In the cold, unforgiving calculus of an EFL Championship survival scrap, the weekend's stalemate at Vicarage Road offered a deceptive comfort for the Blue Army. While the league table reflects a solitary point added to the tally, the overriding reality is that Leicester City technically dropped two.
As the twilight of the season approaches, in which the spectre of the drop looms like a Dickensian ghost, such profligacy often dictates the cruelest of margins. When the final accounts are finally settled in May, the goalless afternoon in Hertfordshire may be viewed through a lens of profound regret rather than pragmatic satisfaction.
Yet, amidst the frustration, it would be unfair ignore the transformative touch of Gary Rowett. He has seemingly performed an M.O.T. on an LCFC backline once defined by its fragility.
Leicester City defence fires while attack falters
To register two clean sheets in three outings (following thirty matches of porous, chaotic defending) is a statistical anomaly that borders on the miraculous. Rowett has successfully galvanised a weary defensive unit. Instilling a rigidity that provides foundation, even if the creative spark remains stubbornly elusive.
​The team's 'winners' from the Hornets clash were found in the trenches. Jakub Stolarczyk stood tall; a 8/10 performance justified by a series of instinctive stops that preserved the parity.
The 'keeper was flanked by an uneven Ricardo Pereira and a slightly more robust Caleb Okoli (on the day!). Both of whom embodied the new-found resolve.
Conversely, the 'losers' were those burdened with the clinical edge. Patson Daka, despite his industry, will be haunted by a saved penalty and a missed 'sitter' that effectively functioned as a surrender of all three points.
"Jordan James: He wasn’t really involved early on, and when the ball did start coming his way, he tried to do too much, going for the extra take-on rather than trying to find a team-mate. He also risked a red card with a rash challenge just after the penalty miss. 5"LCFC Live
City player ratings via Leicester Mercury: Stolarczyk (8), Ricardo (6), Lascelles (7), Okoli (7), Thomas (8), Winks (7), Skipp (6), Fatawu (8), James (5), Mavididi (5), Daka (5).