Whether Gareth Southgate intended to call up James Justin to his England World Cup squad on Thursday may for ever be a mystery after the Leicester defender was carried off on a stretcher during the second half of a routine Carabao Cup victory over Newport County. Southgate is already fretting over his full-back options with Ben Chilwell ruled out and Reece James and Kyle Walker major doubts. Justin, who is thought to have been on Southgate’s provisional 55-man long-list for Qatar, was forced off after an innocuous collision with Newport’s Liverpool loanee Adam Lewis soon after the hour and will undergo a scan on Wednesday to determine the extent of his injury.
He made his playing comeback in January after missing almost a year of action with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. It was a cruel way for Justin’s night to finish given the 24-year-old had set Leicester on the path to victory with a stunning left-foot shot that cracked in off a post before Jamie Vardy scored two second-half goals as Brendan Rodgers’s side eased into the last 16 of the competition. Perhaps Justin took inspiration from Kevin De Bruyne, whose recent match-winning free-kick here for Manchester City also pinged in off the upright.
“He felt something so we will have to see how it goes,” said Leicester’s assistant manager, Chris Davies.
Three and a half years ago Leicester learned the hard way about Newport’s appetite for a cup upset and the Leicester chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, alluded to that shock FA Cup third-round exit at Rodney Parade under Claude Puel in his programme notes, citing how those still in the squad would be well-versed on the standards required to advance here. Jonny Evans was the only survivor from the starting lineup that day, with Rodgers making seven changes from the team that earned a third win in four league matches at Everton on Saturday. James Maddison, another hoping for an England call, was among those rested altogether, while Youri Tielemans began on the bench.
Newport are 18th in the fourth tier but arrived for their first visit to Filbert Way on a five-match unbeaten run that began when Graham Coughlan took charge last month. The early signs under the former Bristol Rovers and Mansfield manager are encouraging but this was always unlikely to be an evening where they could express themselves and Leicester assumed control from the off. “The mindset for this game was no different to a Premier League game, because complacency can be the biggest threat,” Davies said. “We see surprises and shocks all the time in the cups.”
In swirling wind and rain, Leicester’s enthusiasm would not be dampened by stubborn opponents. Dennis Praet skewed wide after Vardy chested the ball into his path and seconds later Wilfred Ndidi looked to the skies after pulling a shot past Nick Townsend’s right post. The visiting goalkeeper then made a smart save to deny Harvey Barnes from a tight angle. But just as Newport could scent half-time, Justin played a give-and-go with Praet and drove inside from the right flank before curling a brilliant left-foot shot in off the upright. Cue the goal music to turn up the volume on a flat evening.
Barnes tested Townsend with a swerving right-foot shot midway through the second half and Vardy doubled Leicester’s lead soon after with a superb glancing header from the substitute Marc Albrighton’s cross. Townsend will perhaps feel he should have done more than get fingertips to the ball. Vardy completed the scoring after rounding Townsend and fooling centre-back Priestley Farquharson, who ended up skidding on to the turf before the striker slammed home. Vardy stuck his tongue out in celebration but a good night’s work was soured by Justin’s injury.
