After going into an unexpected two-nil lead at halftime, Leicester City somehow finished the game with an undeserved point. So how did the players rate:
Note: 7 indicates an acceptable performance
Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City – 6
He made some decent saves as always. But I find it hard to give the captain and leader of a shocking defence a good grade. He couldn’t organise them to move out as a unit and once again his kicking leaves a lot to be desired. Needs to do more to Marshal a defence bereft of confidence.
Ryan Bertrand – 3
Shocking! No cohesion in the backline or offering support on the left to Harvey Barnes. Caught ball-watching whilst Jeffrey Schlupp remained unmarked next to him for the equaliser. Arguably could have done better on Palace’s first goal. Frequently gave the ball away and appears not at the races. Needlessly booked first half. Doesn’t deserve his place at the moment.
Caglar Soyuncu – 6
Won lots of individual battles but still isn’t dominant. A complete lack of sense of his defensive partners and a fear of the opposition threat continued to hamper his performance. His defending on the equaliser left much to be desired like most of the season so far. Also was lucky not to concede a winner after being bullied on a corner. Still not convinced he deserves his place, how bad can Filip Benkovic really be?
Jannick Vestergaard – 6
Same as Soyuncu. Won some decent individual battles but doesn’t fit into the shape at the back at all. It’s a real shame but the initial excitement of seeing this great Dane play seems to have evaporated. On the ball, he sprayed some decent passes, but he was still turned too easily on many occasions, and it’s about time he dominated the air on set pieces because we look woeful.
Timothy Castagne – 8
One of the few bright sparks. Had Wilfred Zaha in his pocket for most of the game causing him to turn inside frequently. Due to the nature of the game, he was playing deep to make up for the other three poor defensive players.
Hamza Choudhury – 6.5
Was combative in midfield and won his fair share of headers and midfield battles. Still made one pass to the invisible man and played a suicide pass in the middle of the park first half. Not a bad display but he needs an error-free game to build confidence.
Youri Tielemans – 6
Still below par and made a whole collection of poor passes throughout the game. Did play a lovely pass in the build-up to Leicester’s second goal but offered very little else. Booked for one of the fairest tackles you’ll ever see. Way below the levels Leicester requires in such a crucial position, are we afraid to drop him?
Ademola Lookman – 7
Another decent display of pressing and probing from the mazy winger. Was caught quite deep in his own half too frequently but still looked a danger. One of the few that looked dangerous throughout. Obviously was subbed.
Harvey Barnes – 4
Gave the ball away frequently and not once did he attack the 31-year-old Palace full-back Joel Ward on the outside. Although Barnes set up Jamie Vardy’s goal, he got fortunate it wasn’t intercepted especially when Iheanacho was in better space. Where is the player that tore Trent Alexander-Arnold to shreds in February? He hasn’t looked anywhere near himself since returning from injury and was seen icing his knee after the game. Is he fully fit or playing through the barrier?
Kelechi Iheanacho – 8
After inevitably snaffling up on a defensive error and calmly finishing on a ground he had a nightmare performance on 9 months ago, ‘Seniorman’ is surely now a guaranteed starter. His touch looked majestic at times as was his vision and aggression to win and keep the ball and play key passes. Got quieter as the game wore on, inevitably subbed.
Jamie Vardy – 7
A typical Jamie Vardy finish in the first half and a typical display of hustling and harrying and finding space. Should have done better with a move early in the second half that could have made the Leicester City lead unassailable.
subs
James Maddison – 6
Did okay when coming on, but still offered little in the way of serious threat. Needs to produce some magic to get back in the starting eleven.
Boubakary Soumare – 7
Looked decent and is one of the few midfielders at the club that is confident to carry the ball through the lines and drag Leicester City forward as he did at one key point here. Still needs time, but surely after winning the league with Lille he is more capable than Hamza Choudhury.
Marc Albrighton – 6
Battled hard but couldn’t get into the small game time he was given, bar a hefty tackle on Wilfred Zaha.