Video: Match Highlights
Leicester City snatched a late 2-2 draw at King Power Stadium, after Leonardo Ulloa converted a spot-kick in the fourth minute of stoppage. .
Referee Jon Moss was the centre of attention at the King Power Stadium on Sunday as Leicester snatched a late 2-2 draw with West Ham.
In an action-packed second half, the referee showed Jamie Vardy a second yellow card for diving, awarded West Ham a penalty for a foul on Winston Reid and then gave Leicester a spot-kick in the fifth minute of injury-time.
He also waved away appeals for a penalty when Robert Huth appeared to be fouled by Angelo Ogbonna in the box.
LEICESTER City striker Jamie Vardy was bemused and then furious, jabbing his right finger toward the referee who had just brandished the red card.
Vardy had not only been denied a penalty but Leicester’s top scorer received a second booking after being adjudged to have dived.
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| Jamie Vardy reacts to being shown a red card (Getty) |
With more than 30 minutes still to play, the leaders had to cope with 10 men while protecting a one-goal advantage that had been secured in the first half by Vardy’s 22nd goal of the season. West Ham did seize a 2-1 lead but Leicester, a team that was fighting relegation this time last season and was expecting to struggle again, refused to surrender.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, still pursuing a leveler, fortune favored Leicester again. This time referee Jon Moss did award the hosts a penalty when Jeffrey Schlupp was shoved off the ball by Andy Carroll. Substitute striker Leonardo Ulloa sent goalkeeper Adrian the wrong way to salvage a 2-2 draw.
“We showed that this season everything is possible with the Foxes,” Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri said.
Ranieri remained unruffled despite the setback, studiously avoiding denouncing the referee.
West Ham was less forgiving.
Carroll claimed Moss was trying to “equal it out” after Schlupp went down before contact was made.
After weeks of Leicester being the league’s feel-good story, Sunday’s game was a far grittier and heated spectacle at the King Power Stadium.
The five-game winning streak ended but for now Leicester has a lead of eight
points.
Leicester only needs to get eight points from its last four matches to clinch the first top-tier league title in the 132-year history of this central England team.
Next Sunday against Swansea, though, Leicester will have to cope without Vardy as the striker serves a suspension.
Perhaps losing Kasper Schmeichel would have been more damaging. The goalkeeper had kept five consecutive clean sheets before Sunday and he made a decisive save in the first minute against West Ham, pushing Cheikhou Kouyate’s header onto the post and saving Michail Antonio’s header before Vardy’s opener.
Then Schmeichel, whose father Peter won the Premier League five times with Manchester United, launched the trademark Leicester counterattack that produced the 18th-minute opener.
Schmeichel threw the ball to Riyad Mahrez, who charged down the right flank before releasing N’Golo Kante. West Ham couldn’t contain the speedy move and Kante fed Vardy, who struck across the face of goal into Adrian’s net.
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