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Post by Football News on Aug 29, 2015 16:38:45 GMT
Leicester snatch draw at Bournemouth thanks to Jamie Vardy’s late penalty
Bournemouth 1 - 1 Leicester
Home team scorers Callum Wilson 24
Jamie Vardy 86 pen
Unlike most sides in their position, Leicester City have developed the invaluable habit of refusing to acknowledge when they are beaten. Awful and uninspired for long periods against Bournemouth, the relentlessness that kept Leicester in the Premier League last season earned them a late point thanks to Jamie Vardy’s penalty and ensured that Chelsea remain the only side who have found a way to get the better of them since the start of April. Beating Claudio Ranieri’s team is no mean feat at the moment.
Leicester’s unbeaten start came under serious threat against Bournemouth, who must have thought that Callum Wilson’s fourth goal of the season would be enough for them to secure their second consecutive victory. Bournemouth proved that they can scrap and fight and craft, but in the end they were made to regret one moment of sloppy play when Eunan O’Kane lost the ball in his own half and Steve Cook brought Vardy down.
Bournemouth can take solace from four points from their first four matches. They have that most precious of commodities, a striker in scintillating form, and ultimately that could be the difference between them staying up and going down. Bristling with confidence after his breakthrough hat-trick against West Ham, Wilson’s speed and intelligent running made him a constant thorn in the side of Leicester’s centre-backs and the instinctive quality and athleticism of his goal in the 24th minute encapsulated his self-belief.
Wilson’s flash of class would have felt out of place during the laboured early skirmishes. It was a physical scrap in midfield at first, passes going astray, the crowd shuddering at the heavy tackles, the game riddled with loose touches from both sides, but Bournemouth matched Leicester’s aggression and their slick passing game had clicked into gear in the spell leading up to their goal.
Ritchie De Laet struggled on the right of Leicester’s defence and he was walking a tightrope after he was booked for a rather desperate tug of Max Gradel’s shirt. Bournemouth took note of his vulnerability, launching attack after attack down their left flank, and it was not long before Leicester cracked.
Charlie Daniels exchanged passes with Lee Tomlin, his deflected cross spun towards Gradel and Robert Huth’s block diverted the ball to Wilson, who cracked a superb overhead kick past the stunned Kasper Schmeichel.
Bournemouth were dominant, Ranieri’s defensive tactics limiting Leicester’s attacking threat, and they were unfortunate not to be given a penalty shortly after Wilson’s opener. Tomlin, starting in the hole instead of Joshua King, was caught by N’Golo Kanté just inside the area, but Neil Swarbrick awarded a free-kick instead. Schmeichel pushed Gradel’s effort away.
Leicester lacked their usual vibrancy during the first half and Ranieri’s decision to strengthen his midfield by starting Kanté instead of Shinji Okazaki meant that Vardy was isolated up front. Vardy sent a tame shot over the bar, while Riyad Mahrez had a goal correctly disallowed for offside, and Ranieri reacted by bringing on Okazaki at the start of the second half.
It was turning into an awkward afternoon for Leicester. Mahrez was the player who made way, Leicester’s most dangerous player perhaps feeling the effects of a clumsy foul by Gradel in the first minute, and there was a sign of their discomfort when Huth was booked for pushing Tyrone Mings. Huth was lucky not to see red.
However Bournemouth had to overcome adversity when Mings, who had replaced the injured Daniels at half-time, was taken off on a stretcher after a hefty challenge from Danny Drinkwater. Gradel then limped off after he was fouled from behind by De Laet, who was surely pushing his luck.
A tense finale was guaranteed and Bournemouth were punished when Vardy seized on O’Kane’s error and charged into the area. Cook’s lunge was desperate, Vardy’s penalty was emphatic and Bournemouth were forced to settle for a point.
Guardian
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