruben Neves and/or Joao Moutinho very evident in their style of play.

Leicester edged the half and could have gone ahead when Rachid Ghezzal headed goalwards, only for Conor Coady to clear off the line for what felt like the 49th occasion in a Wolves shirt.

It warmed up towards the end of the first period, but the pre-match lights show, fire and fireworks remained just about the most exciting thing that had happened all evening.

Leicester continued to have the better of it after the break, fashioning another couple of half chances, before Diogo Jota came on for Cavaleiro who had got a good 56 minutes under his belt, while the Foxes sent on Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho, with Vardy waving to the booing South Bank as he departed.

Wolves were full of endeavour but not enough quality and Leicester almost took advantage when a left-wing cross was allowed to bounce across goal and Albrighton met it at the back post – but John Ruddy produced a wonderful stop from point blank range to keep it goalless.

Traore burst to life and raced from deep with Wolves four on three – he slipped in Gibbs-White but his 20-yarder was too close to keeper Danny Ward in what was Wolves' clearest opportunity for some time.

Then came another big chance for Leicester and another for Albrighton, but this time Ruddy's save was simple as the ex-Villa man criminally looped a free six-yard header into his arms.

Ryan Bennett replaced Jonny Castro Otto as Nuno made his second change with 14 minutes to go and then with a final throw of the dice youngster Benny Ashley-Seal came on for Leo Bonatini.

Bennett headed a Gibbs-White free kick just over the bar in the dying seconds as Wolves piled on some belated pressure in injury time, before Demarai Gray was stretchered off injured in the final few seconds with what looked like a serious injury.

It went all the way to penalties – and Danny Ward made himself a hero for Leicester with three excellent saves from Saiss, Jota and Traore as Leicester won 3-1 at a disappointed Molineux.

Key moments

5’ Vincente Iborra drives a low powerful shot at goal from just outside the box at goal, but the ball flashes just wide of the right post.

19’ Jonny Otto skies his shot over the bar after Ivan Cavaleiro heads a cross back into the back.

32’ Conor Coady rescues Wolves by making a goal line clearance after an attempt on goal from Rachid Ghezzal at the back post.

63’ John Ruddy makes a superb save to deny Mark Albrighton from point blank range after Wolves allowed a cross to stray across the goal.

90' Ryan Bennett heads a Gibbs-White free kick just over the bar.

Penalties

Leicester pen 1 - Fuchs misses (hits woodwork)

Wolves pen 1 - Saiss misses (saved)

Leicester pen 2 - Ghezzal scores

Wolves pen 2 - Jota misses (saved)

Leicester pen 3 - Choudhury misses (saved)

Wolves pen 3 - Ashley-Seal scores

Leicester pen 4 - Iborra scores

Wolves pen 4 - Traore misses (hits woodwork)

Leicester pen 5 - Iheanacho scores

Teams

Wolves (3-4-3): Ruddy; Dendoncker, Coady (c), Hause; Otto (Bennett, 76), Gibbs-White, Saiss, Vinagre; Traore, Bonatini (Ashley-Seal, 84), Cavaleiro (Jota, 58). Subs: Norris, Giles, Watt, Goncalves.

Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Ward; Pereira, Morgan (c), Evans, Fuchs; Iborra, Silva (Choudhury, 85); Ghezzal, Okazaki (Gray, 60), Albrighton; Vardy (Iheanacho, 60). Subs: Jakupovic, Soyuncu, Amartey, Diabate.

Attendance: 21,562 (2,349 Leicester fans)

Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)

Next up

Wolves are back at Molineux on Saturday when they host Southampton in the Premier League. Kick off is at 3pm.