Leicester City's difficult start to the League One season worsened with a 3-1 home defeat to Peterborough United. The loss at the King Power Stadium leaves the Foxes 17th in the table with just nine points from eight games.
Owura Edwards opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute, and Harry Leonard doubled the advantage before half-time. Leicester's misery was compounded when Warren O'Hora turned the ball into his own net just before the interval, sending Peterborough in with a 3-0 lead. Emil Riis Jakobsen pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 68th minute, but it was a mere consolation as many supporters had already left the stadium.
Sporting director's backing
In the build-up to the match, sporting director James McCarron gave his first major interview since taking the role over seven months ago. He used the platform to reaffirm his support for under-pressure head coach Russell Martin. "I am totally convinced that Martin is the right manager," McCarron said. He explained that the central reason for appointing Martin was to implement a style based on controlling the ball and dominating territory with courage and intensity. McCarron acknowledged the integration of 30 summer signings takes time but stated he felt the team "should really start to take off."
Post-match criticism
The performance drew sharp criticism, with former Leicester winger and BBC Radio Leicester pundit Matt Piper questioning the clarity of Martin's instructions. "He is saying 'turn the game ugly for 10 minutes' and they have clearly not got that message on the training ground," Piper said. Martin accepted the personal criticism that followed the final whistle. "The chants are what they are. It is what it is and we have to keep our head down and work really hard," the manager stated. He argued that changing managers is not a quick fix for the club's problems.
Ownership speculation addressed
Chief football officer Jon Rudkin also spoke publicly just over an hour before kick-off, in an interview lasting less than ten minutes. He addressed criticism directed at himself and the club's owners, the Srivaddhanaprabha family. Rudkin declined to comment on specific speculation regarding a potential sale of the club, despite reports of a brochure valuing Leicester City at over £200 million being circulated. The defeat came against a Peterborough side managed by former Leicester captain Robbie Savage, who had been winless in their previous six league games.
The result is Leicester's second consecutive league defeat, following a 2-1 loss at Stevenage, and extends a concerning run of form. The immediate focus turns to halting this slide in their next match, a home fixture against 16th-placed Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, 17 October.
More detail at BBC Sport Football
