Ipswich salvages late point at leader Leicester
Jeremy Sarmiento’s late strike rescued a point for Ipswich Town and stopped Leicester City moving 10 points clear at the top of the EFL Championship.
The Foxes looked to be hanging on for victory until substitute Sarmiento’s goal with a minute left earned a 1-1 draw for the second-placed visitors.
Leif Davis’ second own goal in four games gave the hosts a first-half lead but it was one they failed to build on, even if they still sit seven points clear of Ipswich.
Efficient and functional, it would still take an implosion of some magnitude for Enzo Maresca’s side to fail to return to the top flight at the first attempt.
For Ipswich, Southampton’s 20-game unbeaten league run had helped eradicated an 11-point gap in just a month.
It meant it started the night third on goal difference behind the Saints but a point moved the Tractor Boys back into the top two.
Leicester, coming off the back of just a fourth Championship defeat of the season after last week’s late 3-1 loss at Coventry City, initially made Ipswich pay for a timid first half.
Tom Cannon’s shot was deflected behind by Luke Woolfenden but it was a slow burner until Vaclav Hladky turned Hamza Choudhury’s curling effort wide after 26 minutes.
A 1-1 draw with Leicester at Portman Road on Boxing Day showed Ipswich’s resilience and Conor Chaplin shot over but the hosts found a way through after 31 minutes.
Stephy Mavididi collected Harry Winks’s ball on the left before swapping passes with Ricardo Pereira.
The forward delivered a dangerous ball across the six-yard box and Hladky could only divert in on to the unfortunate Davis, who inadvertently bundled into his own net.
Gaps soon started appearing for the Foxes and Pereira shot wide six minutes later and Hladky again saved from Cannon before the break as the host found a touch of swagger.
That was almost wiped away inside the opening five minutes of the second half as Mads Hermansen turned Wes Burns’s controlled volley over after the Foxes failed to clear a corner.
Yet it was the visitors’ only threat and Leicester settled quickly to create several openings.
Mavididi’s shot was blocked and Cannon’s acrobatic effort dropped wide before the striker continued his duel with Hladky and forced another save from 18 yards.
Jamie Vardy returned from injury as a late substitute and the Foxes looked to be hanging on for victory until the 89th minute.
Ipswich had improved as the half wore on and when Massimo Luongo was left with too much time on the edge of the box Hermansen saved his drive, only for Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Sarmiento to follow up and snatch a point.
