Leicester skipper Steve Walsh earned his side a share of the points in a
hard-fought draw with battling Blackburn at Filbert Street tonight.
Walsh's 44th-minute header put City back in contention after Kevin Gallacher
had given Rovers the lead against the run of play with a superb 38th-minute
shot.
But while the visitors fought tooth and nail for everything they got,
Leicester were left to reflect upon a series of chances which went begging and
curse the intervention of the crossbar on two occasions.
Blackburn keeper John Filan touched Frank Sinclair's first-half effort on to
the woodwork, but he could only stand and watch as Neil Lennon's deflected shot
dropped over him and on to the bar after the break.
The excellent Steve Guppy was the architect of most of City's best moves as
they stepped up a gear, but Emile Heskey, Tony Cottee and Matt Elliott were
unable to cash in on his accurate service.
And despite a grandstand finish from Martin O'Neill's side, there were to be
no late heroics.
Opposite number Brian Kidd was able to leave with a an unbeaten run stretching
to five games since he took over at Ewood Park.
Andy Impey's calf injury meant a return for Robbie Savage, although O'Neill
was able to include midfielder Muzzy Izzet and defender Rob Ullathorne, who both
recovered from knocks picked up in the 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing
Day.
Kidd was forced to do without marksman Chris Sutton and defender Stephane
Henchoz - Kevin Davies and Darren Peacock taking their places.
In a competitive opening, it was the home side who held sway, although there
were few clear chances, and the opening passages of play were most notable for
the departure of two players on stretchers.
Savage lasted only seven minutes after picking up an injury in a block tackle
with Rovers skipper Tim Sherwood, and Theo Zagorakis came on to replace him.
Twelve minutes later, the medical staff were back on to carry off Christian
Dailly and Marlon Broomes was drafted into the Blackburn rearguard.
In the meantime, City had established the upper hand with Izzet and Guppy
linking well, although Jason Wilcox came closest to breaking the deadlock with a
16th-minute free-kick which Kasey Keller had to go full-length to keep out.
Cottee should have collected his ninth goal of the season when he was
presented with a free header by Guppy on 22 minutes, and the home side were
unlucky not to take the lead when Filan pushed Sinclair's shot on to the bar
from a Guppy corner.
But it was Blackburn who went in front seven minutes from the break when
Elliott's slip allowed Gallacher to curl a shot around Keller and into the top
corner.
Leicester hit back a minute before half-time when Walsh powered home a header
from another Guppy corner to restore the balance.
Guppy continued to be the major influence on the game after the break, and
with better finishing, his side could have been well clear.
And the woodwork came to Blackburn's rescue for the second time on 58 minutes
after Lennon's deflected shot looped over Filan but came back off the bar.
The visitors squandered a great chance three minutes later when Sherwood fired
well over after Elliott again allowed the ball to squirm away from him inside
the box.
But Cottee too was guilty of passing up a good chance when he took
Ullathorne's cross on his chest but failed to get in a shot as the defenders
closed in on him.
City began to turn the screw as the half wore on, and Heskey and Elliott both
went close with powerful headers courtesy of Guppy, but could not find the
decisive touch.
The home crowd bayed for a winner as the whistle approached, but it was Rovers
who had the last real chance in injury time, Sherwood blasting high over the bar
from the edge of the box.
Teams:
Leicester: Keller, Sinclair, Ullathorne, Elliott, Walsh, Izzet,
Lennon, Savage (Zagorakis 7), Guppy, Cottee, Heskey,
Zagorakis (Marshall 73).
Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Taggart, Fenton.
Booked: Zagorakis, Elliott.
Goals: Walsh 44.
Blackburn: Filan, Kenna, Davidson, Sherwood, Peacock, Gallacher,
Davies, Wilcox, McKinlay, Gillespie, Dailly (Broomes 19).
Subs Not Used: Duff, Johnson, Croft, Fettis.
Booked: Peacock.
Goals: Gallacher 38.
Att: 21,083
Ref: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook