JibrinIf Leicester City do ultimately avoid dropping into League One and escape the damaging fallout of relegation, they may well look back on a defining moment that proved key to their survival.
Based on the evidence City have produced this season, Jakub Stolarczyk’s penalty save was decisive.
City had appeared comfortable up to that stage. They were 2-0 ahead and had begun the second half promisingly. But that counts for little.
Prior to Tuesday night, City had failed to win in over half of the matches where they held a half-time advantage. On too many occasions, they have allowed opponents to fight back into games that had earlier seemed destined to be routine wins.
Gary Rowett has spoken about the anxiety within the squad during the protracted search for a victory. Had City conceded once, a collapse would have been anticipated.
But when they presented Bristol City with a way back into the game via a penalty, Stolarczyk rose to the occasion to deny Emil Riis. Energised by that instant—one that seemingly drained the Robins—City did not allow a single shot in the half-hour between the save and the final whistle.
While it may have seemed like a moment of individual brilliance from Stolarczyk, the penalty stop was, in fact, a collective effort.
After the spot-kick was awarded, substitute goalkeeper Fran Vieites was observed sprinting along the touchline to relay a message.
This was Bristol City’s first penalty of the season, so it may not have been clear who would take it in such a scenario.
But Riis took, and converted, three penalties during his time at Preston. He opted for the same corner every time.
City would have completed their homework, so Vieites’ message was likely just a prompt to Stolarczyk about Riis’s preferred side. The Pole handled the rest, putting his body in the way and ensuring he didn’t parry the ball into a dangerous area.
Stolarczyk told the club: “I don’t want to give away too much but we always take our time with penalties a few days before the game, analyse them and go through them.
“It’s a decision from the whole goalkeeping union. Everyone has their part to say and then we come up with a decision.”
It’s an instance where preparation, teamwork and individual skill have merged to produce a crucial stop—one that could ultimately shape City’s route to safety.
Rowett’s ‘two teams’ turn unpopular decision into masterstroke
Also contributing to the victory may have been Rowett’s two-team strategy. The manager has subtly indicated that he believes City lack full fitness and therefore experimented with a different approach to address it.
It began with a decision that was not well received. Supporters appeared displeased with almost all of the changes Rowett made—and didn’t make—to his starting lineup.
Fans did not want Jordan Ayew to replace Patson Daka, nor Hamza Choudhury to come in for Ricardo Pereira. They wanted Jamaal Lascelles to be chosen over Caleb Okoli and Divine Mukasa to start ahead of Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
They were likely pleased to see Jordan James back in the eleven for the first time in two months, but dropping Harry Winks to accommodate him also raised some eyebrows.
However, this strategy allowed Rowett to introduce his more technically gifted players for the final 20 minutes—Winks, Ricardo and Mukasa—along with an injection of energy from Daka up front.
Prior to their arrival, City had 37 per cent possession in the second half. That increased to 46 per cent after the substitutions. That reduced the number of opportunities Bristol City had to push into City’s half.
Rowett said: “Before the game, myself and Callum (Davidson, assistant manager) chatted at length about how it feels, at the moment, we’ve almost got to have two teams, a 60-minute team and then a 30-minute team.
“It feels like there’s different periods in the game, maybe towards the end of games, where that anxiety of not keeping a clean sheet or not winning games often enough manifests itself in what looks like a negative way.
“We purposely almost left real strength on the bench to then change and being able to bring Patson, Winks, Divine and Ricardo on, it actually changed the game completely.”
Half of City’s goals under Rowett from set-pieces
There are two members of the City squad that Rowett had coached prior to joining the club, and they combined to spark the victory—James delivering a free-kick for Ben Nelson to head home.
Upon his arrival, Rowett mentioned that he wanted to see more of an attacking threat from Nelson during set-pieces, especially after the defender scored a vital goal during Oxford’s fight for survival last season. Now he has delivered, positioning himself between two defenders to power a header into the net.
