Ipswich Town 1-1 Leicester City
The points were shared in a festive top of the table clash as a late double-deflection denied Leicester City the win against Ipswich Town.
The contest began at a high tempo with both sides pushing to get the first goal, but poor finishing at either end from Wes Burns and Wilfred Ndidi kept the score goalless.
That was until Stephy Mavididi received the ball following a smart turn from Patson Daka, only to expertly curl his effort into the bottom corner to put his side ahead and maintain is excellent form in front of goal.
Last ditch defending became a common theme throughout the match, with Abdul Fatawu throwing his body on the line on multiple occasions, while a well-timed Cameron Burgess tackle prevented Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from getting a shot away.
Daka had a shot saved late in the first half as Leicester had the better of the chances, but that would change after the break as Ipswich grew further into the game.
The hosts had chances from Burgess and Conor Chaplin as they pressed for an equaliser, and after appeals of a second yellow for Marcus Harness and a strong penalty shout following a clumsy Burgess challenge on Dewsbury-Hall, it seemed that the Tractor Boys began to have luck on their side also.
This luck would play dividends in the closing stages as a Sam Morsey shot bulged the back of the net via deflections from both Ricardo Pereira and Jannick Vestergaard in what was, in the end, a deserved equaliser.
The Foxes controlled large parts of the first half and that is where their success in the first 45 minutes came from. They looked after the ball, moved it quickly when necessary and had Mavididi who has been in inspired form of late who made no mistake with his shot to put them ahead. While it was a successful opening period, it could be argued that a second goal was needed while the visitors were on top, changing the complexion of the second half completely.
This second goal did not come to fruition, meaning that Ipswich and their fans knew that they were very much in the game. With this, and substitutes coming on that seemingly could not match the levels of those they replaced, the aforementioned control was lost and it always looked likely that the hosts would get the goal that they craved and ultimately deserved.
While the shape of the second half could have been changed with a bigger lead at half time, the same could be said with the actions, or lack thereof, of the referee as two big decisions would go against the Foxes.
The first big call surrounded the late challenge by an already booked Harness which was seemingly made out of frustration for challenges his side deemed as freekicks not going in their favour. The card ultimately stayed in Samuel Barratt’s pocket, meaning Harness was not sent in for an early shower and all 22 men stayed on the pitch.
The second call, arguably the biggest call of the game, was the penalty appeal that was waved away despite Burgess appearing to play the man and not the ball as he bundled Dewsbury-Hall to the ground. This decision came at a crucial part of the game as Ipswich really began turning the screw in their quest for a leveller, and a second goal from Leicester would have killed of any momentum that was gathering and likely secured the three points.
In the end, it would only be the one point that the Foxes brought back with them, but with 11 points between them and third place while maintaining the six that they have on their opposition, it was certainly a good point to claim and one that keeps them heading in the right direction.
Ipswich Town: Hladky, Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Taylor (Luongo 80′), Burns (Hutchinson 79′), Chaplin, Harness (Broadhead 79′), Hirst (Jackson 22′) (Ladapo 87′)
Leicester City: Hermansen, Pereira, Coady, Vestergaard, Faes, Dewsbury-Hall (Akgun 80′), Winks, Ndidi (Casadei 56′), Fatawu, Daka (Iheanacho 63′) Mavididi
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation.