Soccer

Leicester lose more ground with draw at Wolves

Substitute Jamie Vardy comes closest to snatching a winner in stoppage-time

Wolves winger Adama Traore in action against Leicester’s Youri Tielemans and Hamza Choudhury. Photograph: EPA

Ben Fisher at Molineux
Sun Feb 7 2021 - 17:02

Wolves 0 Leicester 0

In recent history this game has either been bang or bust and this match fell into the latter category. This occasion, in an empty stadium on a bitter afternoon, was in stark contrast to that preposterous seesawing finale here two years ago, when Nuno Espírito Santo ended up sprinting on to the pitch to join a pile-on as Wolves revelled in edging a seven-goal feast.

Even the slightest sight of goal proved a precious commodity this time around, with the substitute Jamie Vardy coming closest to snatching a winner in stoppage-time but sending his header wide.

Nuno had promised the teamsheet would lay bare the growing injury issues facing his side, with the absence of Raúl Jiménez keenly felt in recent weeks. Without Willy Boly and Daniel Podence, owing to hamstring and hip problems respectively, Wolves were forced into another reshuffle. That was offset by the return of Jonny Otto after six months out with a knee injury but the wing-back was withdrawn at half-time.

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Wolves got into some fine positions, propelled by Pedro Neto's bewitching footwork, but the end product eluded them. Neto burst to the byline after leaving Ricardo Pereira in his trail but his cross flashed across goal and to the back post unloved, leading the aggrieved forward to ask questions of Adama Traoré and Willian José. By that point Neto had already teed up Traoré inside the box after slinking between Jonny Evans and Youri Tielemans, only for James Justin to dash in and make a crucial block.

When Leicester did find the net only for it to be ruled out, Brendan Rodgers was able to see the funny side, grinning towards his staff stationed in the away dugout. Ayoze Pérez had fired home amid a scene of desperate defending that left the Wolves penalty box reminiscent of a Renaissance painting.

Harvey Barnes steamed down the flank, twice exchanging passes with Kelechi Iheanacho before laying the ball on for Maddison. Then a gold haze descended, with Conor Coady, Jonny and Max Kilman among a flurry of players throwing their bodies at the ball before Pérez slammed in, by which point the referee Martin Atkinson had already blown for a free-kick.

Kilman superbly denied Barnes as the game drew to a crescendo but the golden chance fell to the Wolves substitute Fábio Silva, who contrived to shoot wide, via the studs of Kasper Schmeichel’s left boot. Leicester made a meal of clearing a corner and Rúben Neves, with the help of a ricochet or three, worked the ball through to Silva but the teenage forward fluffed his lines. - Guardian

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