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Feb 3, 2018 at 3pm UK
 
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Vardy (18')
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Live Commentary: Leicester City 1-1 Swansea City - as it happened

:Headline: Live Commentary: Leicester City 1-1 Swansea City - as it happened:
Relive Sports Mole's coverage as Leicester City are held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by visitors Swansea City at the King Power Stadium.
Sports Mole

Leicester City took on Swansea City at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League aiming to claim four wins on the bounce at home in all competitions.

The Foxes had looked likely to pick up another victory on home soil when Jamie Vardy opened the scoring in the first half, only for a dominant Leicester side to rue their profligacy as Federico Fernandez's header saw the Swans earn a vital point on the road.

Relive all of the action with our minute-by-minute updates below.

Good afternoon all and thank you for joining us as we bring you live minute-by-minute coverage as Leicester City welcome the visit of Swansea City to the King Power Stadium in the Premier League.
Much of the narrative that has shaped itself around this fixture has centred on the future of Foxes winger Riyad Mahrez, who was the subject of a late-but-ultimately failed approach from Manchester City. The fallout from that attempted transfer has since seen Mahrez absent from four days of Leicester training sessions, resulting in the Algerian international being unavailable to feature today.
The controversy has left a slight sour taste in the mouth for Leicester fans, but it should not overshadow the impressive job that whispering Claude Puel has done since arriving at the club. Leicester are currently unbeaten at the King Power since the middle of December, having won all three of their last games without conceding a goal on home soil.
This contest pits the Foxes against another club undergoing a burgeoning renaissance under a new coach. At Swansea, Carlos Carvalhal has been able to inject some hope into the club's relegation battle following a point away at Newcastle United and two huge wins against both Liverpool and Arsenal in recent weeks.
Since Carvalha's arrival from Sheffield Wednesday, the Welsh outfit have collected 10 points from a possible 15 under the guidance of the Portuguese coach - winning three, drawing one and losing one during his short tenure at the helm.
Right, time for some team news now...
LEICESTER CITY STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Maguire, Dragovic, Fuchs, Albrighton, Ndidi, Diabate, Silva, Iheanacho, Vardy
LEICESTER CITY SUBSTITUTES: Hamer, Chilwell, Gray, Okazaki, Iborra, James, Benalouane
SWANSEA CITY STARTING XI: Fabianski; Olsson, van der Hoorn, Mawson, Fernandez, Naughton, Sung-yueng, Fer, Dyer, Clucas, Ayew
SWANSEA CITY SUBSTITUTES: Nordfeldt, Bony, Abraham, Narsingh, Carroll, Routledge, Bartley
So the major news for the visiting fans is that Carvalhal has decided to opt with the exact same starting XI that were victorious against Arsenal during the week. That means Jordan Ayew will continue in attack, with further attacking support being provided by Leroy Fer, Nathan Dyer and Ki Sung-yueng from a little deeper. As expected, Sam Clucas also continues in the middle for the away side following his standout performance against the Gunners.
For the hosts, Puel has decided to partner youngster Kelechi Iheanacho with the in-form Jamie Vardy, while newcomers Fousseni Diabate and Adrien Silva also feature in creative roles. Foxes skipper Wes Morgan continues to be out with a hamstring injury, leaving Aleksandar Dragovic to partner up with Harry Maguire in the centre of the Leicester defence.
The one slight disappointment for Swansea fans here might be the fact that Andre Ayew does not feature at all in the squad despite his deadline-day move back to his old club from West Ham United. Swans fans will have to wait a little longer in order to see the two Ayew brothers lining up alongside each other in white. The brothers have not played in the same side since turning out for Marseille in November 2013.
Leicester have been impressive at home of late and that form extends itself when featuring against Swansea. The Foxes have come out victorious on the last five occasions they have welcomed the Swans to the King Power.
Swansea do, however, hold the upper hand over Leicester this term. Swansea won 2-1 in the reverse of this fixture earlier in the campaign. As an aside, though, the Foxes have actually won five of the last six league fixtures between the the two clubs.
One problematic statistic for the home fans is that Mahrez, who will not feature today, has had a hand in five goals in his last five league outings against Swansea, scoring four and assisting another(four goals, one assist). Three of those goals came as part of a standout hat-trick in 2015.
