Leicester edge Birmingham 2-1 with late winner to go top of the Championship

Early strike, late drama at the King Power

Friday night football under the lights delivered again. Leicester City needed patience, power, and a late push to beat Birmingham City 2-1 and climb to the top of the Championship. It was not a cruise. It was a scrap between a side chasing automatic promotion and an opponent that refused to fold.

The tone was set inside 10 minutes. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku put Leicester in front with a crisp finish in the eighth minute, rewarding a sharp start and energising a noisy home crowd. The hosts moved the ball with speed, found their wingers early, and tried to pin Birmingham back. For a while, it worked. Leicester took that 1-0 lead into halftime, but the visitors never looked overwhelmed.

After the break, Birmingham pushed higher, closed space faster, and asked proper questions. They fought for second balls, pressed Leicester’s build-up, and found joy down the channels. The equaliser turned a steady night into a tense one, and the stadium felt it. With the game in the balance, the ball had that end-to-end feel—half chances, blocks, and a rush of corners that kept both goalkeepers busy.

Leicester’s head coach reacted from the touchline. Fresh legs came on, the tempo went up, and the Foxes leaned into their wide play again. The winner arrived late, the kind of gut-punch that keeps a team at the top end of the table. It wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly what promotion challengers do: find a way when the game gets messy.

This wasn’t a smash-and-grab. Leicester have been scoring with regularity—eight goals in their five previous matches—and you could see why. They stretch teams, they can switch from patient to direct in a heartbeat, and they are comfortable winning by fine margins. The 2-1 over Sheffield Wednesday and a recent 2-0 against Fiorentina during their build-up hinted at this same competitive edge. Friday night confirmed it in front of their own fans.

Credit to Birmingham for refusing to be a footnote. They arrived with seven points from three games (two wins, one loss), and they played like a team with an identity. Even down a goal early, they stayed compact without the ball and broke with purpose when it turned over. It forced Leicester to juggle control with caution—a classic Championship tug-of-war.

What the result tells us about both teams

The win carries weight beyond the table. It shows Leicester can manage a game when the rhythm is choppy. They can set the pace, absorb a response, and still squeeze out a result at the death. That matters in a division where one-goal wins make or break a season. It also stretches their unbeaten run against Birmingham to 12 meetings, a head-to-head streak that now feels like a psychological edge as much as a stat.

Tactically, Leicester’s shape stayed flexible. The full-backs offered width, the midfield recycled possession, and the front line drifted inside to overload central spaces. When Birmingham blocked the middle, Leicester went around them. When the visitors pressed high, the Foxes played quicker into channels. Those switches kept Birmingham guessing, even when they had a spell of pressure.

Birmingham were no passengers. They targeted transitions, attacked space behind the full-backs, and looked dangerous from set pieces. They showed why they had started the season well, and even after the late punch, there is no sense this will derail them. If anything, the performance on a tough away ground should travel.

Leicester’s bench mattered. In a league with a heavy schedule, the ability to change a game from the dugout is a real weapon. The late winner came from a spell when fresh legs tilted the duels and second balls went the Foxes’ way. That is by design. It reflects a squad built to rotate without losing control.

There were other little markers of a serious team. Game management improved after the winner—less risk on the ball, more smart fouls, and cleaner rest defense behind the ball. You could see the message from the touchline: keep the back door locked, see the game out, and don’t give the referee a decision to make. Given both teams have already been involved with penalties this season, that was not a bad instinct.

The bigger picture? Leicester are setting the right habits. Four games into the Championship, you don’t crown anyone, but going top changes the conversation around the club. It sets a standard in the dressing room and puts pressure on rivals who now have to respond on Saturday. It also reinforces the idea that this squad can win in different ways—early leads, comebacks, and, as seen here, late winners when nerves are tested.

For Birmingham, the road is long and there is promise in the performance. They carried threat, kept competing after falling behind, and looked well-drilled. Away points decide mid-table versus playoff pushes, and while this one slipped late, the framework is there. The focus now will be on sharper final passes and switching off less in the dying minutes.

Key takeaways from the night:

• Leicester climb to the Championship summit after a late 2-1 win.
• Abdul Fatawu Issahaku’s eighth-minute opener set the platform.
• The Foxes extend an unbeaten run over Birmingham to 12 meetings.
• Both teams showed why they have started the season strongly.

The King Power felt the mood swing. Early optimism turned to second-half tension, then celebration. That arc matters to supporters, who have seen enough Championship football to know these are the results that stick in a season’s memory. Not just the scoreline, but the way a team responds when a game wobbles.

Leicester will have a quick turnaround, as ever in this league. The schedule will ask for rotation and the same clarity seen here. They have attacking threats wide, a midfield that can control or counter, and a back line that, while tested, held firm when it most mattered. Add in the confidence of a league lead and the formula is clear.

Birmingham leave with frustration but not with doubt. There was structure, intensity, and enough chances to suggest better days ahead. Tidy up the late-game details and the points will follow.

The table will shift again this weekend, but the message from Friday is simple: Leicester can go top and stay calm while getting there. That’s a trait that travels well in this division.