Hull 0 City 0
Report by Colin Hall
In a game with plenty of goal opportunities, but few glimpses of genuine quality, Leicester City earned a Boxing Day 0-0 draw at high-flying Hull.
Nigel Pearson, returning to his former stamping ground, was evidently pleased at the outcome of a point and a clean sheet, praising his side's character and resilience in post-match interviews.
He had made two changes to the starting line-up, replacing Lloyd Dyer with Ben Marshall and bringing in Matty James for the injured Jamie Vardy. Jeff Schlupp and surprisingly, Paul Gallagher were recalled to the visitors' bench.
As the Foxes adapted to the changes in personnel and formation, they had to withstand early pressure from the home side, with Robbie Brady and Jay Simpson being particularly prominent. However, Anthony Knockaert featured heavily in Leicester's response, sending a series of shots wide in rapid succession when he perhaps should have shown more accuracy.
Home keeper Eldin Jakupovic was forced to turn away further efforts from Danny Drinkwater and Knockaert as the visitors continued to press. But as Hull stepped up several gears, Abdoulaye Faye wasted a glorious chance to put them ahead when heading a Robert Koren corner wide from close range.
The Tigers onslaught continued as Sone Aluko sent Simpson through, only for Ritchie De Laet to clear his goalbound effort from the line. Aluko then forced Kasper Schmeichel into a smart save as the hosts ended the first half well on top.
Pearson made his first change at the break, with Liam Moore being introduced in place of a shaky De Laet. This alteration seemed to have the desired effect, with the Leicester defence looking more secure in the opening minutes of the second half. Indeed, Moore came close to breaking the deadlock when his whipped right-wing cross was almost turned into his own net by Faye.
As both sides struggled to contend with the torrential downpour that engulfed the KC Stadium, the Foxes looked more composed than in some of their recent away days. However David Nugent did not find the role of lone striker to his liking and was replaced midway through the half by Martyn Waghorn.
The substitute provided plenty of enthusiasm, effort and endeavour, and in this instance gave notably more impetus to the visitors' attack. He and Knockaert combined to form the most promising move of the game, only for Jakupovic to foil Ben Marshall.
Once more, though, Hull were stung into a response, with an Aluko break creating another chance for Simpson, only for Schmeichel to deny him again.
The next chance at the other end came from a somewhat unlikely source. Gallagher replaced Andy King with eight minutes remaining and came agonisingly close to putting Leicester ahead with his first touch, a deflected 25-yard free kick scrambled off the line by a desperate Hull keeper.
Schmeichel made another save from Simpson in the dying minutes to preserve an away point for the Foxes. The result was probably a fair reflection of a game which neither side quite did enough to win.
But while Leicester remain in 5th place, the hopes of a much-cherished top-two finish now hang by a very slender thread. With the side drawing its third successive blank, and fourth in five away games, the introduction of further firepower (reportedly in the form of West Brom's Chris Wood) cannot come soon enough.
Hull:Jakupovic, Chester, Faye (Proschwitz 84), Hobbs, Elmohamady, Evans (Cairney 71), Koren, Quinn, Brady, Aluko (Rosenior 84), Simpson
Subs not used:Amos, Mclean, McShane, Olofinjana
Leicester:Schmeichel, De Laet (Moore 46), Whitbread, Morgan, Konchesky, Drinkwater, Knockaert, Marshall, King (Gallagher 82), James, Nugent (Waghorn 67)
Subs not used:Logan, Dyer, Schlupp, Futacs
Attendance: 20,321 Referee: Craig Pawson
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