Leicester are the one team in the EPL who are still undefeated, and this game was a lesson in why that’s the case.
This is a well organised side with a manager who wants to play the Beautiful Game in an attacking manner, and who isn’t afraid to change things around.
For the second game in a row they came back from 2-0 down, a trick you get the decided impression they won’t be able to repeat indefinitely, although it’s indicative of a manager and a team who know their business and have the quality to turn a game when needs must.
At half time in this one they looked beaten, because Stoke were much the better side in the first 45 minutes and were two in front after just 20 minutes.
The first came after Marko Arnautovic had turned and twisted Ritchie De Laet before feeding it through to Bojan Krkic, returning to the team after his horrendous injury problems, which have kept him out of the side for eight whole months.
He’d have been forgiven for lacking sharpness, but he didn’t miss.
Stoke scored their second just seven minutes later, via Walters, who capitalised on an horrendous Wes Morgan mistake.
Mark Hughes and his team will be kicking themselves for not having this one wrapped up in a bow before the break, and they were punished for it six minutes into the second when they conceded a penalty kick and Mahrez converted it.
Leicester equalised through the quite brilliant Vardy, looking more and more like a sure-thing for the national team, who was on the end of a Leonardo Ulloa flick on, to put the ball past the Stoke keeper, to maintain Leicester’s unbeaten start to the season.
Hughes praised Ranieri’s comeback kids after the match, ““If you give them any inclination they might still be in the game, they’ll keep going, which is credit to them.”
It’s that kind of determination that has them in fourth spot at the moment.
Man of the Match:
Jamie Vardy. A player who is blossoming into something special.