Five of the best: Leicester City v Derby County clashes from history

After a thrilling 2-2 draw when these two met in the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round earlier this month, East Midlands foes Leicester City and Derby County are set to do battle again at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday night.

But while it may not be the region’s most famous rivalry, these two have plenty of water under the bridge, with just 28 miles – and a slew of memorable clashes – separating them.

Ladbrokes News look back on five of the most memorable meetings between this pair. Who knows, we could see one of this fivesome knocked out of its slot by an unforgettable cup Replay?

Derby 3-0 Leicester (March 18, 1972 – First Division)

While last year saw Claudio Ranieri’s men stun the nation by winning the Premier League title for the first time in their history, back in 1972 Brian Clough’s Derby side were doing much the same thing.

Battling Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester City – all of whom finished the season a single point below the Rams – for the title, this was among the most important wins of Derby’s successful bid to be champions of England.

The hugely talented trio of John O’Hare, Alan Durban and Kevin Hector produced the trio of goals needed to secure a fourth win on the bounce, as their rivals kept up the pressure by winning. Small margins, and all that…

Leicester 3-3 Derby (April 5, 1994 – Division One)

Late arrivals in the stands at Filbert Street would have been fuming here, with all the action coming in a breathless opening 29 minutes, as the East Midlands rivals shared a spectacular six goals down the middle.

Derby were 2-0 up within 12 minutes, with ex-Foxes favourite Paul Kitson opening the scoring, before Jimmy Willis put through his own net.

Leicester looked set to suffer a third straight home loss, before the hosts’ Iwan Roberts produced his first senior hat-trick in an astonishing nine-minute stint. Oh, and then Kitson equalised. Phew!

Leicester 4-2 Derby (February 22, 1997 – Premier League)

While it didn’t quite hit the dizzy heights of last season, there’s no denying that the 1996-97 campaign was one of the better times to be a fan of the Foxes, with the club lifting the League Cup and securing a top-half Prem finish.

The visitors took a second-minute lead through Dean Sturridge, but the hero of the day was undoubtedly Leicester’s Ian Marshall, who chalked up a hat-trick before the half-hour mark arrived.

An inspired half-volley, an opportunistic finish after a goalkeeping howler from Russell Hoult and a neat, sweeping strike to make it 3-1 saw him take home the match ball and Leicester take the spoils.

Derby 2-0 Leicester (April 15, 2001 – Premier League)

This clash couldn’t have been more crucial for the Rams, who found themselves at the heart of a relegation battle as they welcomed Peter Taylor’s men to Pride Park.

But Derby fans were in for a day of delight, as their side pulled off a first victory in five games thanks to a cool finish from Paul Boertien and a stunning solo effort from Italian magician Stefano Eranio.

The Rams secured safety in the penultimate game of the season with a shock 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, but this victory over the Foxes was the game that really shook them back into life.

Leicester 4-1 Derby (January 10, 2014 – Championship)

Nigel Pearson’s fantastic Foxes moved a step closer to ending their 10-year wait for Premier League football with this thumping of the Rams – hampering Derby’s own promotion push in the process.

Ritchie De Laet opened the scoring with a fine finish after 24 minutes following a smart one-two with David Nugent, and from there the hosts always looked in control. ‘Nuge’ added to the lead with a fortunate ricochet and a well-taken penalty, before a certain Jamie Vardy made it four with a neat finish. Imperious stuff.

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