What’s particularly noteworthy is that this marks the third time in four matches that City have scored from a free-kick. Half of the goals under Rowett have originated from set-pieces.
The manager was reluctant to accept any credit himself, instead highlighting set-piece coach Andy Hughes. Indeed, after Nelson’s header hit the back of the net, first-team coaches Andy King and Adam Sadler congratulated Hughes on the bench.
According to Opta statistics, City now rank joint-seventh in the Championship for set-piece goals, with 13. This seems to have been aided by sharp finishing, as they remain 17th in expected goals from set-pieces.
Still, this is an area that has long required enhancement, particularly given how many free-kicks players like Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi win, making these recent goals especially timely.
Rowett said: “Hughesy does all the set-piece work and does the details really well. They do a lot of practice.
“Part of being a centre-half is giving us that threat from set-pieces as well. Good centre-halves get four or five a season and it makes a big difference. You’ve seen that with Caleb’s goal the other week and Ben’s goal today.”
Skipp excels in solo role to prompt Winks question
With James replacing Winks in the starting eleven and then occupying a more advanced position, Oliver Skipp was frequently left alone at the base of midfield. He flourished, and was City’s standout performer on the night.
It’s not that Skipp has been underperforming lately, but perhaps he was able to shine because he had to handle all the duties in that zone of the pitch.
There was no one else to track back and shield the back four. There was no one else to collect the ball and drive it forward. So Skipp had to do it all—and he did so impressively.
Rowett was especially delighted with one moment in the second half when Skipp sprinted back to the far post and headed away a deep cross to snuff out a chance.
He earned praise from supporters for the way he used his body to shield the ball from Bristol City players, then manoeuvred out of tight spaces to launch several attacks.
It’s difficult to argue that City are better off without Winks and with Skipp as the solitary figure at the base of midfield. Winks remains the superior passer. But it does seem that Skipp is able to express himself more effectively when he isn’t partnered alongside someone.
Chants for Rowett could lead to end-of-season conversation
It was City’s smallest crowd of the season—and therefore their lowest in 12 years—but the performance prompted a surge in noise levels at the King Power Stadium.
James’s return to the starting lineup led to numerous renditions of his chant, but the individual whose name was sung most frequently was the manager, with ‘Gary Rowett’s Blue Army!’ ringing out throughout.
It’s not that City’s previous few bosses never had their names chanted, but it certainly didn’t feel like they were embraced as swiftly as Rowett has been.
Perhaps it helps that he’s a former player. Perhaps it also helps that he has a certain straightforwardness. He isn’t attempting anything flashy—just aiming to secure results. He expressed gratitude that his name was sung, but was reluctant to accept too much praise.
He said: “I’d be an idiot to say it doesn’t mean anything to me. Of course it means something. It means we’re doing a lot of the right things on the pitch, which is all I’m bothered about.
“Myself and Callum are former players here, so it’s nice to have that connection. But the only way you build that is if people see what a slight change to what’s happening on the pitch.
“It’s not just us. It’s all the staff behind it. You come in and there’s a lot of staff who have worked incredibly hard. It would be very easy for them to sit in the background when two new people come in.
“But every person has stepped up. There’s been a nice feeling of a galvanised group that all want to do well and all want to play their part. We’re just two people who are just trying to give it a different flavour and direction.
“It was a real team effort today, with the players, fans and staff all together. We want to feel that more often this season.”
It’s only one win, but conversations among supporters have already begun about what happens with Rowett if City stay up. It seems many would like him to stay on.
It’s not a discussion worth having just yet, really, as City’s fate remains uncertain. But now that they’ve broken the streaks without a win and without a clean sheet, the entire club can feel more hopeful about survival.
If that is accomplished, then talks can take place about what comes next. City may have secured a victory, but they still need another four or five to guarantee they remain in the Championship next season.
Jibrin
