Albion frustrated by Foxes' fightback

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Leicester City 2 Albion 2: Lamptey and Minteh goals have visitors in control before Leicester hit back late on.

Bruce Talbot

2024-12-08T16:00+00:00

Yankuba Minteh runs towards the Albion fans after making it 2-0. 📷 by James Boardman.

A point on the road in the Premier League is never a bad result but after leading 2-0 with five minutes to go this definitely felt like two dropped by Albion.

Tariq Lamptey’s first Premier League goal since November 2020 on the ground where he made his Albion debut gave Fabian Hurzeler’s side a deserved half-time lead and it looked as if the points were safe when substitute Yankuba Minteh made it 2-0 with 11 minutes left with a fine finish into the bottom corner.

But Leicester weren’t done. Jamie Vardy pulled one back with five minutes remaining before the Foxes’ captain set up a stoppage-time equaliser for Bobby De Cordova-Reid to stun the visitors.

Tariq Lamptey is all smiles after putting Albion in front. 📷 by James Boardman.

Fabian Hurzeler had made three changes to the team beaten at Fulham with starts for Yasin Ayari, Evan Ferguson and Lamptey coming in while Danny Welbeck was fit enough to return to a strong bench.

Albion pressed high from the start and soon had control. The only surprise was that it took them 37 minutes to open the scoring.

Lamptey enjoyed lots of freedom to get forward down the right and in the 14th minute his cross found Joao Pedro lurking at the far post. The Brazilian elected to shoot first-time but couldn’t get his left-footed effort on target.

Mads Hermansen was kept busy in the Leicester goal, keeping out Ayari’s effort from 20 yards before making a fine stop to deny Pervis Estupinan when he let fly from 30 yards.

Joao Pedro can't believe it after he missed an early chance. 📷 by James Boardman.

Hermansen then kept out Estupinan’s free kick before another set piece from a similar distance 25 yards out was chipped to the far post by Ayari. Lewis Dunk swept it back into the box but Jan Paul van Hecke and Kaoru Mitoma had efforts blocked and Evan Ferguson’s tame effort was easily held.

Ferguson did superbly on 35 minutes to tee up Mitoma but he lifted his shot from ten yards over the bar, an uncharacteristic miss by the Japanese winger.

Albion finally broke through when Estupinan’s diagonal ball found Lamptey on 37 minutes, again in space down the right. He cut inside Victor Kristiansen and from the corner of the box curled a sumptious left-foot shot beyond Hermansen into the far corner. A brilliant finish.

Lamptey got in again when Lewis Dunk’s long pass picked him out but his low ball across the face of goal was cleared before it reached Ferguson.

Bart Verburggen produced a fine first-half save to keep out Justin James' header. 📷 by James Boardman.

Leicester roused themselves and Bart Verbruggen made a fine save just when he pushed Justin James’ header away, but Albion had control at the interval.

They had to defend determinedly at the start of the second half with both van Hecke and Dunk producing superb blocks in the box, denying Vardy on both occasions.

Although Leicester were enjoying more territory Albion remained a threat. Jannik Vestergard got in a crucial interception after Joao let fly from 20 yards. As the rain continued to lash down both teams turned to their benches with Hurzeler, who’d brought on Mats Wieffer at the break, making a triple change with 20 minutes to go.

And two of the substitutes combined to double the lead with 11 minutes left. Wieffer’s pass picked out Minteh in the inside right channel. He still had a lot to do but cut inside Victor Kristiansen and then buried a powerful right-foot shot in the far corner before celebrating in front of 3,280 ecstatic Albion fans. Job done, or so they thought.

Vardy began the fightback with five minutes left when he scored from close range after a pass from De Cordova-Reid took a fortunate deflection into his path. Leicester had hope and as the game entered stoppage time they had an equaliser.

Igor, who had only just come on, lost possession 30 yards out to Stephy Mavididi and he switched it quickly to Vardy in space on the left. The Foxes’ captain cut inside Dunk and squared it to De Cordova Reid to equalise from a yard out.

Albion: Verbruggen, Lamptey, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Baleba (sub: Wieffer 45), Ayari (O’Riley 70), Mitoma (Igor 88), Rutter, Ferguson (Welbeck 70), Joao (Minteh 70).