Wout Faes struck three minutes from time as Leicester City launched their Championship return with a hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over a spirited, crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday at the King Power Stadium. The Belgian centre-back rose to meet Bilal El Khannouss' corner just moments after Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles had seemingly earned his side a point with a stunning save from Patson Daka.
Nathaniel Chalobah had earlier given the Owls a first-half lead, only for fellow centre-half Jannik Vestergaard to level shortly after the break. Barry Bannan's dismissal left Wednesday to see out the closing stages with 10 men, and Leicester's pressure finally told as Faes completed the turnaround to earn new Foxes boss Marti Cifuentes a winning start and deepen the gloom around Henrik Pedersen's depleted squad.
Protest and turmoil as Wednesday strike first
The backdrop to Wednesday's season opener could hardly have been more turbulent. The club are operating under English Football League embargoes after various financial breaches, wages have been delayed for three months, around half of last season's senior players have departed and no replacements have arrived. Former manager Danny Rohl walked away less than a fortnight before the campaign, leaving Pedersen to step up from the coaching staff and take charge with just 15 senior players and a bench padded out by six academy products.