Leicester City came from two goals down to rescue a point against high-flying Leeds United this afternoon at the Walkers Stadium.
Former Leicester man Max Gradel put the visitors ahead in the first half, while Robert Snodgrass doubled Leeds’ lead ten minutes after the break with an angled strike.
Paul Gallagher pulled a goal back from the penalty spot to give the Foxes hope after Leeds keeper Kasper Schmeichel brought down Darius Vassell, and Andy King’s thunderbolt from 25 yards ensured Sven-Goran Eriksson’s unbeaten home record in the league remained intact.
The result meant that Leeds slipped to third in the Championship after Cardiff’s 2-0 win over Coventry City, while Leicester remain in the bottom half of the table despite sitting just five points outside the playoffs.
The home side had the first chance of the match when Steve Howard’s snap shot from twenty yards out curled just past the Leeds goal.
But it was the away side who took the lead after nineteen minutes when Max Gradel capitalised on some sluggish Leicester defending – not helped by Kyle Naughton slipping in the penalty area at an unfortunate moment – to head the ball past Chris Kirkland from six yards out.
The first half contained few clear cut opportunities, although Leicester showed some promise on the half hour mark when Andy King’s clever cross was batted away by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, followed by a tight angled shot into the side netting by full back Greg Cunningham after a smart run into the penalty area.
Despite a deflected shot on target by Yuki Abe five minutes after the break, Leeds came out the stronger side in the second half and were soon rewarded for their superiority when Robert Snodgrass’s corner was headed back out to him, only for the Scotsman to blast the ball past Chris Kirkland from a tight angle and send the 3,000 plus visiting fans into delirium.
Gradel could have made it 3-0 moments later after cutting in behind the Leicester defence, but he could only find the side netting from an acute angle.
Leicester were handed a lifeline with just under twenty minutes remaining when Darius Vassell found himself one-on-one with Kasper Schmeichel, only for the former England international to be brought down in the penalty area.
Referee Tony Bates awarded the spot kick, and although there appeared to be little contact between the two during the incident, Schmeichel might consider himself fortunate to only receive a caution for the foul as Vassell appeared to be in on goal.
Paul Gallagher stepped up to blast the penalty down the middle of the goal for his fourth goal in as many games, and to give Leicester an opportunity to rescue something from the match.
The Foxes found themselves level just five minutes later when Andy King picked the ball up 25 yards out from goal and hit a wonderful strike past Schmeichel, which hit the underside of the bar on his way in.
It was the Welsh international’s ninth goal of the season, and was a clear exhibition of how dangerous Leicester can be when playing their best football.
From that point it seemed as if either side could go on to win the game, with Leicester looking sharp on the break and Leeds continuing to look dangerous in attack despite being rocked somewhat by the home side’s comeback.
With time running out, Chris Kirkland pulled off a magnificent save with both sides scrambling for the ball in the Leicester penalty area, and Darius Vassell was unfairly brought down by Paul Connolly after using his blistering pace to break through the Leeds midfield.
There was one last moment of controversy when substitute Roman Bednar appeared to be pulled down in the penalty area – but the official did not award Leicester a second penalty.
In the last minute of injury time, Neil Collins squandered a final chance for Leeds when his header from a corner went harmlessly wide.
The final whistle extended Leicester’s unbeaten home record in the Championship to eight games, while Simon Grayson’s men stayed firmly in the race for automatic promotion.
Man of the Match – Jack Hobbs
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