Leicester lost ground on their promotion rivals after drawing 1-1 with Portsmouth as John Swift’s second-half goal cancelled out Aaron Ramsey’s opener at the King Power Stadium.
The home side took the lead after 26 minutes courtesy of Ramsey’s instinctive finish from Abdul Fatawu’s cross from the right as the on-loan Burnley midfielder scored his first goal for the club.
However, Portsmouth improved after the break and drew level in the 58th minute when Swift started and finished a counter-attack to score his maiden goal in Pompey colours.
The draw leaves the fourth-placed Foxes five points behind leaders Coventry, with the Foxes held to a draw for the fifth time in six matches while Portsmouth stretched their unbeaten run to three games.
Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira (right) and Portsmouth’s Yang Min-Hyeok battle for the ball at the King Power Stadium
The home side created a number of early chances, the best of which saw Fatawu control a dropping ball before volleying wide from just outside the penalty area.
The hosts made their pressure count in the 26th minute when Ramsey applied an acrobatic finish to Fatawu’s dangerous ball across the face of goal from close range to mark his first start for the club with a goal.
Portsmouth almost drew level against the run of play just past the half-hour mark as in-form winger Yang Min-hyeok lashed a volley against the crossbar from 15 yards out with Jakub Stolarczyk rooted to the spot.
However, Leicester regained control of the game moments later as Ramsey embarked on a surging run from the halfway line and forced Joe Bursik into an athletic save with a shot from just outside the penalty area.
Bursik thwarted the Foxes again five minutes before half-time as he reacted sharply to tip Fatawu’s shot behind for a corner after Julian Carranza teed up the winger, who cut in on his left foot.
The home side went close again before the break as a quickly-taken corner picked out Harry Winks, who curled a shot inches past the post from 25 yards out with Bursik at full stretch.
However, Pompey equalised after 58 minutes when Swift’s lofted pass released Yang on the counter-attack and the winger jinked past Wout Faes before he returned the ball to Swift, who curled a shot past Stolarczyk at his near post.
Substitute Jordan Ayew almost restored the Foxes’ lead shortly after his introduction from the bench as he curled a shot inches wide after cutting from the left.
The visitors spurned a glorious chance at the other end as Jordan Williams cut the ball back to substitute Florian Bianchini, who saw his low effort turned behind by the outstretched boot of Stolarczyk.
Leicester almost snatched the points deep into stoppage time, only for Luke Thomas to turn Hamza Choudhury’s cross wide from close range at a tight angle.
The managers
Leicester’s Marti Cifuentes:
“We know a 1-0 advantage is not enough, especially in the Championship. The goal came from a turnover and we didn’t react well enough, which changed the momentum of the game.
“The second half was not at the level we want it, but I’m very self-critical and the second half should have been much better.
“In the process of growing and building a team, sometimes you get caught thinking too much. Football is about the space and it is the foundation of our way of playing.
“The space was behind the backline so we needed to exploit where the space is, but we needed different solutions.
“The reality is draws do not get you far in this league. The feeling at the end of the game is like a defeat.
“I like the fact we were still relentless and had a never-say-die mentality, but the second half was not at the level.”
Portsmouth’s John Mousinho:
“It was probably one of the best 45 minutes of the season [in the second half], we pressed really well and showed much more quality, we were superb.
“We needed to have a little bit more belief and confidence off the ball and on the ball as well. In the small moments, we needed to be braver and there would be chances for us.
“The away performances have been good, we definitely could have won the game. There’s much better signs than where we were this time last year.
“You can get too carried away, we don’t want to think we’ve all of a sudden cracked it because we finished 16th last year. We’ve had a solid start, but the league is relentless and catches you very quickly.
“We also need to have that belief, avoiding relegation is a priority. Our ambition is not to just do that, we have to be very wary of the dangers but also push on.”
