Abdul Fatawu conjured up a marvellous winner as Leicester City edged into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 success over a wasteful Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The initial 90 minutes ended without the net rippling once, as both profligate teams wasted a glut of opportunities, but one moment of magic from Fatawu in the 115th minute punched the Foxes' ticket to the last eight on the South Coast.
In the inaugural FA Cup showdown between the two clubs, both sides carved out a couple of promising opportunities in an even start to the match, where Enes Unal came agonisingly close to a first Cherries goal in the 18th minute.
The Getafe loanee did not get a clean connection on his strike just inside the area, but his effort appeared to be heading for the bottom corner, only for a backtracking Hamza Choudhury to crucially hack the ball away.
Bournemouth had taken the game by the scruff of the neck at this point and should have drawn first blood in the 22nd minute, but Alex Scott's strike from a promising position cleared the crossbar, as did Philip Billing's speculative effort on the half-hour mark.
The hosts' wastefulness breathed new life into Leicester, who came within inches of opening the scoring with two chances in the 42nd minute, as Marc Albrighton drove forward and smacked a low drive onto the base of the post before Mark Travers stuck up a strong hand to deny Wanya Marcal from range.
Travers's opposite number Jakub Stolarczyk was called into action not long after, as Dango Ouattara met a Bournemouth corner at the near post and directed a header towards goal, but the well-positioned Foxes stopper made a smart stop.
That is sensational! 💪
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 27, 2024
A peach from @LCFC's Abdul Fatawu 🍑#BBCFootball #FACup #BOULEI pic.twitter.com/joYgi3sph5
One alteration arrived on both ends at the break, as Unal - who had taken a whack to the head in the first half - was replaced by Antoine Semenyo, while Ricardo Pereira came on for Leicester's full debutant Arjan Raikhy.
After Albrighton struck the post for Leicester in the first half, it was Bournemouth's turn to rattle the frame of the goal in the 50th minute, as Marcos Senesi's cross-cum-shot left Stolarczyk beaten but came off the far post and bounced clear.
Andoni Iraola's men remained on top as the second half progressed, but with leading marksman Dominic Solanke watching on helplessly from the stands, a clinical edge eluded them.
Left-back Milos Kerkez was the next to try his luck in the 74th minute, but Stolarczyk was equal to his drive at the near post, before Leicester's Yunus Akgun held his run and found himself one-on-one with Travers, only to waste that golden chance as he cleared the bar in the 86th minute.
Extra time was on the Vitality menu, and in the last minute of the first additional period, Leicester winger Fatawu scored a goal worth waiting nearly two hours for, darting inside from the right and finding the top corner with an incredible left-footed curler, which Travers got a hand to to little effect.
A half-chance for Romain Faivre to draw Bournemouth level in the 119th minute saw the Frenchman fire wide from the edge of the box - a miss which told the tale of the Cherries' evening - before a pivotal Scott header off the line stopped Jannik Vestergaard from doubling the visitors' lead.
Enzo Maresca's men looked the more likely to score again as the clock ticked down, though, and another three additional minutes on the end of the 120 was not enough for the top-tier hosts to force penalties.
Bournemouth now resume Premier League duties away to Burnley on Sunday lunchtime, while Leicester's Championship title pursuit continues at home to Queens Park Rangers a day before.
Ben Knapton
