Mahrez Strike Helps City To West Brom Draw
Craig Shakespeare made three changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Bournemouth last time out, as Vicente Iborra came in to make his first Premier League start for the Club.
The first chance of the game went West Brom’s way, as Nacer Chadli fired harmlessly wide from Kieran Gibbs’ cross on 18 minutes.
But the best chance of the first period undoubtedly went to Danny Simpson, who on his 100th appearance for the Club, was denied a first Foxes goal after forcing Boaz Myhill into a good stop.
Opportunities for Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire followed after the interval, while Mahrez should really have done better with a strike from 10 yards, but couldn’t hit the target.
Then came West Brom’s opener through Chadli, who from 30 yards curled in a stunning free kick to give his side the lead with 63 minutes on the clock.
Tony Pulis’ men stood strong soon after to repel City’s advances and Shakespeare knew a change must be made. In came Ben Chilwell and Islam Slimani, who both played a part in the Leicester goal.
Chilwell surged down the left and curled into Slimani, who got up well and nodded back across goal to find Mahrez. The Algerian took a touch before driving low past Myhill and into the back of the net with 10 minutes to play.
A powerful strike by Maguire from distance might have won it for the Foxes, but Myhill was equal to it and both sides had to settle for a point.
Major moment
The introduction of Islam Slimani and Ben Chilwell proved pivotal to Leicester City drawing level late on against the Baggies.
The Foxes, with 17 minutes to go, changed to a back three of Christian Fuchs, Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan, while Marc Albrighton and Chilwell operated as wing backs.
City looked much improved and after Slimani met Chilwell’s cross, Mahrez was there to convert and help City to a Premier League point.
Who impressed?
Danny Simpson has now played 100 times for the Foxes in all competitions and based on his display against West Bromwich Albion, it’s easy to see why.
The right back, who joined from Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2014, has been one of the Club’s most consistent performers over the last few seasons and he showed that against the Baggies.
He stood strong to halt the runs of West Brom’s attackers and made some vital interceptions, while at the other end, he came agonisingly close to netting his first goal for the Foxes.
Where do we stand?
After eight fixtures, the Foxes have picked up six Premier League points and remain 18th in the table following the latest round of fixtures.
Coming up…
Leicester City continue their 2017/18 campaign at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, as they face 13th-placed Swansea City in South Wales (3pm kick-off).