BRENDAN RODGERS has no problem remembering the first time he witnessed Jack Grealish sprinkle stardust over a football match.
Remarkably, in an extraordinary run spanning 30 games, that was the last time Leicester’s boss tasted defeat in a domestic cup tie.
Jack Grealish stole the show for Aston Villa against Liverpool in 2015Credit: AFP
We must rewind to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2015 to find the moment Rodgers suffered a shock loss at Wembley.
A 19-year-old Grealish inspired Aston Villa to a 2-1 win over Liverpool which ruined Rodgers’ hopes of winning a trophy on Merseyside.
Sacked by the Kop in October that year, Rodgers went on to win five domestic cups with Celtic.
Now, Rodgers hopes Leicester can beat Villa in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, a contest which sees them as firm favourites.
Asked about memories of the loss to Villa nearly five years ago, he said: “There was a lot of pressure going into that game.
“It looked as though we were going to miss out on the top four and Stevie Gerrard was leaving that year.
“The FA Cup final was going to be on his birthday, so there was so much going on.
“Jack Grealish really stood out that day. I came away thinking ‘what a player that boy is’.
“He was drifting in and he showed he had the personality to play on the big stage.”
At training yesterday, Rodgers stressed the importance of staying calm in tonight’s home first leg.
He knows he may never be able to replicate the miracle of 2016 when Claudio Ranieri led the Foxes to the Premier League title.
Leicester City are second in the Premier League table after 21 gamesCredit: Rex Features
But Rodgers added: “We want to look back in 30 years time and see a period of success. Not just be known as that team that won the league that year and that’s it.
“Hopefully we can we develop over the coming years, to be a team that gets Champions League football, that can win something again and sustain it.
“It’d be brilliant to have the youngsters win something here. It would enhance their mentality.”
Jack Grealish stood out to Brendan Rodgers during the match in 2015Credit: Getty – Contributor
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
