Brighton 2 Leicester 2: Foxes end dismal run of 885 minutes without scoring to earn draw after two Joao Pedro penalties

IT had to happen sometime and after 885 minutes of waiting Leicester finally had something to cheer.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side arrived at the Amex Stadium without a goal in eight league games and with relegation drawing ever closer.

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Leicester ended their goal drought to draw 2-2 at Brighton[/caption]

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Joao Pedro netted two penalties but they were not enough for the hosts[/caption]

But Stephy Mavididi’s first half effort – followed by Caleb Okoli’s second half header – meant that for once, Van Nistelrooy wasn’t forced to unpick another demoralising defeat.

And the stalemate meant Brighton blew a huge chance to boost their hopes of boosting their bid for European football.

Joao Pedro twice put them in front from the penalty spot but Fabian Hurzeler’s side paid the price for missing a succession of chances before ending the day grateful not to end the day empty-handed.

A hard-fought draw does nothing to alter the fact Leicester are destined to go down, nor does it lift any of the pressure on the manager.

But after such a miserable run they will take all the positives they can.

The Foxes have endured a dismal spell since these teams last met in early December in Van Nistelrooy’s second game in charge.

The Dutchman had kicked off his reign with victory over West Ham – and followed that with a battling draw when the Foxes scored twice in the last four minutes to earn a point.

But since then, January’s win at Tottenham has provided the only break in a run of 15 league defeats coming into this clash.

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The most recent of those losses was last Monday’s miserable home defeat to Newcastle.

Van Nistelrooy appeared to cast doubt over his own future after that crushing 3-0 reverse before insisting he remained committed to the job ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium.

The Dutchman admitted he had been hurt by that defeat.

And it looked as though he was set for more misery as Brighton created a succession of chances in the opening 15 minutes.

The visitors showed why only Southampton have conceded more goals in the Premier League as they were easily carved open by Brighton wideman Simon Adringa and Yankuba Minteh.

It didn’t help that centre-back Caleb Okoli directed a poor clearance straight at Danny Welbeck who shot straight at Mads Hermansen.

And the Foxes had another lucky escape when the unmarked Minteh somehow volleyed into the side netting after being picked out by Adringa’s cross.

But after Adringa curled another good chance wide, Leicester finally managed to gain a foothold in the game.

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Pedro netted his first spot-kick in the 31st minute[/caption]

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He struck another in the 55th minute but it was not enough[/caption]

Mavididi was the visitors biggest threat and the forward should have done better when he cut inside from the left before shooting over midway through the first half.

Brighton had suffered back to back league defeats after exiting the FA Cup on penalties to Nottingham Forest.

Yet despite that, there was a surprising lack of urgency to their play as they attempted to get their Euro charge back on track.

They still managed to make the 27th minute breakthrough after Carlos Baleba threaded a pass through to Pervis Estupinan who pulled the ball back for Adringa to shoot.

The winger’s effort was goalbound until it was blacked by Coady’s arm.

Referee Darren Bond didn’t spot the handball initially and somehow needed repeat viewings on the touchline monitor before making his decision.

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Stephy Mavididi ended Leicester’s drought before half-time[/caption]

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Caleb Okoli’s strike ensured Leicester bagged a point[/caption]

But when the spot-kick was finally awarded, Pedro kept his cool to send Hermansen the wrong way.

The expectation was that the floodgates would now open.

But Brighton paid the price when skipper Lewis Dunk miscontrolled in the centre circle, allowing Leicester to mount a counter-attack.

Bilal El Khannouss surged forward before releasing Mavadidi who finished at the second attempt after his initial effort was blocked by Dunk.

Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen should have done better after getting a hand to the ball – but all Leicester cared about was breaking their duck.

It had been a long, painful wait, but Van Nistelrooy and his players finally had something to celebrate.

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It was a heated game on the south coast[/caption]

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Jamie Vardy was forced to calm down Pervis Estupinan[/caption]

And they were entitled to think luck might finally be on their side when they survived a succession of scares before reaching half-time on level terms.

Adringa and Joao Pedro both had good chances to score before Albion midfielder Matt O’Riley struck the post.

The visitors were given a timely boost when Kasey McAteer forced Verbruggen to tip a looping header over the bar immediately before the break.

But any belief they may have gained from testing the Seagulls keeper quickly disappeared when Joao Pedro held his nerve to convert his second penalty.

Once again it was VAR who spotted the offence when O’Riley was pulled to the ground by Luke Thomas, prompting the touchline review that led to Darren Bond point to the spot.

And Joao Pedro made no mistake, directing his effort into the other side of the net.

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Fabian Hurzeler cut a frustrated figure in the dugout[/caption]

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It may be too little, too late for Ruud van Nistelrooy[/caption]

Once again that should have been the trigger for Brighton to take firm control of the game.

But once again Hurzeler’s side took their foot off the gas.

After Van Nistelrooy made a triple switch, Leicester became more threatening with Patson Daka and McAteer testing Verbruggen.

And the second equaliser came in the 74th minute when Okoli took advantage of poor Brighton marking to head home from EL Khannouss’ free-kick.

Brighton looked ragged and struggled to stage a response.

It was Leicester who looked the side most likely to conjure a winning goal.

And they thought they had found it when El Kannouss curled a shot beyond Verbruggen only to see his effort deflect off the post.