Stoke City 2-2 Leicester City: Player ratings
Claude Puel continued his unbeaten start as Leicester City manager, following up a 2-0 win over Everton with a 2-2 draw at Stoke City.
Leicester City took the lead through Vicente Iborra, slamming the ball home after Harry Maguire knocked down Riyad Mahrez’s corner.
Xherdan Shaqiri levelled the scoreline following a lapse in Leicester’s defence, which the Swiss international capitalised on.
However, it was Mahrez who scored the goal to restore the advantage, whizzing away from Erik Pieters before firing past Jack Butland.
Related Story: Stoke City 2-2 Leicester City: What we learned
An unstoppable header from substitute Peter Crouch levelled the scoreline once again, though.
But how did the Leicester City players fare?
Defence
Kasper Schmeichel – 7
There was little he could do to stop either goal. He made a good save after Ryan Shawcross’ header met a corner which kept his side in the game just a minute before Mahrez’s goal.
The Danish international made a vital save in the dying seconds from a Crouch header as well, which may have saved a point for the visitors.
Danny Simpson – 6
Had a quiet afternoon, but dealt with the threat of Ramadan Sobhi well.
Wes Morgan – 6
Like Simpson, it was a quiet game for Morgan. Didn’t really have a lot to do but only got caught out of position once, for Choupo-Moting’s chance in the first half.
Harry Maguire – 5
Tried to show Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting onto his left foot as the striker got into the box after half an hour, but a drop of the shoulder sent Maguire the wrong way and only a poor finish kept Stoke from taking the lead.
He couldn’t deal with Crouch for his goal, but few Premier League defenders would have been able to.
Christian Fuchs – 4
He had a poor game against Everton last week and was nowhere to be seen when Xherdan Shaqiri found himself in acres of space to equalise for the hosts.
The Austrian chased forward to mark the wing-back instead of Shaqiri, which ended up with Choupo-Moting finding his winger and he then finished well.
Midfield
Riyad Mahrez – 8
Moved to a right-wing role once again as Okazaki was recalled to the starting line-up. He was good in the second half and did well to get away from Erik Pieters for his goal, which went through a pair of legs that didn’t aid Butland in stopping the effort.
Wilfried Ndidi – 7
The Nigerian was impressive defensively and did well several times, stopping counter attacks and when Leicester defended in the low block. He and Vicente Iborra complement each other very well, and it will be interesting to see how Adrien Silva fits into the midfield once he joins in January.
Vicente Iborra – 8
Scored his first Premier League goal, finishing well after finding himself free in the penalty area from Maguire’s knock-down. He then had two chances from a similar range shortly after, showing he is getting a better understanding of the league and can sniff them out despite being a holding midfielder.
Demarai Gray – 8
Carved out a chance for Vardy early on through his pace and trickery. He caused problems for Mame Biram Diouf down that left flank all afternoon, found joy running at Zouma, and created another high-quality chance for Okazaki but a Butland save kept the scoreline to 1-0.
Forwards
Shinji Okazaki – 7
Back in the starting line-up following the injury to Ben Chilwell, he is really hitting his sweet spot as a striker. Since he is 31, Shinji Okazaki knows he can’t keep his high energy game up for too much longer, so he has worked harder into becoming a better striker.
He ranked 16th in the league at Expected Goals from open play before this game (via Paul Riley) and was in the top 10 before last week, meaning that he is getting into better goalscoring positions than usual. He showed the same by getting on the end of a Gray cross with a header from close range, but the ball was fizzed at the striker and his header went just wide.
However, he also has this high energy, pressing game for now and is able to combine the two together.
Jamie Vardy – 6
As Leicester – perhaps surprisingly – had the lion’s share of possession, Jamie Vardy’s pace couldn’t be utilised the same way as it was last week against Everton.
He had a chance to win the game for Leicester City after turning Ryan Shawcross well, but his chance flew just wide of the post.
Subs
Kelechi Iheanacho – 7
On for Okazaki with over half an hour to play, Kelechi Iheanacho did well to create a chance for Vardy, but the Englishman couldn’t find the target.
Andy King – 7
Replaced the first goalscorer, Vicente Iborra, after the Spaniard picked up a knock, and the Welshman made a few neat passes to set up the counter-attack.
Marc Albrighton – 6
Brought on for Gray with 10 minutes to go but didn’t really make an impact.