City Fight Back For Seagulls Point

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City Fight Back For Seagulls Point

Two stirring goals in five minutes gave Leicester City a last-gasp 2-2 comeback draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium on Sunday.

2024-12-08T16:33+00:00

by Sam Stevens

Published

08 Dec, 2024

from King Power Stadium

City Fight Back For Seagulls Point

Two stirring goals in five minutes gave Leicester City a last-gasp 2-2 comeback draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Sam Stevens

2024-12-08T16:33+00:00

City Fight Back For Seagulls Point

Two stirring goals in five minutes gave Leicester City a last-gasp 2-2 comeback draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Sam Stevens

2024-12-08T16:33+00:00

City Fight Back For Seagulls Point

Two stirring goals in five minutes gave Leicester City a last-gasp 2-2 comeback draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Sam Stevens

2024-12-08T16:33+00:00

City Fight Back For Seagulls Point

Two stirring goals in five minutes gave Leicester City a last-gasp 2-2 comeback draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Sam Stevens

2024-12-08T16:33+00:00

Tariq Lamptey’s 37th-minute stunner put the high-flying visitors on course for victory, before Yankuba Minteh nudged them closer to three points on the counter with 11 minutes to play. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Foxes, though, refused to give in, with Jamie Vardy’s close-range finish giving them hope in the dying moments of normal time. Five minutes later, the Filbert Way punters were dancing in the rain, as Vardy turned provider, squaring a composed pass across goal to the unmarked Bobby De Cordova-Reid to convert his first strike for the Club and prolong the new Manager’s unbeaten start in charge. It’s a point with consequence as well, elevating City up to 16th in the Premier League and extending their advantage over the relegation zone to five points.

Tariq Lamptey opened the scoring in stunning fashion for the Seagulls.

Optimism has grown in this pocket of the East Midlands since Tuesday’s 3-1 victory over West Ham United, marking the start of van Nistelrooy’s tenure with a timely three points. The Dutchman was keen to highlight areas for improvement afterwards, namely the number of opportunities given away. Mind you, the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend also took the time to clarify the difference between shots on goal and genuine chances. Seizing territory will happen in the top flight, but keeping the opposition at bay and limiting them to half-chances will be crucial this term. City are now into a six-game festive run-in, a period which can define seasons. There’s an appreciation among the Foxes faithful that the fixture schedule has been tough on Leicester, with a number of big hitters on the near horizon. Nevertheless, with a fresh voice in the dressing room and a squad growing in confidence, there’s some hope that December can be one which gets van Nistelrooy’s men moving up the table. One change was forced on him before this one, with Facundo Buonanotte – on loan from Brighton – ineligible to play against his former club. Jordan Ayew was the man called upon to fill the void on the left channel.

Jamie Vardy gets the comeback started for the fighting Foxes.

Leicester do have a spring in their step at the moment, but the odds were against them against one of the league’s most complete outfits. They started reasonably well, too, with Boubakary Soumaré charging through and eventually teeing up Kasey McAteer to shoot, although the Academy graduate’s route to goal was blocked. James Justin also nodded over inside the penalty area inside the first 10 minutes. Before kick-off, Brighton’s points tally of 23 was their best-ever return after 14 matches. A warning of their talents arrived in the 14th minute, as Lamptey burst down the right wing. His delivery was deep, towards the back post, where João Pedro was looming, sending a side-footed half-volley wide. That was the start of a spell of dominance for Fabian Hürzeler’s European contenders – enough to see them in front at the interval. Midway through the first 45, Yasin Ayari tested Mads Hermansen with an audacious curler from 25 yards out, but the Dane was able to telegraph its route. Pervis Estupiñán, too, was stopped by Hermansen, tipping the Ecuadorian’s stinger round the post. The Seagulls’ No.30 had another pop with a free-kick on the right angle of Leicester’s area, but again the ‘keeper had it covered. He was there to scoop up a tame Evan Ferguson hit towards goal as well moments later, after a controversial free-kick call from referee Stuart Atwell gave Brighton another sight of goal. The pressure was simmering. With 10 minutes of the half to go, the ball trickled across the area to Kaoru Mitoma in acres of space. To the relief of those in blue, the Japanese skied his effort, in a hurray as the cavalry came in. But a spark of magic would eventually put the visitors in the lead, Lamptey cruising a sumptuous curled hit over everyone, including Hermansen, from the right flank on 37 minutes.

A first Foxes goal for Bobby De Cordova-Reid rescues a point.

There was a flash of hope for City before half-time, Justin crashing a low header towards goal, forcing a solid save from Bart Verbruggen. That promise continued into the second period, despite Wilfred Ndidi’s early withdrawal with an injury. Five minutes in, Bilal El Khannouss combined slickly with Soumaré, and he threaded Vardy in behind. The iconic No.9, however, had his strike deflected behind by Jan Paul van Hecke. With Stephy Mavididi and De Cordova-Reid on for the last half an hour, City’s pursuit of an equaliser continued, but the Seagulls were always a menace on the counter, playing through pressure to get themselves on the front foot. For the time being, they were being limited to occasional breaks. Just after the hour, Mavididi’s cross, meanwhile, was headed just wide by Vardy, who had to stretch to get there at the far post. Across spells with PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and now Leicester, van Nistelrooy was unbeaten in each of his last 21 matches as a manager, but with 15 minutes to go, defeat was dawning on the 48-year-old. Optimism could be found in the fact that City have only not scored in one league outing this term, but things weren’t quite clicking at a rain-lashed, windswept King Power Stadium.

Wild celebrations for City, who refused to accept defeat on Sunday.

Although they were pushing, the difficulty of Leicester’s task doubled with 11 minutes to play. Substitute Matt O’Riley poked the ball forwards and Minteh was on his bike. Twisting and turning past Victor Kristiansen and then Conor Coady, the Gambian slotted it tidily beyond Hermansen and seemingly sealed the points for the visitors. Just as all seemed lost, there was hope again. De Cordova-Reid, in the middle, on the area’s fringes, went for goal. His shot was deflected but landed at Vardy’s feet, a simple-enough finish for the 37-year-old’s sixth goal of the season. There was still time for something, possibly a comeback, with four minutes plus five more in added time. One minute past the 90, an opening. Mavididi stole the ball away from under Igor Julio and he was away, closing down on goal. He had the wherewithal, though, to slip it across to Vardy, to his left, inside the box. Likewise, Vardy knew the angle was too tight to go himself. But De Cordova-Reid was bursting his lungs to be an option in the middle. The pass he was crying out for came rolling across the goalmouth, and the finish was weighted perfectly, pointed to the bottom far corner. Delirium in the stands. When single points can make all the difference in May, this matters. Two goals down with 11 minutes to play, the Foxes now had four to go and win it. Mavididi was handed the last touch of the game with a free-kick, around 20 yards out, but a deflection took it behind. There wasn’t enough time for the corner, but instead, a rapturous applause from the Blue Army, acknowledging the effort it required to claw this Premier League point back. Four from van Nistelrooy’s first two matches is a satisfactory return and the perfect precursor to a taxing Christmas run-in.

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