West Brom deny leaders Leicester

Premier League leaders Leicester City dropped two crucial log points when they were held to a pulsating 2-2 home draw by lowly West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night.

Premier League leaders Leicester City dropped two crucial log points when they were held to a pulsating 2-2 home draw by lowly West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night.

It means that Leicester increased their lead over Tottenham at the top to three points, but Spurs have a game in hand and will have an opportunity to go to the top on goal difference when they take on West Ham United at Upton Park on Wednesday night.

At King Power Stadium on Tuesday, West Brom stunned Claudio Ranieri’s side when bustling striker Salomon Rondon received an inch-perfect through-ball from close to the halfway line by midfielder Darren Fletcher, which curved into Rondon’s path.

The Venezuelan front man muscled his way past the cumbersome veteran Leicester central defender Robert Huth, who stumbled to the ground, and Rondon directed the ball under Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester goal in the 11th minute to give the visitors a shock lead.

That woke up the home side, and they piled on the pressure, with Japanese midfielder Shinji Okazaki, Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton all having two opportunities each, while star striker Jamie Vardy had a point-black header go straight at West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster.

But the breakthrough eventually came for Leicester in the 31st minute, Danny Drinkwater’s speculative 25-yard drive took a dramatic deflection off defender Jonas Olsson and the ball bounced beyond Foster into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Just minutes later, the Premier League’s leading goal-scorer Vardy had an excellent chance to register his 20th strike of the season when Drinkwater floated a deflected cross into the box from the left, and Vardy rose high to hammer the ball home with his head. But West Brom were saved by the crossbar this time.

The Foxes summoned their famous spirit once more before halftime, though, as Mahrez almost back-heeled the ball while in the air into the path of Andy King, who curled the ball expertly past Foster to give Leicester a 2-1 lead.

One would’ve thought that would be the end of The Baggies, but the match continued in the fashion of a boxing match being slugged out as West Brom refused to give up.

After Mahrez conceded a free kick with an unnecessary handball just outside the Leicester box in the 50th minute, Craig Gardner stepped up and whizzed the ball over a high Leicester wall and into the back of the net for a sensational equaliser to make it 2-2.

But the action didn’t end there, as Leicester hit the woodwork for the second time just a few minutes later when Okazaki connected with a wonderful cross by Albrighton, but he couldn’t get it into the net.

West Brom had somewhat of a let-off in the 65th minute when Vardy found Jeff Schlupp around the penalty area, and he fired towards goal, only to see his shot deflected into the grateful arms of Foster.

The former England shot-stopper had the better of Vardy in a virtual one-on-one situation later, stretching his legs out in front of him to deny the England No 9.

In the very last minute, Argentina’s Leonardo Ulloa needed to get a feint touch to a ball that was squared across the West Brom box, but it wasn’t to be for Ranieri and his team.

In other action on Tuesday, Chelsea came from behind to knock over Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road, Everton outlasted Aston Villa 3-1 away from home, Crystal Palace picked up a vital point at the Stadium of Light in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland and Bournemouth caused an upset at home by beating seventh-placed Southampton 2-0.

ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za

@IndyCapeSport

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Leicester 2 West Bromwich Albion 2, Norwich 1 Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 1 Everton 3, Sunderland 2 Crystal Palace 2, Bournemouth 2 Southampton 0.

Premier League Top 6

1 Leicester City – Played 28, Points: 57

2 Tottenham Hotspur – Played 27, Pts: 54

3 Arsenal – Played 27, Pts: 51

4 Manchester City – Played 26, Pts: 47

5 Manchester United – Played 27, Pts: 44

6 West Ham United – Played 27, Pts: 43