Leicester proved to be more than a match for Man City on Sunday as they secured a 2-2 draw in the FA Cup.
Mancini's men ride their luck but remain in the hunt for the FA Cup
Leicester proved to be more than a match for Manchester City on Sunday as they secured a 2-2 draw in the FA Cup third round.
The Foxes made the perfect start to an entertaining contest, with Sol Bamba bundling home inside the opening 60 seconds.
James Milner and Carlos Tevez helped turn the tie around, as the Blues flexed their Premier League muscles, but an uncharacteristic error from Joe Hart allowed Andy King to snatch a deserved leveller for Leicester shortly after the hour mark and a replay must now take place.
Leicester boss Sven Goran-Eriksson had his troops fired up for a meeting with his former employers and the hosts took just 45 seconds to break the deadlock.
The visitors were caught napping from a short corner and Foxes new-boy Bamba was in the right place at the right time to notch with his first touch in English football.
Bruno Berner then went close to doubling Leicester's advantage when he snuck in at the back post, but Hart was equal to his effort.
Roberto Mancini's side finally started to find their feet after a rude awakening and Patrick Vieira saw a well-struck volley beaten away by Chris Weale, before Milner levelled things up on 23 minutes.
Tested
The England midfielder exchanged a neat one-two in midfield with Tevez before drilling a low left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Tevez lashed over from 18 yards after collecting a loose ball on the half-hour, while at the other end Hart's reflexes were tested by a stinging 25-yard drive from Yuki Abe.
Leicester were very much in the ascendency as the first-half came to a close, with Bamba causing all sorts of problems to the Blues' defence from set-pieces.
They were unable to make their dominance count, though, and the Premier League side got their noses in front on the stroke of half-time.
This time the visitors played a short corner of their own and once Milner sent over a skidding cross, Tevez was on hand six-yards out to flick the ball past Weale.
Leicester, having taking heart from the opening 45 minutes, burst out of the blocks at the start of the second period, with Lloyd Dyer racing through before firing into the stands.
The visitors' heads appeared to still be in the dressing room at this stage, with the hosts running riot.
Jack Hobbs planted a free header over the bar, with no defenders in sight, and it became only a matter of time before an equaliser arrived.
Spilled
King duly hauled Leicester level on 64 minutes, taking advantage of a spill from Hart to poke the ball past the England keeper and roll it into an empty net.
The visitors continued to push their luck thereafter, with Richie Wellens felled right on the edge of the box before Bamba, again rising highest from a corner, saw a towering header nodded off the line by Milner.
For all of their failings, though, Mancini's side should really have booked their passage into the next round 10 minutes from time.
A flowing break saw Tevez square to the unmarked Nigel de Jong, but he fired straight at Weale and is still to break his scoring duck for the Blues.
With time running out, Abe flashed a sliced effort well off target and Jo was unable to pick out a team-mate after surging into the box down the left.
Both sides gave their all in search of a winner, with neither particularly keen to add a replay to their already hectic schedule, but there was to be no late drama, with Tevez seeing the final chance of the game blocked by the feet of Weale.
The two sides must now meet again at Eastlands in order to find a winner, with a contest against Notts County awaiting the victors in round four.
| Leicester City |
Team Statistics |
Manchester City |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
2 |
| 10 |
Shots on Target |
6 |
| 5 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 7 |
Corners |
7 |
| 13 |
Fouls |
15 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
8 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 68.2 |
Passing Success |
76.1 |
| 25 |
Tackles |
14 |
| 68 |
Tackles Success |
78.6 |
| 42.6 |
Possession |
57.4 |
| 56.6 |
Territorial Advantage |
43.4 |
|
