Harvey Barnes Leicester City
Leicester City left-back Luke Thomas was overcome with shock to win the FA Cup for his hometown club – and in his first senior game in front of fans. The teenager, who grew up in Syston, did not make his first-team debut for City until last July, when football had already been taken behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic. Coming out at Wembley, Thomas said it gave him an adrenaline rush to play in front of a crowd for the first time, a boost that saw him play his part in securing a maiden FA Cup triumph for the club.
Luke Thomas said: : “I’m pretty speechless to be honest. I’ve lost my voice and the game only finished half an hour ago! The lads are buzzing, and it was great the fans were here. It’s an unbelievable feeling. If you had told me about this a year ago I’d have said: ‘What are you on about, mate?’ Coming to Wembley, we’ve created history. I know how much it means to fans, I’ve been a Leicester fan since I was born. I’m sure they’ll be having a good time. It was really good, even to go out for the warm-up and to have the fans there to have your back. It gave me an extra motivation. It was unbelievable playing out there. It gave me a boost. It gave me more energy and adrenaline. It was the first time they’ve seen me live, so it was a chance for me to show them what I can do.”
The teenager was unfazed by the big occasion, going on to play the pass to Youri Tielemans for the Belgian’s brilliantly-struck winner, and then helping the rearguard action to defend the lead.
Luke Thomas on Youri Tielmas strike said: “It was as soon as it left his foot, I knew it was in And he’s got me an assist, I’m buzzing with that. With an experienced player like Kasper (Schmeichel), you know you can rely on him in vital moments and he made a world-class save. I always believed in the lads, the last five minutes (when Thomas was watching from the bench) I felt we dealt with it really well to hold on to what we had.”
It’s been a special week for Thomas, scoring his first Premier League goal with a volley at Old Trafford before Saturday’s FA Cup success, but it could get even better, as victory at Chelsea on Tuesday will secure the club’s spot in the Champions League.
Luke Thomas added: “We’re going to get back in for recovery, and we’ll go again on Tuesday. They know the threats we have, we know the threats they have, and hopefully we can do it all over again.”
