Schmeichel matches dad thanks to penalty save

Living up to the standards set by Peter Schmeichel must be a daunting task for his son, Kasper.

That will take some doing – the Manchester United legend has an impressive honours list – but the Leicester goalkeeper has now saved three penalties in the Premier League, the same number as his illustrious father, after he denied Glenn Murray from 12 yards here.

It proved the turning point in a game of few chances and helped keep Claude Puel’s side in the hunt for seventh place – a finish that would be likely to secure a Europa League berth.

“I’m happy for Kasper because he is a fantastic goalkeeper,” said Puel. “The save gave a good boost for my players.”

For much of the afternoon Leicester appeared totally uninterested in victory, but they were solid enough defensively with Harry Maguire continuing to impress after his England displays.

It was Brighton, searching for the handful of points needed to ensure Premier League football at the Amex next season, who looked the likeliest as the game entered the final 20 minutes.

“It was a game that I couldn’t see us losing. It’s frustrating and hugely disappointing,” said their manager Chris Hughton. “I thought we nullified them very well, had chances ourselves but you’ve got to put them away.”

The home side won their penalty when Jose Izquierdo was felled by a combination of Maguire and Wilfred Ndidi. Murray stepped confidently up, but crucially Schmeichel saved to his left at full stretch.

Leicester scored when Ben Chilwell swung in a deep cross from the left and Vincente Iborra beat Gaetan Bong to the ball to head low into the corner.

The visitors were forced to endure a nervy finish when Ndidi picked up his second booking for a foul on Shane Duffy. He was distraught at Chris Kavanagh’s decision to dismiss him.

“For me, when I watched the replay, it’s not a yellow card because he touched the ball. It’s harsh,” said Puel.

But in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Jamie Vardy, who otherwise had scarcely featured, tapped in Demarai Gray’s low cross to seal the victory.

Brighton remain six points above the drop zone and Hughton believes his team will need more than one victory to ensure survival, but stated that “the reality is, nobody knows”.

For Leicester, it was a second away win in a row. “The most important thing for us was the result,” said Puel. “It was not a fantastic performance.”