Kasper Schmeichel saved Neal Maupayโs first-half penalty as Leicester Cityโs poor second half of the season continued with a 0-0 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
The Foxes move to 55 points and will stay in the top three at least another week despite winning just once in their last seven outings.
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Brighton moves six points clear of the drop zone ahead of a brutal run of fixtures.
LEICESTER CITY โ BRIGHTON FULL MATCH REPLAY
SCHMEICHEL SAYS NO. #MyPLSummer pic.twitter.com/hWqhyNNwnN
โ #MyPLSummer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 23, 2020
Three things we learned
1. Foxes putting UCL hopes in jeopardy: Brendan Rodgersโ Foxes have been riding their incredible first half of the season for a long time and if they donโt wake up soon they may depart the Champions League places. 12-2-2 after 16 matchdays, Leicesterโs since gone 4W-5D-6L. Two of the four wins are against a poor West Ham, anotherโs versus Newcastle and the fourth Aston Villa. Worse? Losses came to Norwich City, Burnley, and Saints. The excuses just arenโt there for a team that might just fritter away the UCL with matches still to come against Manchester United, Tottenham, Everton, and Arsenal.
Leicester has been asking Chelsea, Manchester United, or Wolves to send them into the Europa League instead of the UCL.
2. Schmeichel stars again: The penalty stop on Maupay was Schmeichelโs only save โ there were only three between the two sides โ but it was the moment of the match and guarantees third place for another week regardless of what Chelsea does against Man City on Thursday.
2 โ Kasper Schmeichel has saved each of the last two penalties he has faced in the Premier League (also v Man City), as many as he had from the previous 23 faced beforehand (two). Wall.
โ OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 23, 2020
3. Ex-Chelsea teen impresses: Opta pointed out that Brightonโs Tariq Lamptey became the first teen in the PL era to play for two teams in the same campaign when he started for the Seagulls. The 19-year-old went 31 minutes off the bench for Chelsea against Arsenal on Dec. 29 before transferring south in January. The right back was a big threat and a determined man in his challenges as the match wore on.
Tariq Lamptey first half by numbers:
29 touches
2 attempted crosses
3/4 dribbles โ most on pitch
1 foul won
1/2 tackles
2 clearancesLooking lively. ๐ #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/sFQvL1OkBu
โ Albion Analytics (@AlbionAnalytics) June 23, 2020
Man of the Match
The center backs for both sides were the stars; Caglar Soyuncu and Lewis Dunk the top field players for Leicester and Brighton, respectively. But Schmeichel gets the honors for the penalty save and command of his area.
Leicester โ Brighton recap
The Seagulls conceded first half possession to their hosts but had the more dangerous opportunities, none moreso than Aaron Connolly winning a penalty.
Unfortunately for Graham Potterโs safety-seeking side, Maupayโs substandard penalty was stymied by Kasper Schmeichel.
There was a double whammy when Adam Webster was forced off with injury before the half-hour mark, though having Shane Duffy as a replacement is a nice luxury.
There wasnโt a lot to like about the second half, and Brighton will be okay with that.
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