Match report
Núñez brace sends Ipswich past Leicester in League Cup
Ipswich beat Leicester 3-1 at Portman Road in the League Cup Round of 64, breaking the deadlock in the second half after a goalless opening period. The result continued Gary O'Neil's side's unbeaten run, while Leicester's inconsistent recent form persisted despite a spirited response.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
The home side broke through in the 62nd minute when Sindre Egeli converted a Jack Clarke assist to make it 1-0. Leicester levelled almost immediately through Olabade Aluko, who finished off a Bobby De Cordova-Reid pass in the 67th minute to draw the visitors level at 1-1.
Ipswich regained the lead four minutes later as Marcelino Núñez struck from a Chuba Akpom assist to put the hosts 2-1 ahead, and Núñez completed his brace deep into stoppage time, converting a Cameron Humphreys assist in the first minute of added time to seal a 3-1 win. Leicester had more of the ball and produced more shots overall, but Ipswich's clinical finishing in the closing stages proved decisive.
Marcelino Núñez scored twice, including the decisive stoppage-time goal, to finish with a rating of 8.9 and take the individual honours for Ipswich.
Leicester held the majority of possession at 57 percent and had more shots overall, yet it was Ipswich who made their chances count.
Ipswich beat Leicester 3–1 (half-time 0–0).
Ipswich met Leicester in the League Cup (Round of 64). Kick-off was Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 18:45 UTC at Portman Road. Referee: Lewis Smith.
Team pages: Ipswich · Leicester · League Cup
Key moments
- 62' Goal: Sindre Egeli (assist: Jack Clarke) — 1–0 · Watch Sindre Egeli's goal video (62')
- 67' Goal: Olabade Aluko (assist: Bobby De Cordova-Reid) — 1–1 · Watch Olabade Aluko's goal video (67')
- 71' Goal: Marcelino Núñez (assist: Chuba Akpom) — 2–1 · Watch Marcelino Núñez's goal video (71')
- 90' Goal: Marcelino Núñez (assist: Cameron Humphreys) — 3–1 · Watch Marcelino Núñez's goal video (90')
Starting line-ups
Ipswich (4-2-3-1)
Leicester (4-1-4-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Ipswich 63%, the draw 26%, Leicester 11%. It finished Ipswich 3–1 Leicester.
Ipswich's rating gap decides it — Ipswich are clearly the stronger side on our strength rating, and that is most of Ipswich's 63%. The draw at 26% is lifted by a low-scoring environment.
Why Ipswich at 63%?
Ipswich sit 253 points higher on our strength rating — 1679 to 1426. Sides with a 200–300-point rating edge at home won 67.0% of 5,952 such games. The 300 most similar past games finished 65–24–11.
Why only 63%?
No scored evidence points the other way. 63% is what this rating gap has been worth in games like these; the rest is the draw at 26% and Leicester at 11%.
Why the draw at 26%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 22.7%. These teams' recent games average 2.3 goals — a low-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 28.2% of 18,128. The goals environment adds 3.0 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
Leicester average 6 points more possession, but the rating gap here is 253 points. Our control receipt only exists between near-equals — there it moved results; across a class gap we could not measure a separate style edge, so style scores 0 here. Ipswich are missing 1 regular starter — Azor Matusiwa — about 15% of their usual starting-XI weight. A body count alone told us nothing. The other measured facts on this page scored nothing either.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Ipswich vs Leicester final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this League Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Sindre Egeli's goal against Leicester (62').
- Watch Olabade Aluko's goal against Ipswich (67').
- Watch Marcelino Núñez's goal against Leicester (71').
- Watch Marcelino Núñez's goal against Leicester (90').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Ipswich 3–1 Leicester. Explore more on the Ipswich and Leicester team pages or the League Cup page.