Wout Faes struck late as Leicester City marked their Championship return with a win over 10-man Sheffield Wednesday to deepen the gloom at the crisis-hit club.
Faes headed in with three minutes left after Jannik Vestergaard cancelled out Nathaniel Chalobah’s first-half opener.
It gave new Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes a winning start, while opposite number Henrik Pedersen tasted defeat, 10 days after taking the Owls hotseat.
Pedersen had a senior squad of just 15 players to choose from, but the visitors started positively and Chalobah had an early shot tipped onto the post at full stretch by Foxes goalkeeper Jakob Stolarczyk.
And Chalobah had better luck after 26 minutes when he raced on to Jan Valery’s cross and thumped in a shot which took a hefty deflection off Leicester midfielder Oliver Skipp past Stolarczyk.
The hosts struggled to turn their glut of first-half possession into chances, but Jannik Vestergaard should have levelled when he glanced a header wide from six yards.
Amends were made nine minutes into the second half as Bilal El Khannouss’ low free-kick into the box found the Danish centre-half who took a touch before lifting the ball over 20-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles.
A curtailed pre-season and high temperatures at the King Power Stadium caught up with Wednesday who wilted after the break.
Stephy Mavadidi smashed a shot straight at Charles after a slaloming run into the six-yard box, while Luke Thomas fired over from close range.
Wednesday’s thin squad will have to make do without skipper Barry Bannan next weekend after a sliding two-footed challenge on the influentiual Harry Winks earned him a second yellow card in the space of four minutes.
Charles, making just his ninth league appearance, looked to have earned a draw with a superb diving save from Patson Daka’s point-blank header, but a minute later Faes found space to head in an El Khannouss’ corner from close range and finally break Wednesday’s spirit.