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Leicester City lost 3-1 to Sheffield United on New Year’s Day(Image: Harriet Massey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\nHow we scored the Leicester City players as they started the new year with a pitiful defeat, with Marti Cifuentes targeted by sack chants as his side were dominated at Bramall Lane<\/p>\n
19:49, 01 Jan 2026Updated 20:08, 01 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
Leicester City lost 3-1 to Sheffield United on New Year’s Day(Image: Harriet Massey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Leicester City supporters targeted Marti Cifuentes with sack chants as a pitiful performance saw them lose their 2026 opener 3-1 to Sheffield United.<\/p>\n
Brief blasts of \u201cyou\u2019re getting sacked in the morning\u201d were heard from the away end at Bramall Lane, where City were second best in every aspect to the Blades.<\/p>\n
They conceded to Japhet Tanganga and former striker Tom Cannon either side of half-time as their run without a clean sheet extended to 19 games, their worst streak in the second tier since 1949.<\/p>\n
Callum O\u2019Hare then put the cherry on the cake before Jordan James\u2019 late consolation.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s City\u2019s first New Year\u2019s Day defeat since 2008 and it\u2019s one that puts them in the bottom half of the table, and leaves some fans dissatisfied with Cifuentes.<\/p>\n
A new year brings fresh opportunities and Silko Thomas was handed his first senior start for the club up front, the 21-year-old rewarded for his energetic substitute showings.<\/p>\n
But there were no chances for him to get on the scoresheet in the first half with City second best in every aspect to the dominant Blades.<\/p>\n
Unlike the meeting at the King Power Stadium, they at least didn\u2019t go in 3-0 behind, nor did they concede inside the opening two minutes, although Jakub Stolarczyk had to be alert to prevent a wayward Ben Nelson back-pass from heading into the City net.<\/p>\n
The chances came consistently for the hosts. Patrick Bamford had a volley saved, Cannon had a shot blocked, and then Andre Brooks spooned over after City only half-cleared a corner.<\/p>\n
Stolarczyk had to be alert to parry away a Bamford effort when City were cut apart by the Blades\u2019 movement and passing in a slick move.<\/p>\n
But for the goal, Chris Wilder\u2019s side didn\u2019t need anything intricate. A corner was swung into the middle of the box, with Jordan James losing the run of Tanganga, who leaped above Luke Thomas to head in.<\/p>\n
City\u2019s sole first-half shot was a speculative 40-yard effort from Abdul Fatawu wide of the post. Something had to change if they were going to make a comeback attempt in the second period.<\/p>\n
Nothing did. The pattern of the game continued and the Blades had their second seven minutes after the break. Brooks beat Luke Thomas all ends up and then cut the ball back for Cannon, who scored his second of the season against City.<\/p>\n
That did spark Cifuentes into a change, but it was not the one City fans wanted. Jordan Ayew replaced the hard-working Silko Thomas, prompting the away supporters to chant \u201cyou don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing\u201d in Cifuentes\u2019 direction.<\/p>\n
The double introduction of Louis Page and Jeremy Monga finally saw City pose an attacking threat, but it was short-lived, and the Blades ended up getting the next goal, with O\u2019Hare sliding into finish from close range.<\/p>\n
City did get on the scoresheet in added time, James firing in from the edge of the box. But there was no celebration, the Welshman knowing this was another bad day at the office. Here\u2019s how we scored the players.<\/p>\n
Jakub Stolarczyk: <\/strong>He had to be alert early on to prevent an own goal and then positioning himself well to keep out a couple of Bamford efforts. It can\u2019t really be said that he should have done better with any of the goals. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n Ricardo Pereira: <\/strong>He was at least able to keep the ball under pressure, which was a rarity among City players, although he was still far from perfect. He did have a bit of thrust though. Defensively, he got dragged inside to leave Bamford free at the back post too often. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Caleb Okoli: <\/strong>He managed to win plenty of cheap free-kicks from Bamford to relieve City pressure but otherwise looked uncomfortable trying to keep tabs on the Blades attackers. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Nelson: <\/strong>There were plenty of decent moments, especially in mopping up when the game became stretched, but he couldn\u2019t stop the Blades from posing a threat in the box and he was in the wrong place for the final goal. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Luke Thomas: <\/strong>He was beaten all ends up by Brooks for the second Blades goal and was breezed past him a few times in the first period too. A couple of blocked crosses don\u2019t really make up for that. 3<\/strong><\/p>\n Oliver Skipp: <\/strong>He covered for team-mates well early, getting back to cut out crosses when Luke Thomas and Mavididi were beaten on City\u2019s left. But he over-committed with his slide in before Cannon\u2019s goal. On the ball, he didn\u2019t offer much. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Jordan James: <\/strong>He got involved without really making any impact at either end of the pitch. But he somehow maintained his energy to score at the death, a goal he was not at all interested in celebrating. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n Bobby De Cordova-Reid: <\/strong>He lost the ball regularly in the first half and seemed to spend a lot of the game asking team-mates why they weren\u2019t picking up their men, even without really seeming to do it himself. 3<\/strong><\/p>\n Abdul Fatawu: <\/strong>In the first half, he was not alert and stood behind his man, meaning Ricardo couldn\u2019t find him. He was also booked for diving, while his through balls to Silko Thomas were overhit. He took too many audacious potshots in the second half. 3<\/strong><\/p>\n Silko Thomas: <\/strong>He was hard-working and made life uncomfortable for the Blades defenders with his pressing. He made great runs too, and while he was caught offside a couple of times, he deserved better passes up to him. On the ball, he was decent enough. All in all, he was harshly subbed. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n Stephy Mavididi: <\/strong>City fans cheered when he was taken off, which said all that needed to be said about his performance. He didn\u2019t really get on the ball, and when he did, he didn\u2019t threaten, with his passes in attacking areas poor. 3<\/strong><\/p>\n Hamza Choudhury: <\/strong>He spread play well during the very brief period City were on top. He seemed to make more interceptions than Skipp too. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n Jordan Ayew: <\/strong>He didn\u2019t do a lot of anything until he passed the ball to James to set up the goal. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Louis Page: <\/strong>He\u2019s pushing for starts at this point. His introduction helped, briefly, change the game, as he looked really mature and composed on the ball. 6<\/strong><\/p>\n Jeremy Monga: <\/strong>He showed a few nice skills, and in different areas of the pitch. He got into the box but didn\u2019t have the crosses to City shirts afterwards. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n