Nott'm Forest 0-0 Leicester
- Published
Leicester's Nugent (left) challenges with Luke Chambers
Nottingham Forest and Leicester face a replay after their FA Cup third-round clash ended in stalemate.
Forest started well, with Lewis McGugan and Andy Reid testing goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel while Marcus Tudgay and Joel Lynch both went close with headers.
But Leicester had the best chance of the half with David Nugent heading Paul Gallacher's cross against the crossbar.
Forest's Lee Camp kept out Matt Mills and Nugent after the break, while Leicester's Lloyd Dyer also went close.
The all-Championship tie marked Marlon Harewood's first appearance in a Forest shirt returning to the club in December, the former West Ham and Aston Villa striker coming on as a substitute.
Leicester's pre-match plans were thrown up in the air when Jeffrey Schlupp went off injured after only five minutes.
Forest quickly seized control with both McGugan and Reid testing Schmeichel with efforts from inside the box, before Reid forced another good save with a 13th-minute header.
But it was the Foxes who went closest before the interval when Nugent headed against the woodwork following good work by Gallagher.
Despite the scoreline, this was an exciting encounter full of chances.
Schmeichel was called into action again in the 39th minute to tip a long-range shot from Reid over the bar and then Nugent's lob from the edge of the area narrowly failed to find the target.
Harewood received a warm welcome back to the City Ground when he was introduced in the 66th minute but even the 32-year-old was unable to conjure up a goal.
And it was Leicester who looked the more find the breakthrough.
City captain Matt Mills forced a 68th-minute save from Lee Camp, who also blocked a 12-yard shot from Nugent.
Derby draw a fair result - Cotterill
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cotterill told BBC Radio Nottingham:
"We were the better team in the first half and they were the better team in the second.
"I think probably a draw was a fair result.
"We've created some good chances, predominantly in the first half."
Foxes should have won - Pearson
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson:
"We made it hard for ourselves to begin with because they started better than we did and Kasper Schmeichel made a couple of really good saves.
"But after that we created enough chances, especially in the second half. The drive and workrate from us was much better and we created enough opportunities to have won it.
"We were a bit sluggish to begin with and that was disappointing, but the players responded in a positive manner and that's always very pleasing."