Leicester lost ground to their promotion rivals after drawing 1-1 with Portsmouth as John Swift’s second-half goal canceled out Aaron Ramsey’s opener at the King Power Stadium.
The home side took the lead after 26 minutes thanks to 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 equalized in the 58th minute when Swift started and finished a counter-attack to score his first 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 extended their unbeaten run to three games.
The home side created a number of early chances, the best of which saw Fatawu control a falling ball before unleashing a volley 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 in front of goal from close range to mark his first start for the club with a goal.
Portsmouth almost equalized against the run of play just after the half-hour mark as in-form winger Yang Min-hyeok volleyed against the crossbar from 15 yards with Jakub Stolarczyk stranded on the spot.
However, Leicester regained control of the game moments later as Ramsey launched into a surging run from the halfway line and forced Joe Bursik to make an athletic save with a shot from just outside the penalty area.
Bursik thwarted the Foxes again five minutes before half-time when he reacted sharply to tip Fatawu’s shot for a corner after Julian Carranza had hit the winger, who cut it onto his left foot.
The home side went close again before the break as a quickly taken corner spotted Harry Winks, who curled a shot inches wide of the post from 25 yards with Bursik at full tilt.
However, Pompey equalized after 58 minutes when Swift’s pass released Yang on the counter-attack and the winger got past Wout Faes before returning the ball to Swift, who fired 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 in from the left.
The visitors missed a glorious chance at the other end when Jordan Williams cut the ball back to substitute Florian Bianchini, who saw his low effort diverted by Stolarczyk’s outstretched boot.
Leicester almost snatched the points deep into injury time, only for Luke Thomas to divert Hamza Choudhury’s cross from close range from a tight angle.
The managers
Marti Cifuentes from Leicester:
“We know that 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 dynamic of the match.
“The second half was not at the level we want, but I am very self-critical and the second half should have been much better.
“In the process of growing and building a team, we sometimes get caught thinking too much. Football is about space and that is the foundation of how we play.
“The space was behind the baseline, so we needed to exploit where the space is, but we needed different solutions.
“The reality is that draws don’t get you far in this league. The feeling at the end of the match is like defeat.
“I like the fact that we were always relentless and had a never say die mentality, but the second half was not up to par.”
John Mousinho of Portsmouth:
“It was probably one of the best 45 minutes of the season [in the second half]we pressed very well and showed a lot more quality, we were superb.
“We had to have a bit more belief and confidence with and off the ball. In the small moments we had to be braver and there would be chances for us.
“The away performance was good, we definitely could have won the game. There are much better signs than where we were this time last year.
“We can get too carried away, we don’t want to think we’ve suddenly made it because we finished 16th last year. We’ve had a good start, but the league is cutthroat and catches up with you very quickly.
“We also have to have this belief, avoiding relegation is a priority. Our ambition is not only to do that, we have to be very careful in the face of dangers, but also move forward.”
