Burton Albion boss Gary Rowett admitted he feared his side were in for an FA Cup thrashing when they went behind after just three minutes at the King Power Stadium.
Rowett said he knew his League Two side were probably facing the toughest tie of the third round because City would be seeking revenge for their shock Capital One Cup defeat in August.
When Chris Wood put City ahead early on, Rowett was anxious that his side would succumb to a buoyant side that had scored six goals against Huddersfield on Tuesday.
"If there was ever a cup tie this weekend that was the hardest to win, I would say it was ours, just because we had beaten them already," said Rowett, pictured, a former City defender.
"We were hopeful coming here, but the early goal made it very difficult. You look at Leicester's team and they have such an armoury that you are thinking they could go and get five or six. That's the problem when you play a quality side.
"They are flying high in the Championship and I hope they can get promotion this season. They have more than one way of causing you a problem.
"I don't suppose many managers would say it but, after three minutes, I was thinking 'please don't score seven or eight'."
Rowett said his side had adopted the same tactics as their Capital One victory, but the plan soon went out the window.
"It was not the greatest start in the world," he said. "We needed to be solid and start the game well.
"We knew they would come at us early on. It was important we weathered that early storm and tried to hit them on the counter.
"But we conceded after three minutes and you know you then have an absolute mountain to climb."
