In a game desperately void of quality in the opening stages, there was a sense that the contest needed a moment of quality or a mistake to catch light. Brighton looked the likelier to find that moment having already squandered one half-chance when Lewis Dunk headed wide at the far post, and they came close to netting a sensational opener when Pervis Estupiñán’s wicked drive looked destined for the top corner, but a stunning Mads Hermansen save kept the scores level. With Storm Darragh sweeping through the UK, both Estupiñán and Yasin Ayari tried their luck directly from corners, and both came within a whisker of doing so.
The best chance of the half also fell the Seagulls’ way when Evan Ferguson pounced upon a Leicester gift in the area, unselfishly teed up Kaoru Mitoma, but he incredibly found row Z when a goal seemed nearly certain. The Foxes didn’t heed that warning sign, and fell behind just a matter of minutes later when right back Tariq Lamptey stepped inside onto his weaker left foot and curled home a stunning effort into the top corner. Leicester’s response was impressive, and only a stunning one-handed Bart Verbruggen save stopped them going into the break level when he denied James Justin.
The hosts flew out of the traps after the restart, but for all their huff and puff, finding a breakthrough was proving tough. Stephy Mavididi teed up Jamie Vardy at the far post in what at the time was arguably Leicester’s best chance of the game, but when he headed over, the Foxes must’ve been wondering what they had to do to get back on level terms. Any hopes of getting back into the game looked to have been extinguished a little over 10 minutes from time when Yankuba Minteh latched onto a hopeful hoist forward before tying Victor Kristiansen in knots and fired an effort into the bottom corner.
However, what seemed to be a consolation from Vardy, set up a grandstand finish, and the veteran striker was involved in a sensational late equaliser, when Mavididi robbed the ball high up the pitch, freed Vardy who squared for Bobby De Cordova-Reid to claim the unlikeliest of points for Leicester, as Brighton squandered a great chance to win at the King Power Stadium for the first time ever.