Ndidi Subbed, Iheanacho Absent as Leicester Crush Awoniyi’s Forest

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Wilfred Ndidi played 45 minutes before he was substituted in Leicester City’s 4-0 crushing of Nottingham Forest last night. The first win lifted the Foxes from the bottom of the English topflight for the first time in the eight-week old league.

Before the Super Eagles midfield enforcer left the pitch, Leicester were three goals up through James  Maddison in the 25th, 35th and Harvey Barnes 27th. Patson Daka sealed the win with the fourth goal deep into the second half.

The crushing defeat has returned pressure on Steve Cooper as Forest Boss.

His Nigerian forwards Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis went blank on the day they were needed to save the team at Kings Power Stadium.

For Forest, this first top flight East Midlands derby since 1999 was a night to forget.

Cooper’s side never recovered from conceding twice in as many minutes not long after striker Taiwo Awoniyi had struck a post when clean through on the home goal.

The Forest fans bellowed their support for Cooper as they sang songs of defiance with the game gone and their team slipping to a fifth straight defeat in a single season for the first time since January 2004.

However, after celebrating a long-awaited return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence, owner Evangelos Marinakis did not sanction the outlay on 23 summer signings in a belief Forest were about to go straight back down.

Cooper must hope his boss shows him more patience than former Huddersfield manager Carlos Corberan, who was sacked after 11 games at Marinakis’ Greek club Olympiakos earlier this month.