Natasha Flint’s late rocket sent Leicester City into the FA Women’s League Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Both sides missed a hatful of chances before Thursday’s tie was eventually decided by Flint’s 85th-minute thunderbolt from an indirect free-kick.
The hosts produced the first real scoring opportunity of the quarter-final when Bianca Baptiste’s flick on found Aoife Hurley unmarked in the six-yard box but her volley sailed over the bar
It was one-way traffic thereon as Leicester took control against their FA Women?s Championship rivals, with striker Flint trying to find her range but shooting wide from distance.
Flint had a second chance inside 20 minutes, this time from inside the penalty area, but Emma Gibbon did well to hold onto the powerful strike. The Foxes continued to create the better chances and could have taken the lead just before the break but Gibbon once again kept Flint out before Lachante Paul blasted the rebound well over.
The visitors started the second half as they ended the first as Paul steered her effort just wide of the post.
Ashlee Hincks couldn?t convert a free-kick in a good position before Paul and Flint both missed chances at the other end.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, substitute Charlie Devlin unsuccessfully tried her luck with a volley from the edge of the box as the tie looked increasingly destined to finish in a stalemate.
But with five minutes remaining, up stepped Flint to fire in her...