Brighton & Hove Albion forfeited the opportunity to climb into the top five as they wasted a 2-0 advantage to settle for a 2-2 stalemate against Leicester City, whose undefeated streak under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy endured.
In a match desperately lacking in flair during the early periods, there was a feeling that the encounter required either a spark of brilliance or an error to ignite. Brighton appeared the more likely to produce that breakthrough, having already squandered a decent chance when Lewis Dunk nodded wide at the back post, and they nearly scored a spectacular opener when Pervis Estupiñán’s fierce strike seemed destined for the top corner, only for a remarkable Mads Hermansen save to maintain parity. With Storm Darragh surging across the UK, both Estupiñán and Yasin Ayari attempted to score directly from corners, narrowly missing the target.
The most significant chance of the first half also fell to the Seagulls when Evan Ferguson capitalized on a Leicester mishap in the box, unselfishly setting up Kaoru Mitoma, who astonishingly blasted into the stands when a goal seemed almost inevitable. The Foxes ignored that warning and conceded mere moments later when right-back Tariq Lamptey cut inside onto his less favored left foot and curled a sublime shot into the top corner. Leicester’s reaction was admirable, and only a phenomenal one-handed stop by Bart Verbruggen prevented them from drawing level before halftime when he thwarted James Justin.
The home side burst out with energy after the interval, but despite their determination and vigor, breaking through proved challenging. Stephy Mavididi delivered a cross to Jamie Vardy at the far post in what was arguably Leicester’s clearest opportunity of the match, but his header sailed over, leaving the Foxes pondering what more they needed to do to equalize. Any hope of a comeback seemed crushed a little over 10 minutes from the end when Yankuba Minteh chased a speculative long ball, twisted Victor Kristiansen inside out, and drilled a shot into the bottom corner.
Nevertheless, what appeared to be a consolation goal by Vardy triggered a dramatic finale, with the seasoned forward instrumental in a breathtaking late equalizer. Mavididi dispossessed an opponent high up the field, passed to Vardy, who then squared the ball for Bobby De Cordova-Reid to secure the most improbable of draws for Leicester, as Brighton missed a golden opportunity to claim victory at the King Power Stadium for the first time in history.