The saga surrounding Mahrez has brought some unnecessary negativity to a clash that will involve two managers really starting to prove their respective value for their clubs. The Foxes have managed to notch 25 points from their 16 games under Puel, which represents a collection of more points than any club outside the top six since the Frenchman took over in October. As for Carvalhal, the coach has amassed 10 points from five games - more points than the club were able to pick up in the previous 17 games under Paul Clement.
The danger-man for Swansea this afternoon is clearly Ayew, who has now been involved in seven league goals for Swansea this term, scoring five and setting up two. The frontman has proven to be the most efficient attacking threat for the club this season.
Mahrez's absence will certainly cause a few headaches for Puel, especially when considering his forward contributions in recent years. The winger has missed only three of Leicester's Premier League games since the start of last season. The Foxes lost all three of those games.
Swansea have been fairly respectable at the back this season, it's going forward where Carvalhal still has plenty of work to do with his side. The Swans have already started to look a little more adventurous under their new coach, but the club still needs to shake some of that dogmatic movement cultivated under Clement. As things stand, Swansea have only had 203 shots this season, fewer than any other side in the Premier League.
Three points would be huge for the visiting side this afternoon and a victory could lift them out of the relegation zone depending on how other results turn out come 5pm. Should Swansea win today, the Welsh club would have won three league matches in a row for the first time since the end of last season.
The Foxes have been remarkably good in front of goal thus far. Leicester have now bagged 35 goals from 247 shots. The only side to have a better conversion rate this season are Manchester City and we all know what kind of feats they're producing at the moment.
Not long to go now, Puel has just had this to say ahead of the contest: "A few days after our last game, it's a good opportunity for players like Silva, Iheanacho and Diabate in front of our fans today. Good challenge to see if we can play against Swansea's style with good quality."
PREDICTION! We have just over ten minutes until kickoff and it's time to make a prediction. Leicester's win over Swansea earlier in the season will certainly fill the hosts with confidence, but the absence of Mahrez definitely impacts the Foxes going forward. That said, the home side have plenty of quality on show and they should have just about enough to see off the visitors, despite all of Carvalhal's miracle working in recent weeks. You cannot see Leicester not scoring, which means Swansea are likely to need at least two in order to win this contest, which could be a stretch given their fortunes in front of goal this term.
A special shout-out for Swansea's Ki Sung-Yueng, who will be given his 155th Premier League appearance this afternoon - making him the the most featured South Korean player in the English top flight.
The ground is filling up nicely as we await the start of the game. The players are now emerging from the tunnel...
KICKOFF! And here we go, we are off and underway at the King Power...
A testing start for both sides are neither one is really able to gain a proper foothold in the early moments. Clucas finds himself on the deck following a crunching tackle from Ndidi, but it looks like he will be able to shake it off and continue.
Leicester get their first real chance to break on the visitors and the ball comes forward through Iheanacho, but his cross into the box is poor and allows Fabianski to race off his line and gather.
This has been a bright start from the home side and they look ready to spring the counter on Swansea at any given opportunity. This time the Foxes win the ball in the middle before releasing Vardy down the channel, although the pass is soon intercepted at the vital moment by Mawson.
Swansea are struggling to get a hold of the ball properly at the moment, leaving Leicester to nip in and setup counter attacks. This time Simpson tries to engineer something on the break, but his final ball doesn't have the required quality to find Vardy in behind the defence.
GOAL! LEICESTER CITY 1-0 SWANSEA CITY (JAMIE VARDY)
The early proceedings suggested that this might just be coming for the hosts. Most of the work is done by Iheanacho as he beats two men, before picking out the coolest of passes into the path of Vardy, who makes no mistake with a finish down low into the bottom corner beyond Fabianski.
The Foxes look to settle things down now with a neat spell of possession after the goal, the home side are moving the ball about with some real verve in these opening exchanges. Swansea have a lot of work to do now.
Better from Swansea, who are able to find Fer, who then exchanges some clever passing with Dyer, but he is robbed at the vital moment by Maguire and Leicester are able to clear.
The visitors are just starting to see a little more of the possession now and Naughton almost makes in roads from right full-back, although his cross into the middle of the box is wayward and leaves Ayew frustrated.
SAVE! Diabate has shown some early promise and he almost makes it 2-0 to Leicester out of nothing. The midfielder picks up the loose ball and changes forward to unleashed a brilliant effort on goal. Somehow Fabianski has it read, though, allowing the Swansea keeper to pull off a remarkable diving save.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Leicester think that they have their second of the game as Ndidi puts the ball into the Swansea net, only for the linesman to rule out the goal for offside. On a second look, the official has made the correct call there.
Further problems for Swansea as Fer hits the deck with not a soul around him. He looks in a lot of pain and we're going to have a slight stoppage here.
SUBSTITUTION: Unfortunately that's Fer's day over as a stretcher comes onto the field. Carvalhal replaces the midfielder with former Tottenham Hotspur man Tom Carroll.
It's been a strange first half for the Swans, who have seen plenty of the ball at times but things just aren't sticking when they go forward to Ayew. Credit to Leicester, however, who have pressed with real intensity and have brought boundless energy to this first half. On the measure of chances, the home side deserve their lead heading into half time.
Iheanacho, Vardy and Albrighton have bene outstanding in this first half. This time Vardy breaks round the back of the full-back to collect a clever through-ball, before squaring across the face of goal for Iheanacho. The striker is blocked off well by Mawson, though, allowing the visitors to hoof the ball clear.
Ndidi gives away a carless free kick on the right flank, allowing Clucas to turn a ball into the box. Fuchs stands his ground well and is able to head clear at the first attempt. A decent chance for Swansea to get something into the middle there, but they cannot even clear the first man.
Despite that earlier foul, Ndidi has covered impressively over on the right flank. This time the midfielder steps across at the vital moment in order to cut out a raking ball from Clucas, who sought to pick out the run of Naughton.
We're going to have two minutes of additional time in this first half, which has been dominated by the Foxes.
HALF TIME: LEICESTER CITY 1-0 SWANSEA CITY
So the referee calls time on an intriguing half of football at the King Power, where the Foxes have held total control since going in front. Swansea have played with energy and bite, but just have not been able to put anything together going forward. Leicester, on the other hand, have looked vibrant in the final third, with Iheanacho and Vardy running the show for the hosts.
Such has been the home side's dominance, Puel might feel a little frustrated that they are only one goal ahead. Iheanacho has had two good chances in the first half, while the Foxes have also had a goal ruled out (correctly) for offside. Carvalhal will feel lucky to still be in with a shout here having gone into the break just the one goal behind.
What can Carvalhal do to change things here? The away side certainly need to get their collective foot on the ball a little more after the break. Perhaps some more support for Ayew too, who looks a little lost when things are sent in long towards the striker. Puel will want more of the same. His side have shown tremendous attacking ability in the absence of Mahrez.
SECOND HALF! We're back underway at the King Power. Can Swansea find a route back into this game?
Vardy and Albrighton look to rekindle their combinations from the first half, but this time the winger cannot pick out the striker's run beyond Mawson.
The Swans appear slightly less rushed than they did in the first period. They have certainly lacked quality going forward and have not done too much with the minimal possession that they've shared here.
Swansea work the ball nicely down inside the Leicester half, leading to the visitors gaining a corner. As you might expect, though, the quality is poor and the cross from the set-piece fails to clear the defender at the near post.
Careless from Leicester as they give away a needless free kick 30 yards out from goal. Swansea take it cleverly as the ball is shifted into Clucas. The youngster drills across the face of goal, leaving Ndidi to clear for a corner.
GOAL! LEICESTER CITY 1-1 SWANSEA CITY (FREDERICO FERNANDEZ)
Leicester fall asleep for a moment and Swansea find themselves level and totally out of nowhere too. From the resulting corner, the Swans turn the ball into the middle with a bit of whip, leaving Fernandez to wander free of his marker and head unchallenged beyond a stranded Schmeichel. Poor defending from the hosts who have thrown away a deserved lead.
It will be interesting to see where Carvalhal goes from here, given that a point would be no bad result away at the King Power. His side have done very little this afternoon but still find themselves level approaching the hour mark.
The visitors have made a slight tactical switch and appear to be sitting just a touch deeper to prevent Vardy from moving in behind. The frontman has been quiet in this second half compared to his contribution in the first 45 minutes. Swansea are doing well to frustrate the Foxes, who have lost a little of their vitality in the last 10 minutes.
A glimpse of vintage last there, as Ndidi wins the ball inside his own box, looks up and launches the mother of all long balls forward for Vardy to chase. The England international makes his ground comfortably and goes for a deft lob from a tight angle, leaving Fabianski to collect comfortably.
CLOSE! Better again from Vardy and Leicester should be back ahead. Diabate feeds the run of the forward in behind the defence, allowing Vardy to pull two defenders wide and then pick out a perfect return ball to his teammate. Diabate opens up to shoot, but can only skew the ball wide of the post under pressure from Mawson.
Albrighton has been fantastic over on the left and he almost finds Vardy with a typical early cross to meet the run of his teammate off the back of his marker. Thankfully for Swansea, Fernandez reads things perfectly and gets a vital head on the ball.
SUBSTITUTIONS: The Foxes make two changes then as Matty James and Demarai Gray take the places of Iheanacho and Silva.
SUBSTITUTE: Could this give Swansea the advantage at set-piece, maybe to pinch a winner in the latter stages? Wilfried Bony is introduced in place of Dyer.
CLOSE! Swansea are growing ever deeper as the game moves forward and it's giving Ndidi plenty of time to orchestrate moves from the centre of the park. This time he spreads the ball wide to Fuchs, who crosses brilliantly into the middle, only for an on-rushing Gray to sky over the bar without troubling Fabianski.
YELLOW CARD! Signs of tiredness from goalscorer Fernandez, who reacts slowly to bring down Diabate on the edge of the box.
CHANCE! The resulting free kick sees Albrighton swing a delivery towards the back-post, where Maguire sends his headed effort just inches wide of the post with Fabianski looking beaten. Who many do they want to spurn today?
Okazaki is on for the home side as the Foxes chase a winner, to be honest they have had plenty of chances here and this will be a very grateful point should Swansea find a way of holding out.
It's all Leicester at the moment as we head into the final five minutes of play. Puel looks furious as he stomps up and down the touchline. Swansea have offered next to nothing going forward and have somehow almost secured a point from this trip.
Frustrating for the hosts as a ball is lumped forward, only for the linesman to raise his flag. The fans are starting to sound their frustrations a little now. How Leicester have not got this game in the bag is beyond me...
Vardy makes a brilliant run into the box, but he is met by Fernandez of all people and the Spaniard puts in a terrific sliding challenge to deny the striker from getting a shot away on goal.
We're into three minutes of additional time. Will this game produce one more moment of magic?
FULL TIME: LEICESTER CITY 1-1 SWANSEA CITY
The referee calls an end to the game and Puel will be furious with his side. Leicester had so many chances to take all three points and they were just too wasteful in front of goal. Carvalhal will be delighted with that result. Swansea were poor all afternoon and did very little going forward. Having said that, they have somehow managed to earn a point from a difficult away trip, which still keeps their survival hopes in decent stead heading into next week. That's going to be all from me today, thanks for joining us!

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds38257670284282
2Leicester CityLeicester37264774334182
3Ipswich TownIpswich38249580493181
4Southampton36227773472673
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom381991059362366
6Norwich CityNorwich381871369541561
7Hull City371610115346758
8Coventry CityCoventry3715121059431657
9Preston North EndPreston37168134954-556
10Middlesbrough38166165352154
11Cardiff CityCardiff38165174351-853
12Sunderland38146184845348
13Watford381212145351248
14Bristol City38138174245-347
15Swansea CitySwansea381210164858-1046
16Millwall381110173650-1443
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn38119185164-1342
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth381011175462-841
19Stoke CityStoke38118193553-1841
20Queens Park RangersQPR381010183650-1440
21Birmingham CityBirmingham38109194259-1739
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38815154261-1939
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds38115223061-3138
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham38311243077-4720
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