Game #4599
Tuesday, 25 January 2000
Attendance: 28,037
Drew
League Cup Semi Final
Semi Final
Leicester City
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟨 🟨 🟨
Villa Park
Villa are held to a goalless draw by a pragmatic Leicester side in the first leg of the League Cup semi final at Villa Park.
Aston Villa
0-0
Leicester City
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
George Boateng, shot threatened only the executive boxes
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-0 Leicester City
🔁 | 57’ Sub off, Steve Stone, Sub on, Mark Delaney
🔁 | 57’ Sub off, Steve Watson, Sub on, Richard Walker
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 0-0 Leicester City
ON THIS DAY
Villa fail to score for the second successive game and hand Leicester the advantage in the League Cup Semi Final.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Leicester City
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1996-97
FIXTURE HISTORY
Leicester City
Previous 5 vs. Leicester: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1999-00 |
Matchday | #32 |
Manager Game | #89 |
Tuesday, 25 January 2000
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: John Gregory | 🏴 | Scunthorpe, 1998-2002
Referee: Terry Heilbron | 🏴 | Newton Aycliffe, 1993–2000
Kick off: 7.45pm
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
FT Score: 🟨 0-0
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟨 🟨 🟨
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Terry Heilbron | 🏴 | Newton Aycliffe, 1993–2000
Previous 5: 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 20 September 1995, League Cup, Villa 6-0 Peterborough, Villa Park.
Cards: 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Steve Stone replaces Benito Carbone.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.37 |
Oldest Player |
M Paul Merson | 🏴 | 31.87 |
Youngest Player |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 18.93 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
John Gregory | 🏴 |
Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Aston Villa
GK David James | 🏴 |
RB Steve Watson | 🏴 | 🔁 |
LB Alan Wright | 🏴 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 |
CB Gareth Southgate | 🏴 |
M Paul Merson | 🏴 |
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 |
M Steve Stone | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M George Boateng | 🇳🇱 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 |
F Julian Joachim | 🏴 |
Leicester City
GK Tim Flowers | 🏴 |
CB Phil Gilchrist | 🏴 |
CB Frank Sinclair | 🏴 |
CB Gerry Taggart | 🇬🇧 |
CB Matt Elliott | 🏴 |
M Andy Impey | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Muzzy Izzet | 🇹🇷 | 🔁 |
M Robbie Savage | 🏴 |
M Stefan Oakes | 🏴 |
W Steve Guppy | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 | 🟨 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | RB Mark Delaney | 🏴 | for M Steve Stone | 🏴 | 57’ |
🔁 | F Richard Walker | 🏴 | for RB Steve Watson | 🏴 | 57’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Andy Impey | 🏴 | (M Stuart Campbell | 🏴 |)
🔁 | M Muzzy Izzet | 🇹🇷 | (CB Steve Walsh | 🏴 |)
🔁 | W Steve Guppy | 🏴 | (M Theo Zagorakis | 🇬🇷 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Neil Cutler | 🏴 |
CB Colin Calderwood | 🏴 |
M Alan Thompson | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Pegguy Arphexad | 🇫🇷 |
CF Graham Fenton (ex) | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 15/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 13/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"There is no doubt what Aston Villa ought to concentrate on in preparation for next week’s second leg: plenty of penalty practice, making sure Gareth Southgate keeps a low profile."
*The Guardian*
Wednesday, 26 January 2000
*Villa stall on Leicester grit*
There is no doubt what Aston Villa ought to concentrate on in preparation for next week’s second leg: plenty of penalty practice, making sure Gareth Southgate keeps a low profile.
Despite a flurry of late pressure which produced two clear chances, John Gregory’s side otherwise disappointed a far from capacity crowd at Villa Park last night as they failed to find a way past a typically gritty Leicester.
If this generally tight encounter was anything to go by, spot-kicks will decide who motors on to play Bolton or Tranmere at Wembley. Having seen off Leeds and Fulham from 12 yards, Leicester will fancy their chances.
Gregory cannot have expected an easy time. Two weeks ago he left Leicester’s quarter-final in London 10 minutes early convinced that Fulham, leading 2-0, would be Villa’s opponents last night. Typically, Leicester scored twice in the last five minutes and went through on penalties. The next morning he received a mocking phone call from Martin O’Neill.
Leicester’s hopes of progress seemed to be bolstered by the return from injury last night of several key players, among them Muzzy Izzet, Gerry Taggart and Robbie Savage.
Resurgent Villa’s main worry was always going to be in attack, where injuries and the ineligibility of Benito Carbone meant Paul Merson was pushed forward to partner Julian Joachim in a pairing lacking the height Gregory favours.
Certainly they looked lightweight despite applying most of the pressure during a predictably cagey and dull opening. Steve Stone began well on the right flank but clear-cut chances were rare. The night’s first shot, by George Boateng in the 18th minute, threatened mainly the executive boxes.
Leicester’s lack of attacking ideas at once showed why they arrived without a win in 90 minutes since late November, a run of 13 matches. They looked happy to keep things tight and strike with long passes to Emile Heskey and the makeshift striker Matt Elliott on the counter.
Then, after half an hour, they produced a flurry of activity. First, after Heskey was fouled by Ugo Ehiogu, Stefan Oakes curled in a free-kick from the right edge of the area which David Jones palmed clear. Then the goalkeeper had to move quickly off his line and save at Heskey’s feet as the striker chased Izzet’s neat pass.
The boos that greeted Heskey’s every touch suggested he is not as popular with the Villa fans as he is with their manager. His initial misdemeanour was to lead with an elbow in a challenge with Gareth Barry, for which he was booked.
Not surprisingly, the sparse crowd seemed to lose enthusiasm as the game dragged on. The home fans’ biggest cheers were reserved for the sight of Heskey collapsed in pain as he pulled up chasing a Steve Guppy pass. “Let him die,” the fans chanted. The match looked to be dying itself.
Not that anyone could have been surprised by Leicester’s grit. It was that quality which helped them past superior sides such as Leeds and Arsenal in cup matches this season, and they enjoyed the better of the early stages of the second half.
But Villa burst into life just before the hour when Gregory, seeing Wembley slipping away, gambled with a double substitution. On came Mark Delaney and the 22-year-old Richard Walker, who joined Merson and Julian Joachim in a three-pronged attack.
Not long after Delaney had shot wide, Villa came agonisingly close to taking the lead. Merson’s cross from the right was met with a glancing header by Ian Taylor but the ball flashed inches wide of the far post as Walker stretched in vain for a touch.
And when Walker headed on Merson’s free-kick, Flowers made a brilliant one-handed save to keep out Southgate’s low volley.