Steve Howard's equaliser ensured Leicester recovered from an early deficit to share the spoils with Ipswich.
Striker grabs Leicester a point as Tractor Boys fall into old habits
Steve Howard's equaliser ensured Leicester recovered from an early deficit to share the spoils with Ipswich in a 1-1 draw at The Walkers Stadium.
Sunday's Championship encounter was elevated to Sky's television cameras after the Big Freeze took its toll on a host of fixtures throughout England and the contest did not disappoint when the Tractor Boys took the lead within 20 seconds.
It was the hosts that kicked off the game, but Nigel Pearson's side fell behind in the first minute when Ryan McGivern turned the ball into his own net after coming under pressure by David Norris.
But play-off contending Leicester responded as Howard saw a header cleared off the line by Grant Leadbitter before the old-fashioned centre-forward found the back of the net 10 minutes later to score his second in four games.
Ispwich, who have relenquished more leads in the Championship than any other club this season, had lost just one game in their last 13 but lacked their recent resilience for the rest of the match as Leicester began to dominate.
Foxes top goalscorer Matty Fryatt came the closest to another goal when he saw his close-range effort expertly saved by Blues goalkeeper Aran Lee-Barrett in the second-half but it finished all-square to leave both managers disappointed with just the solitary point.
Caught cold
Both sides came onto the field in good form on an icy afternoon in the East Midlands and it was Ipswich - who had lost just one in their last 13 - who caught their opponents cold with a goal clocked at 18 seconds.
Indeed the visitors did not take long to warm up as skipper Jonathan Walters won the ball in midfield and set Jack Colback free down the left side.
His low cross looked to have been turned in at the near post by Norris but television replays showed that McGivern got the last touch and the on-loan Manchester City full-back was credited with an own goal.
It was the fourth successive match that Ipswich had opened the scoring within five minutes but Leicester had scored in their last 11 games so Roy Keane's side faced a tough task to hold on to their lead.
After Robbie Neilson and Richie Wellens had sent shots wide, only a goalline clearance by Leadbitter denied Howard an equalising goal just after the half-hour mark.
But Ipswich were still a threat and Chris Weale was called into action to tip efforts from Walters and former Fox Gareth McAuley over the crossbar.
Equaliser
However, Leicester were level after 38 minutes and it was a bad goal to concede from Ipswich's point of view.
Lloyd Dyer cut inside from the right-hand side, Keane's side had a couple of opportunities to clear the ball but it eventually broke to Howard just inside the 18-yard box and the burly striker beat Lee-Barrett with a low shot into the corner.
Barrett got away with fumbling a headed effort from Matty Fryatt early in the second half before Walters headed wide at the other end just before the hour mark.
There had been a fiery undercurrent to the game and it threatened to boil over following a tangle between Norris and Fryatt in the centre circle.
It sparked a melee involving players from both sides but referee Mark Haywood opted to keep his cards in his pocket after consulting his assistant.
Soon afterwards, Leicester's leading scorer Fryatt was then denied his 13th goal of the season by a superb save from Barrett.
Leadbitter had the final chance of the game but his shot from the edge of the area cleared the crossbar.
The Foxes remain in fifth place in the Championship while Ipswich's resurgence continues - they have lost only once in the league in 13 matches - but they stay in 18th position.
