Russell Martin's Leicester City change that sparked huge Stockport response

Losing 4-0 at home to Oxford United has been described as a "anomaly" by Russell Martin and maybe he's right. There's a very good possibility that it was. But City had to respond in some way at Edgeley Park and they did.

Some labelled the trip to Jim McNulty's side as the 'worst possible' game for Leicester and Martin to face after last week's dismay. Buy City were worthy winners.

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Both the players and Martin deserve credit. Every player who came onto the pitch did what they needed to do and executed the game plan brilliantly. Martin responded to the humiliating defeat last time out by making a tactical change that few saw coming.

"It was to try and get two strikers closer together near the goal and give us a bit more threat," Martin explained. "And we scored four goals and we looked a real threat. So I'm really happy about that."

The move made Leicester far less predictable because they had a genuine central reference point, rather than relying heavily on the attacking midfielders to find the space around the lone striker.

Liam Cullen came back into the squad and produced his first real moment of quality in a Foxes shirt. In the opening stages of yesterday's game, the Wales international repeatedly looked to receive the ball on the shoulder of Stockport's defence, calling for it off Will Alves before Louis Page stroked the ball into his path.

"I'm so happy for him," Martin told LeicestershireLive. "He's a brilliant person and I'm really proud of him. He's a really good player who's building back his confidence and belief because he hasn't played a huge amount in the last however long.

"He knows the system. He played this role for me a lot at Swansea and did it brilliantly. So to put him in today was an obvious choice for us. And not only did he score, he took the ball so many times on the press."

Possession was edged by Stockport ever-so slightly (51% to City's 49%), but the first-half told a different story. Martin's men had 60% of the ball, forced the home side into lazy passes and were better on the ball. That was helped by Cullen's pressing high up the pitch.

Questions have emerged about where Cullen best fits into this Leicester team since his permanent switch from Swansea City. He did show some encouraging signs as the left-sided attacking midfielder, but his best performance for the club has come in a role he has played before.

Stockport's equalising goal looked initially to be a well-worked goal. It was, but it did highlight the fragile nature of City's backline. A mix-up between Page and Jayden Joseph left Leicester exposed, leaving their defence scrambling to mark the forward players.

Jack Diamond made a clever run to lose Luke Thomas before being given too much time inside the box to shoot low and hard. Should Alex McCarthy have saved it? After watching the goal back, Diamond is on the corner of the six yard box and there are two defenders between him and the ball.

City had their lowest amount of possession under Martin so far this season and allowed Stockport to have more than double the touches in their box (35) than they managed (12). Against Oxford, the glaring issues came in transitional situations and down their left, with Stockport's opener following a similar pattern.

However, it happened rarely in comparison to last week. The overall structure of Leicester's defence wasn't repeatedly exposed and Alves' defensive positioning gave them more protection.

But, a problem that resurfaced at Leicester last week was their inability to respond positively to a setback. When Diamond levelled, their heads didn't drop and they restored their lead with another simple, but effective, goal. Another incisive pass from Page, who was outstanding with three assists, took a touch of fortune as it bounced into Emil Riis' stride.

Page was allowed more freedom in Leicester's midfield with John Lundstram sitting behind him and Sammy Braybrooke. He often came deep to bounce the ball between himself and Lundstram, while also mixing it up by showing bravery to take it on the half turn to progress the ball quickly.

"He was amazing," Martin said. "Really top on the ball, but also on the other side of the game. Having John Lundstram next to him helps a lot. Talking to him, he knows when to go and when to not. So the decision she made today, without the ball, were better and with better intention because the guy playing next to him, they need that help."

The striker took his time, lofted the ball over Oliver Whatmuff and ran off in celebration. Having a striker with confidence in front of goal is something Leicester have lacked for some time.

Luck continued to come City's way at the other end and McCarthy deserves praise in this instance. Somehow, Stockport hit the crossbar three times in a minute, with the experienced goalkeeper getting the slightest of touches to keep Ryan Glover's header out of the net.

The game's best moment came when Riis stretched Leicester's lead. The Dane moved down the left channel as Alves carried the ball forward and received it with plenty to do. With Alves driving forward and both Braybrooke and Cullen occupying advanced positions, the hosts were reluctant to commit another defender and left Riis isolated one-on-one.

It took him three touches to bring the ball inside before he laced a low driven effort past Whatmuff. Page completed his hat-trick of assists minutes later, finding John Lundstram at the back post to put City 4-1. Even the most optimistic of those who follow City couldn't have seen such a comfortable afternoon for Martin's men.

And they would have been correct in doing so. Just five minutes after Lundstram's debut goal, Stockport cut the deficit through Oliver Norwood's excellent free-kick. When it crept into the bottom corner, the instant thought was: should McCarthy have done better on this one? Yes. Suddenly, the crowd had energy and it was a reminder that the game wasn't done.

If anxiety wasn't building within the Leicester players then, it would have shortly after. This time, Stockport benefited from some luck inside the box and Kyle Wootton's touch sent the ball into the back of the net. 4-3 with half an hour remaining.

The 30 minutes that followed saw Stockport throw everything at the Foxes. Norwood's free-kick certainly turned the tide and meant Stockport pushed more bodies forward, automatically increasing City's distances between the lines.

Jason Adigun missed the best chance when he skied Ethan Ennis' cut-back after McCarthy tipped Wootton's header over the bar. Sustained pressure was something they could have avoided, but they managed it well.

Martin conceded that his team had too much defending to do late on, something they had done very little of in the opening 55 minutes. Yet coming away from one of the better teams in League One with three points, four goals and a spirited ending to see out the result can only be viewed positively.