Leicester, United Kingdom: Riyad Mahrez’s first Premier League goal of the season secured Leicester a 1-1 draw with West Brom on Monday but it was not enough to lift the 2016 champions out of the bottom three.
The Algerian international — who had missed a sitter earlier in the match — struck 10 minutes from time but the draw extended the Foxes winless streak to six which was the same run that saw Claudio Ranieri sacked months after delivering them their remarkable title triumph.
Belgian international Nacer Chadli had given West Brom the lead earlier in the second-half with a stunning long range freekick but whilst they also saw their run without a win extended to six games they are in mid-table four points better off than Leicester.
The first-half was a dire spectacle with both sides showing obvious tension and nerves given their poor runs of form.
It took 35 minutes for either side to fashion a chance on goal Danny Simpson’s fierce effort being parried away by West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, who was making his first appearance in the Premier League in over a year.
It was just as well Simpson found the target to give the home fans some cheer as the partnership of Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho had not clicked at all.
Early in the second-half, Ahmed Hegazi got Myhill into all sorts of trouble inside the first minute of the second-half, his under-hit backpass forcing the goalkeeper to charge from his area bringing down Vardy in the process for which he was booked by Mike Dean.
From the subsequent freekick Myhill did well to get down and turn Harry Maguire’s header round the post for a corner.
Mahrez, though, should have put the hosts 1-0 up in the 51st minute but instead blasted the ball high over the bar from close range after being brilliantly found by Marc Albrighton.
Myhill was struggling following the collision with Vardy and received medical attention but even after that he was grimacing and clutching his right hamstring. — AFP
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