Stoke City 2-2 Leicester City
- Published
Leicester came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Stoke City and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Foxes striker Jamie Vardy held off the home defence to equalise after Riyad Mahrez scored his fifth goal of the season from the penalty spot.
Bojan, making his first start of 2015-16, had given Stoke an early lead from Marko Arnautovic's reverse pass.
Striker Jonathan Walters doubled the advantage but Stoke are still searching for their first win of the season.
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Kings of the comeback
Claudio Ranieri's Leicester have been one of the stories of the season so far, as three wins and three draws have taken them into second spot in the Premier League, behind only Manchester City.
Last Sunday they scored three times in the last 20 minutes to win 3-2 against Aston Villa and while they could not quite match that feat, their skill and spirit secured them a deserved point.
Vardy's equaliser was his fourth goal of the season and reward for how he unsettled the Stoke defence after the break.
Algerian winger Mahrez has now been involved in eight goals this season and he was always a threat on an afternoon when his side struggled in the first half.
After Bojan's opener, Leicester captain Wes Morgan was badly at fault for Stoke's second goal, attempting an ill-conceived backpass that fell perfectly into the path of Walters. But his side were again able to retrieve the situation.
Victory thrown away by Stoke?
Mark Hughes's side went into the game with only two points and having lost both their home games.
They appeared set to get their season going when Bojan, who had last made a league start in January against Leicester, slotted past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after a brilliant turn, run and pass from Arnautovic.
However, it was the Austrian forward who allowed Leicester a route back into the game, forcing down Leicester's Danny Drinkwater early in the second half for the penalty converted by Mahrez.
They then failed to deal with a long ball forward for Vardy's equaliser, although Stoke players angrily claimed that Walters was being held by Morgan in the lead-up to the goal.
Bojan brings invention to Potters
The cruciate ligament injury suffered by Bojan in January was a cruel blow to player and club with the 25-year-old Spaniard so often the inspiration for Stoke last season.
Hughes has eased him back into the team, restricting him to only substitute appearances before this game and he was rewarded with a good display before he tired in the second half and was replaced in the 82nd minute.
He made 39 passes with 74% accuracy and his threat was vital for a Stoke side without top scorer Mame Biram Diouf who has a hamstring strain.
Man of the match
Manager reaction
Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri: "The first 12 minutes before Stoke scored we played very well but after that they scored a very, very good goal and we were making too many mistakes, losing a lot of balls in the middle of the pitch.
"We need to start games better so we are not always fighting back."
Stoke boss Mark Hughes: "We were good value for being 2-0 up and talked at half-time about not letting Leicester back early in the second half and that's what happened.
"We made a mistake on the penalty and at 2-1 we had to deal with their momentum. We then made a mistake for their second goal but maybe we were distracted by the foul on Jonathan Walters at the other end. We picked up a point but should have had three.
"Bojan was a huge positive and scored a good goal. We have got to get him up to speed but I was pleased with him."
The stats you need to know
Jonathan Walters (35) is now two clear of Peter Crouch (33) as Stoke City's all-time leading Premier League scorer.
Stoke have suffered just one defeat in their last seven meetings in all competitions with Leicester, winning three and drawing three.
Riyad Mahrez has scored seven goals and assisted three in his last nine PL appearances.
Leicester are the first team since Everton in 2012 (6) to claim at least a point from behind in four successive Premier League fixtures.
Leicester are unbeaten after six games for only the second time in a PL season (they were unbeaten through eight in 2000-01).
What's next?
Stoke travel to Fulham in the third round of the League Cup on Tuesday (19:45 BST), while Leicester host West Ham in the same competition on the same night.
- Published14 September 2015
- Published19 September 2015