Soccer

Leicester and Leeds share spoils as Barnes cancels out Raphinha opener

Home side struggle to create from open play but edge a point further clear of drop zone

Raphinha of Leeds United celebrates with teammates after scoring the opener in his side’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City. Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Louise Taylor at Elland Road
Sun Nov 7 2021 - 16:29

Leeds United 1 Leicester City 1

Leicester remain marooned in mid-table after failing to keep a clean sheet for a 10th successive Premier League game as Leeds once again struggled to score from open play in Patrick Bamford’s absence.

If the draw leaves Marcelo Bielsa’s side still too close to the bottom three for comfort, those Manchester United fans who would rather like to see Brendan Rodgers replace Ole Gunnar Solskjær should not necessarily regard Leicester’s manager as the answer to Old Trafford’s defensive woes.

Leeds hurtled out of the blocks, subjecting Leicester to an initial, high intensity, blizzard of attacks. Happily for Rodgers, Kasper Schmeichel proved largely equal to the challenge, showing off razor-sharp reflexes to tip Jack Harrison’s deflected, awkwardly looping, right-foot shot to safety.

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Leicester’s manager looked a little relieved when Ricardo Pereira sent Raphinha tumbling in the box but no penalty was given. Bielsa’s Brazilian right-winger looked as if he belonged in a more exalted environment to almost everyone else and was duly causing Leicester all sorts of problems.

Given his impact, it seemed entirely appropriate that Raphinha opened the scoring courtesy of a deceptively curving, left-footed free-kick awarded after one of his characteristic advances had been rudely interrupted by Boubakary Soumaré.

Yet although Pascal Struijk was impressing in an unfamiliar left -back role in a revamped home back four and Leicester were being forced into far too many errors by this rather glorious, if temporary, reversion to high-tempo Bielsaball, the visitors retained a certain counterattacking menace.

Sure enough Leicester equalised virtually straight from the restart. As Elland Road continued to celebrate Rapinha’s goal, Jonny Evans lifted a long ball forward for Soumaré to flick on in the direction of Harvey Barnes.

Capitalising from a concentration lapse as Bielsa’s players allowed themselves to be distracted by the euphoria, Barnes delighted in dodging the previously assured Diego Llorente before curling a superlative, tightly angled shot beyond Illan Meslier’s reach.

Annoyed at this latest example of their penchant for self-destruction, Leeds responded with considerable ferocity but, by now, Leicester had remembered a few streetwise habits and, often thanks to a minor foul here and there, were finally succeeding in slowing the game down.

Leeds continued to monopolise possession but, crucially, they did not have last season’s leading scorer, Bamford, around to polish off any of the litany of half-chances they created. Bamford’s extended absence with an ankle injury has cost Bielsa dear and although Dan James’s change of pace sporadically unsettled Leicester, Leeds’s lone striker could not disguise the reality that he was a winger deployed out of position.

It might have helped Bielsa’s cause had Jack Harrison not missed a sitter from point-blank range after Kalvin Phillips flicked on a corner but at least his team were doing their utmost to exhausted Rodgers’s players.

Indeed with Rodrigo combining intelligently with Raphinha – even if the £30m deep lying Spain forward could do with scoring a goal or two – and the recalled Adam Forshaw more than holding his own in central midfield, Leicester spent prolonged periods on the ropes.

Hats off to Forshaw for not only re-establishing his career following a nightmare two years sidelined by injury but reminding everyone why there was a time when Gareth Southgate seemed on the verge of calling him into the England squad.

Leicester were intent on a comeback of their own and thought they had regained the lead in the 67th minute only for Ademola Lookman’s “goal”, tapped in following Jamie Vardy’s flick-on, to be disallowed for offside following a VAR check.

It proved the cue for Rodgers to switch to a back three while James Maddison produced some clever touches after stepping off the bench but the impasse endured. – Guardian