McLaren (left) fires in a shot (Getty Images)
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Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Paul Evans let in a farcical own goal from a
back-pass but Leicester could not capitalise as they missed the chance to go
level with Portsmouth at the top of Division One.
Midfielder Paul McLaren scored a goal at either end, giving Wednesday a shock
lead midway through the first half, but conceding the own goal after a dreadful
mistake by Evans just after the break.
It was scant reward for the visitors, who came into the game on the back of a
confidence-boosting 5-1 thrashing of Coventry and looked comfortable as they
soaked up everything the lacklustre Foxes could throw at them.
McLaren, who ended a goal drought stretching back to last September with a
superb strike in the Coventry game, made the breakthrough in the 25th minute for
his third of the season.
Leicester defender Matt Elliott was pulled up for a foul on Shefki Kuqi just
outside the penalty area and when Alan Quinn slipped the ball to McLaren, the
midfielder fired in a shot which beat Ian Walker in the home goal.
Wednesday, with just one away win all season, were sitting pretty at
half-time, but it all changed in the 50th minute when McLaren rolled a
comfortable back-pass to Evans and the keeper inexplicably let the ball slip
past him into an empty net.
Leicester had much more of the possession, but could not break down a
resilient Wednesday defence and were restricted to 25-yard efforts from Paul
Dickov and Jordan Stewart in the early exchanges, with Kuqi shooting over the
top at the other end before McLaren's breakthrough.
As half-time approached Evans had to be alert to tip a shot from James
Scowcroft round the post, and the keeper then produced a superb save to push
Dickov's header over the bar.
Leicester threw on an extra striker in Trevor Benjamin as they went in search
of a winner after their lucky equaliser, but they looked short of ideas in the
final third and created no clear-cut chances.
The unfortunate Evans dived to tip a Stewart 25-yarder round the post and also
saved a late Muzzy Izzet header, but the Foxes stumbled to a third consecutive
draw.
Teams
Leicester: Walker, Impey, Elliott, Taggart,
Rogers (Benjamin 62), Scowcroft, McKinlay, Izzet, Stewart,
Dickov (Summerbee 80), Deane.
Subs Not Used: Sinclair, Jones, Murphy.
Goals: McLaren 50 og.
Sheff Wed: Evans, Westwood, Smith, Monk, Barry-Murphy, Reddy,
Powell, McLaren, Quinn, Bradbury, Kuqi (Crane 89).
Subs Not Used: Pressman, Maddix, Owusu, Haslam.
Goals: McLaren 25.
Att: 27,463
Ref: S Baines (Derbyshire).
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