After a positive Stoke start, Hull induce a bit of panic in the home defence as they put together their first move of note.

And they probably should have a penalty for their troubles as Matt Crooks goes down under a challenge from Ashley Phillips.

The defender gets the ball but only after he's tripped Crooks, who had made a purposeful run into the box.

That is a let-off for the Potters.

A quick look at a replay of the second goal shows a deflection off Sheffield United's Jairo Riedewald from Callum O'Hare's shot - the Dutchman may want to claim that as his first for the club.

Rock, paper, scissors in the changing room at full time?

NB: Confirmation it is Riedewald's goal...

Leicester were 3-0 down at the break against Southampton in midweek.

They were 2-0 down here after barely four minutes - has the game gone already for the Foxes?

'You're not fit to wear the shirt' is the chant from the home fans.

Sheffield United earn a corner...

There are 12 different nationalities in the starting line-ups at bet365 Stadium.

And five more on the respective benches.

Championship recruitment teams really are looking to all parts of the globe for players these days!

Andrew Aloia
BBC Sport England at King Power Stadium

I've come by stunned silence in stadiums plenty of times, but the reaction to the second goal from Sheffield United can only be described as rumbling groans of disbelief.

And there are still Leicester City fans finding their seats. They have missed nothing but carnage at this point.

Matty Fryatt
Former Leicester City striker on Radio Leicester

It's the worst possible start.

The only thing I can say is from this position there's no pressure because you now expect Sheffield United to go and win the game.

What a start for them, they're a team in form and full of confidence.

Andrew Aloia
BBC Sport England at King Power Stadium

Image source, Shutterstock

It was only minutes before kick-off that I was speaking to the fine folk at BBC Radio Leicester, and each and everyone one of them said 'of course Tom Cannon is going to score against Leicester today'.

It didn't take long for them to be proven right.

It felt inevitable with where Leicester are right now

A sense of optimism is palpable from home fans in the damp Staffordshire air.

Stoke are looking to get on the front foot here.

Early drama in the Pompey penalty area as Bristol City break and Scott Twine collects Anis Mehmeti's cutback, then stumbles and goes to ground as Regan Poole makes the challenge.

Referee Sam Allison says no penalty - and although Twine beats the turf in frustration, that looked like the right call from the official.

Matty Fryatt
Former Leicester City striker on Radio Leicester

I mentioned about the first goal being crucial and Leicester have just shot themselves in the foot.

The tackles weren't aggressive enough. It's a tidy finish from Tom Cannon but he shouldn't have been allowed the opportunity to begin with.

Leicester have started incredibly poorly.

Warm-ups done. Pre-match handshakes done.

Let's get on with the football!

Image source, Opta

Leicester City boss Marti Cifuentes makes three changes from the side which lost 3-0 at Southampton in midweek.

Defender Olabade Aluko is suspended after his red card at St Mary's while Hamza Choudhury and Oliver Skipp are among the substitutes.

Into the side come skipper Ricardo Pereira, Luke Thomas and Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Patrick Bamford and Sam McCallum drop to the bench for Sheffield United and are replaced by Tyrese Campbell and Harrison Burrows.

There's also a return to the matchday squad for Tahith Chong having been out since the end of September.

Image source, Opta

Image source, BBC Sport

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho makes a trio of changes from the side beaten by Sheffield United in midweek – one of those enforced by Terry Devlin’s suspension following his red card at Bramall Lane.

Captain Marlon Pack returns to the starting line-up, along with Jordan Williams - who scored his first Pompey goal in their last home game - and Callum Lang. Florian Bianchini and Mark Kosznovszky make way.

For Bristol City, playmaker Scott Twine is back in the side after missing their midweek loss to Wrexham with a minor knock.

Neto Borges also features in the starting XI, with Haydon Roberts and Yu Hirakawa both dropping to the bench.

Curiously captain Jason Knight is missing from the squad having made his return from injury against Swansea last Saturday.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

There are three changes to the Stoke side from the one that swept Charlton aside on Tuesday night.

Ben Pearson, experienced former West Ham left-back Aaron Cresswell and Bosun Lawal come into the side as Steven Nzonzi, Eric Bocat and Ben Wilmot drop to the bench.

For Hull and their Bosnian head coach Sergej Jakirovic, there are also three alterations to the starting line-up after defeat at home to Ipswich.

Republic of Ireland centre-back John Egan, midfield man Matt Crooks and Turkish forward Enis Destan take the places of Charlie Hughes, Amir Hadziahmetovic and Kyle Joseph.

Image source, BBC Sport

Andrew Aloia
BBC Sport England at King Power Stadium

Image source, BBC Sport

I don’t think the front of a programme cover has ever made me laugh.

That changed today when I saw Patson Daka with his finger on his lips.

He absolutely hushed up the naysayers with the goal he scored in the win against Stoke last week, but in the wider context of what Leicester City are going through I just thought, "well, that’s a bit cheeky".

This is, of course, the week that the never mentioned and barely acknowledged hearing relating to Leicester City’s alleged spending breaches began. (Hush now, stand in a corner and whisper this scandal in my ear).

Ask Foxes boss Marti Cifuentes, and get a polite "not for me to comment on." Ask the club, and nothing. Quiz the Premier League and English Football League about it and nothing of substance is shared. (Us to know, you to unpick the bedlam at the end).

It was earlier this month that club owner, chairman and interim chief executive Khun Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha sat down for an interview with the club website to talk about how he wants closer relations and a more open dialogue with supporters.

There was reference to the difficulties the club is grappling with, but no pointed comments about the legal battle they are fighting and which has them scrambling to try avoid a points penalty.

So yeah, fingers on the lips and pipe down. The silence has been deafening.

And like I said, I couldn’t help but laugh at the audacity of that front cover.

Eight games into this season everything was ticking along nicely for Leicester City, safely inside the top six and level on points with Coventry.

Nine games later they are 15th and 16 points behind the Sky Blues who have roared away while the Foxes appear to be pulled over on the hard shoulder, scratching their heads.

Three wins from their past 10 outings and just one out of six at home have stalled the progress of Mart Cifuentes' side but the head coach is keen not to panic.

"We don't want the difference at the top of table and us to increase. Just the opposite. But at the same time for me the most important thing is to make sure the team improves then I know that this will reflect on the table," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

Sheffield United's season is improving, I mean, let's face it, how couldn't it?

An unbeaten three-game run in which they haven't conceded a goal is surely evidence of the Chris Wilder 'touch' working its magic.

Mind you this sequence has followed three successive defeats - the Blades are far from out of trouble, in fact Oxford's win against Ipswich last night has dropped them back into the relegation zone.

"The biggest compliment you can be given, myself, the coaches and the football club is they know what they're going to get when they play Sheffield United," Wilder said. "I think that's coming together now."

Both these sides know their campaigns are already on a knife edge.

Image source, Getty Images

It’s not quite time for half-term reports in the Championship, but one phrase would surely be used to summarise Portsmouth’s season so far: ‘vulnerable against set-pieces’.

Pompey have shipped 10 goals from dead-ball situations, including two from corners in their 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United in midweek – and now find themselves perched uncomfortably just one point above the bottom three.

Head coach John Mousinho admitted to BBC Radio Solent: “It’s something we’re concerned about. We lose the first contact, haven’t marked aggressively enough or well enough… you are going to get punished.”

With just one win in eight games, Pompey can ill afford further punishment today – but the good news for them is that opponents Bristol City also pitch up at Fratton Park in patchy form.

The Robins, who have slumped to seventh place after just a solitary victory from their last five fixtures, have failed to win any of their last three league visits to Portsmouth, including a 3-0 defeat almost exactly a year ago.

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Robins' influence at the top of the Championship is there for all to see.

His former side Coventry, whom he guided so expertly for seven years, have gone from strength to strength as replacement Frank Lampard has brilliantly built on the foundations left by his predecessor.

So what has Robins done?

Well, he is galvanising another Midlands club some 60 miles up the M6 in Stoke City as they sit in second, albeit 10 points adrift of the Sky Blues.

After seven forgettable seasons since relegation from the Premier League with not a single top-half finish, Robins' calm, steely assurance has been exactly what Stoke needed.

It was in 2008 that Tony Pulis guided the Potters to the top-flight, their last promotion and Robins is threatening to bring those good times back.

Who went up with Stoke that season? Hull, today's opponents, 11th but only two points off the play-offs.

And let's be honest, both sets of supporters would love an identical finish to this season 18 years on.