Abdul Fatawu’s extra-time thunderbolt fires Leicester past Bournemouth

Leicester’s Abdul Fatawu (right) and Yunus Akgun celebrate after beating Bournemouth. Photograph: John Walton/PA

After 43 largely forgettable shots and a penalty shootout looming ominously for both Bournemouth and Leicester, naturally the winner in a dire game was a beauty. The extra-time interval was imminent when the substitute Abdul Fatawu took matters into his own hands, darting inside and sending a superb left-foot shot curling into the top corner to earn Leicester a spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals. After a blip in the league, this was a welcome boon for Leicester.

Fatawu, the 19-year-old on loan from Sporting, nudged the ball out of his feet and past Milos Kerkez to buy a peek of the Bournemouth goal before dispatching an unstoppable effort goalwards. Fatawu charged off in celebration towards the away fans spread across two stands. Andoni Iraola, the Bournemouth manager, was left wondering what might have been and his decision to rest Dominic Solanke – behind only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah in the Premier League goalscoring charts – proved costly, his side missing a slew of decent chances.

Leicester carry fond memories of this competition, having lifted the trophy three years ago under Brendan Rodgers, but it was plain their primary focus lay with securing a return to the Premier League at the first attempt. Enzo Maresca promised changes and made nine of them, with Hamza Choudhury and Jannik Vestergaard, who is suspended for their upcoming Championship matches against QPR and Sunderland, the pair to keep their places from Leicester’s starting lineup in the defeat at Leeds last Friday. Leeds represent Leicester’s chief aggravator, so much so that the cushion to third-placed Ipswich is now only six points – and a superior goal difference.

The visitors arrived on the south coast having lost their previous two matches but Leicester’s supporters were quick to remind their top-flight hosts of their recent history. “Hamza Choudhury, he’s won more than you,” they chortled. Choudhury and Marc Albrighton both entered as substitutes at Wembley when they recorded victory over Chelsea courtesy of Youri Tielemans’s long-range cracker.

Kelechi Iheanacho, who returned to the bench here after Africa Cup of Nations duty with Nigeria, started that day. Albrighton went closest to scoring in the first half here, his low, diagonal strike from just outside the box rattling a post on 42 minutes. Moments later Wanya Marçal forced Mark Travers, the Bournemouth goalkeeper, into an awkward save.

Leicester remain without the injured Jamie Vardy, while Bournemouth gave the on-loan Turkey striker Enes Unal given his first start. An outstretched Unal got a touch on Kerkez’s skittled shot but could not divert his effort goalwards. Alex Scott passed up a better chance for the hosts, skying his first-time shot after meeting Luis Sinisterra’s cutback, the winger having breezed past the Manchester City loanee Callum Doyle.

Bournemouth created more clearcut chances but Philip Billing also blasted a shot over. Maresca gave Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Patson Daka a breather. Arjan Raikhy, who signed from Aston Villa last year, lined up at the base of Leicester’s midfield on his full debut.

Unal squandered a headed chance late on against Manchester City last weekend and was a handful here before being withdrawn at the interval. He landed awkwardly on his shoulder after an innocuous collision with Conor Coady midway through the first half and was replaced by Antoine Semenyo at half-time. Ricardo Pereira, a regular in Leicester’s league campaign, entered in place of Raikhy, who was booked for bumping Scott on halfway. Bournemouth’s Argentina defender, Marcos Senesi, went close to opening the scoring in strange circumstances five minutes into the second half, his cross curling against the far post.

Bournemouth blew Swansea away 5-0 in the previous round and while a repeat against another second-tier opponent was not forthcoming they continued to create chances in the second half. Scott, a graceful operator, fed Billing inside the right channel and his cross caused panic in the Leicester box but Semenyo could not apply the all-important finishing touch. Moments later Vestergaard, given a new lease of life under Maresca, hoicked a dangerous cross clear for a corner. At the other end Akgun Yunus stormed upfield and sent a shot at Travers.

When Dango Ouattara was allowed to pick his spot from distance only to promptly send a wayward shot spinning high into the Steve Fletcher Stand, it seemed extra time was an inevitability. Maresca sent on Iheanacho and Fatawu but it was Bournemouth who passed up another decent half-chance. Scott pinched the ball from a dawdling Pereira on halfway and threaded Semenyo through down the middle but his shot was blocked. Iraola bemoaned Semenyo’s decision not to play in the unmarked Ouattara to the forward’s left. Bournemouth looked the more likely to strike but Yunus missed arguably the best chance to avoid another 30 minutes with 87 on the clock, firing over after being slipped in effortlessly by Choudhury.

Yet the 44th effort on goal proved the all-important one, Fatawu the matchwinner.