LIMPET-LIKE Leicester hung on for grim life at Selhurst Park last night to claim their first Wembley cup final appearance in 28 years as Wimbledon's double trophy dream was shattered.
Martin O'Neill's team had suffered abject misery against Chelsea on their last knockout trip to the capital. But this time they could enjoy the other extreme of sporting emotion after showing dogged determination and courage under fire.
Men of lesser resolve than O'Neill's may have caved in as the Wimbledon dominated the early stages, deservedly going in front when Marcus Gayle punished Kasey Keller's one real aberration. But somehow, despite staring over the edge time and again and with Keller hero, Leicester clung on.
They got their reward in the 53rd minute when Simon Grayson stole in at the far post to crash a header from Garry Parker's free kick past Neil Sullivan.
And while it was another backs-to-the-wall effort after Grayson's chance, the white wall refused to be breached again as they hung onto their precious and most precarious advantage.
After early Wimbledon chances Leicester were rocking, but O'Neill's urgings for them to calm down worked, Steve Claridge volleying across the face of goal as the match evened out, before the tie seemed to again tilt in Wimbledon's favour.
There was nothing cultured about Vinnie Jones' 23rd minute thump up the middle and Julian Watts looked in total control as he prepared to clear. But a complete miskick gifted Gayle the ball, he blitzed past the recovering defender then, with Keller expecting a cross, blasted home between the goalkeeper who got the slightest touch at his near post.
Grayson, operating on the left to accommodate Jamie Lawrence, fired at Sullivan as Leicester rallied. But the sheer pace and power of the Wimbledon front pair was a constant worry for them, the home side moving the ball swiftly up field at every opportunity.
it was from such a direct thrust that they could have had a second goal, Keller miskicking on the edge of his box when Gayle steered the ball towards Oyvind Leonhardsen and Ekoku but getting away with it as Spencer Prior cleaned up.
And Leicester not only breathed again but found some composure, and finally started to put something together, Mute Izzet reached the by-line only to find Sullivan with his cross, then Garry Parker's persistence almost engineered an opening for Emile Heskey, Cunningham saving the day with a sliding tackle.
But eight minutes into a second half in which they had pinned the home side into their own box, Leicester were on terms. Parker's free kicks had so nearly been Chelsea's FA Cup undoing, and it was from a set-piece that Grayson stole in to hit a header past Sullivan's right hand and into the roof of the net.
Now it was a cup tie, with Leicester knowing they now had the advantage of the away goal, and Wimbledon on the back foot but only for a few minutes as they then surged forward.
Ekoku was wide with a close-range effort and Gayle's thunderous strike, again from the tightest angle, was pawed away by Keller. Gayle's one-man crusade was foiled by agile Keller once more in the 68th minute, the American touching the ball wide, and Ekoku, who had one goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, broke through but was off-target.
Gayle could have won it when he met Cunningham's searching centre with a header that drifted wide. But the first 90 minutes ended in real controversy with Harford lucky to escape with just a caution, after cutting Keller to the ground and producing a follow-up that floored Watts.
The clock was ticking and Wimbledon's desperation showing as Sullivan came up to join the attacks with six minutes of extra time remaining and staying there for most of what remained.
Twice corners saw goalbound headers beat Keller and twice, from Jones and Ekoku, Parker cleared off the line. That was how tight it was. That is what divides success from failure. Leicester had done it.
