Reading 1-1 Leicester: Foxes inch closer to Championship glory

Leicester City have inched closer to Championship glory after a 1-1 draw at Reading extended their lead at the top to six points.

With four games remaining, second-placed Burnley still have a chance of catching the already promoted Foxes, but such has been City’s form this season it looks unlikely anyone else will pip them to the title.

 

Leicester seemed to get caught up in the buzz of their successful promotion last week as a 21-game unbeaten run came to an end with a home defeat to Brighton.

The Seagulls' comfortable 4-1 victory meant play-off chasing Reading may have seen an opportunity to force a result at the Madejski Stadium, despite a run of six home games without a win.

The Royals starting brightly as Pavel Pogrebnyak twice went close to netting an early goal, while Leicester were fortunate not to concede a penalty in the opening few minutes following Dean Hammond’s hand ball.

Ritchie de Laet then looked like opening the scoring for the Foxes, but the former Man United man could only fire narrowly wide from inside the box.

Despite Leicester’s positive response, the hosts got the breakthrough after 15 minutes when Alex Pearce latched onto the end of Jordan Obita's cross to head in.

The league leaders attempted an immediate reply but Riyad Mahrez saw two decent efforts well saved by Reading stopper Alex McCarthy, while Jobi McAnuff would have doubled the Royals’ lead if it weren’t for a brilliant point-black save from Kasper Schmeichel.

Mahrez proved a contact menace to the home side’s back-four but couldn't find the back of the net, though Leicester soon scored the equaliser, and in fine fashion too.

And it was another former Red Devil, Daniel Drinkwater, who restored parity with a thunderbolt strike from 30-yards after Reading failed to clear form a corner.

Schmeichel continued to impress with a string of fine saves after the break, though he found himself in no-man’s when Pogrebnyak rose for a trademark header, but the Russian could only watch as his effort clattered the crossbar.

Both sides battled hard for all three points but they failed to find that winning goal, while substitute Mikele Leigertwood’s recklessness reduced Reading to ten men late on for two bookable offences.

Three points would have been welcomed for the Royals, with the draw lifting them into the play-offs only by goal difference, as they find themselves level on 64 points with Brighton and Ipswich.