Foxes Denied All Three Points Late On
For City's final match before the winter break, manager Brendan Rodgers made three changes to his XI, with James Justin making his first start in over 11 months. Daniel Amartey, back from the Africa Cup of Nations, also came in, as did Academy graduate Harvey Barnes. Çağlar Söyüncü, meanwhile, made his 100th start for the Football Club.
Justin, a huge boost now back in the squad, conjured up the Foxes' first opportunity of the match, darting inside after receiving a pass from Ademola Lookman before feeding James Maddison, who took a touch and smashed a low strike at Robert Sánchez.
Brighton showed their attacking quality in the opening stages, too. Only a well-timed header from Luke Thomas dealt with Marc Cucurella's fierce cross. Pascal Groß hooked the rebound into the arms of captain Kasper Schmeichel in front of the south stand.
After Patson Daka had drilled low to the left of the Brighton goal, a penalty claim for City followed. However, after Justin was felled in the box by Adam Webster, play continued. The Brighton skipper then threw his body in the way of Youri Tielemans' 30-yard half-volley. Pressure mounted on the away side.
Schmeichel had to be alert to an improvised effort from Neal Maupay on 19 minutes, however the momentum continued in Leicester's favour. Maddison had an attempt blocked after some neat footwork, then bent a free-kick into the side-netting. The No.10 turned creator not long after, flicking the ball into the path of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who tested Sánchez with a left-footed drive.
The Blue Army roared once more when Lookman was upended in the area on the half-hour mark after Jakub Moder's challenge. Play continued and Tielemans struck wide, while Thomas' attempt deflected off a Brighton man and behind for a corner. In came the set piece, with Sánchez punching the ball to the feet of Tielemans, whose shot pinballed into the clutches of Brighton's 'keeper.
The visitors were a threat on the break, with Alexis Mac Allister lifting well over from 20 yards. At the other end, after Maddison robbed Mac Allister in the centre of the pitch, Barnes slipped in Lookman, whose placed strike was denied by the right leg of Sánchez with 10 minutes of the first period remaining.
At the end of the half, Schmeichel had to bat away Leandro Trossard's fizzed delivery, bringing to a close a goalless opening 45 minutes in which opportunities were at a premium.
Leicester began the second half with real intent and when Dewsbury-Hall recovered possession, the ball eventually came to Barnes, who was initially denied by Sánchez, but Zambia sensation Patson Daka was there to convert for his ninth Leicester goal - his first shot of the game, and one that he made count.
The Seagulls looked for an immediate reply, however Schmeichel was there with a big stop at the near post, while Moder blasted a first-time effort into the stands on the hour mark as Brighton's quest for a leveller went on. Dewsbury-Hall also went close, with Sánchez palming his powerful delivery to safety.
A first change of the afternoon followed, with Barnes coming off in place of Marc Albrighton, but it was Brighton who were now in the ascendancy as substitutes Danny Welbeck and Tariq Lampety combined. The former flicked a header on goal, with Schmeichel making another significant stop. Amartey then tidied up the loose ball.
After Trossard had a shot halted by Belgium international team-mate Tielemans, another switch in personnel followed with just over 15 minutes remaining. Boubakary Soumaré added fresh legs to City's midfield, with Lookman coming off.
The south coast outfit continued their pressure and when Maupay hung up a cross into the six-yard box, Welbeck was there to head home, off the inside of the post - 1-1 with under 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Cucurella lashed a shot over from the edge of the box, while Tielemans was positioned well to clear Dan Burn's header off the line. Schmeichel then delivered a big save with his right hand, clawing Trossard's drive out of the bottom corner on 87 minutes.
Goalscorer Daka took a knock late on, and had to be replaced by Ayoze Pérez in added time. On the opposite side of the dugout, the No.29 made his way around the pitch and back to the tunnel, his efforts applauded as he passed the Blue Army.
City had three minutes of injury time to reinstate their advantage, however there would be no third goal of the game, and the spoils were shared.
Major moment
Despite leading for a significant spell in the second half thanks to Patson Daka's close-range finish, the Foxes are unable to hold onto their slender advantage. Danny Welbeck claimed the leveller for Brighton, heading in with eight minutes to play.
Who impressed?
Speaking on LCFC Radio, Gerry Taggart said: "There were some good performances today. Luke Thomas stuck to his task well and the two centre-backs did well today. James Maddison and Harvey Barnes did well at times, but if you’re talking about overall work rate and would always cause a problem in the opposition half, and he eventually got on the scoresheet, that’s Patson Daka."
Where do we stand?
The Foxes are 10th in the Premier League table. They have 26 points from 20 2021/22 outings.
Coming up...
Following the winter break, Brendan Rodgers' men head to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday 6 February (4pm GMT kick-off).