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Leicester were dealt a huge blow in the Premier League title race as they were held to a draw by a battling Norwich at King Power Stadium.
The Foxes, who remain second, now lie 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool, following their hard-fought win over Watford in Saturday’s early game.
Norwich, who were impressive, deservedly took the lead when Teemu Pukki slotted home after being sent through by Emiliano Buendia.
But their lead only lasted 12 minutes as Leicester equalised when Jamie Vardy’s bullet header was turned into the net by Norwich keeper Tim Krul.
Both sides pressed for a winner in an entertaining second half, with Vardy twice going close, but neither side could find a way through.
The point sees Norwich close the gap on Aston Villa and Southampton, who play in Saturday’s late game, to three points but they remain 19th.
Foxes frustrated by resolute Canaries
Having reached a club-record eight consecutive Premier League wins last week with victory over Aston Villa, the Foxes had the chance to equal their club record for wins in all competitions against the Canaries (10).
However, they failed to produce either the result or the performance that had seen them sweep aside the likes of Villa, Watford and Brighton in weeks gone by.
Of course there were chances for Brendan Rodgers’ side to win it but the ruthless touch they have displayed throughout 2019-20 eluded them.
James Maddison was bright as usual, as was Youri Tielemans, but neither of them were able to prise open a resolute Norwich backline; Wilfred Ndidi should have twice done better with free headers from Maddison deliveries.
Vardy, who had found the net in his previous eight league games, was expertly denied by Krul late on while the former England man could only find the woodwork after rounding the Canaries keeper early in the second half.
And while he may have thought he’d kept up his impressive run of scoring when his first-half header was deflected in by Krul, his streak was ultimately ended by one of the Premier League’s leakiest defences.
Where does this leave Leicester’s title charge?
The Foxes were flying coming into this game.
They had won their last eight league games, nine including the Carabao Cup victory over Burton Albion, and they had overtaken reigning champions Manchester City as Liverpool’s chief rivals in the Premier League title race.
But despite having picked up 25 of the last 27 points on offer to them, they sit 10 points adrift of the league leaders.
And while they still have the division’s best defensive record, there are sterner tests to come.
Namely, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City next weekend.
If Rodgers’ side are beaten at the Etihad their chances of replicating their stunning 2015-16 title-winning campaign are surely almost all but diminished.
However, if they can pick themselves up after this setback and pull off an unlikely victory against the reigning champions their confidence will go through the roof ahead of a massive Boxing Day clash with Liverpool.
Struggling Norwich show up again
Norwich have already lost to fellow Premier League strugglers Southampton, Watford and West Ham this season, preferring, it seems, to save their best performances for the big games.
Having taken points off Manchester City, Arsenal and Everton, they continued the trend at Leicester and produced a fine performance against the division’s in-form side.
They played with confidence throughout and, while there were a few nervy moments at the back, they threatened the Foxes’ goal consistently.
Even after Pukki had scored with a nerveless finish, he continued to find himself in space behind the Leicester backline and he could well have netted again had it not been for excellent defending from Caglar Soyuncu and Ricardo Pereira, who both produced potentially goal-saving blocks.
Pukki could have also found the net in the first half when he turned Max Aarons’ cross wide from close range – his efforts are made all the more impressive as he played the second half with a fractured toe, according to manager Daniel Farke.
Meanwhile, Todd Cantwell shone on his return to the side, playing with a real swagger, while Buendia impressed with his ball-playing ability.
However, despite this confidence-boosting result the Canaries still sit in the relegation zone as we near the midway point in the season, illustrating that they have not been able to produce performances like this one consistently enough.
Man of the match – Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester)
‘We need to hit the reset button’ – what they said
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers: “When you play at home you always want to win. I think the players showed a great mentality. Norwich started bright and deservedly went in front but second half we were much better.
“It just looked like one of those games. It’s a point and we need to look forwards now. The players have been brilliant. When you are on that winning run you believe you are going to win every game but of course it does not work like that. We were not 100% on it. We need to hit the reset button.”
Norwich manager Daniel Farke: “The goal was a fantastic pass and finish. It looks like [Teemu Pukki] has fractured his toe which is a worry but if he had been fully fit he might have got those goals.
“He is in brilliant shape at the minute but he is in a lot of pain. The fact he wanted to play on shows his character.”
Norwich goalscorer Teemu Pukki: “I am happy. Leicester is a hard place to come to and they have been on an amazing run.
“I am a bit disappointed as I had some chances I could have got in. We had to be more defensive in our tactics and set-up today and go from there but I think we could have had a few more goals today. I am happy to be back scoring again. We have been getting points lately but now we need to start winning games.”
Leicester’s James Maddison: “I think it’s two points dropped. We know Norwich are a threat even if the table does not show that. They are fighting for their life.
“It just didn’t drop for us today – it was important that we did not lose today. When the game is not going our way we have to make sure we do not lose, and we managed that.”
Pukki the Canaries’ key man – the stats
- Leicester City are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League games, picking up 25 points in the process (eight wins, one draw). Against Norwich, the Foxes dropped points at home for the first time since the opening weekend against Wolves.
- Norwich have won just once in their last 12 Premier League games (three draws, eight defeats).
- Norwich have won four points in their last three away games in the top-flight, as many as in their previous 16 combined.
- Teemu Pukki has been directly involved in 12 Premier League goals this season (nine goals, three assists), twice as many as any other Norwich player.
- Since the start of last season, Norwich’s Teemu Pukki has scored more league goals (excluding play-offs) than any other player in England’s top four tiers (38).
- Since August 2018, Emiliano Buendia has provided more league assists than any other Norwich player (17).
- Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul scored his first ever Premier League own-goal, in what was his 172nd appearance in the competition.
What’s next?
Leicester’s next match sees them take on Everton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at Goodison Park on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), before they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City on Saturday (17:30).
Meanwhile, Norwich’s next match sees them host Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00).
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