MADDISON HITS FOXES’ LEVELLER
WITH folded arms and no hint of a celebration, Claudio Ranieri did not even flinch when Fulham took the lead against the team he turned into champions of England. Facing his old club for the first time since that 5,000/1 Premier League triumph in 2016, Ranieri did not want to show disrespect. Perhaps he also knew this game was far from over. Fulham had not kept a clean sheet all season and now, if they could secure their first at the 15th time of asking, they would climb out of the bottom three. Unfortunately for him, the wait continues. Fulham opened the scoring when Aleksandar Mitrovic flicked the ball through for Aboubakar Kamara on 42 minutes. The French forward produced a clever turn, sending a sliding Caglar Soyuncu the wrong way in the process, and beat Kasper Schmeichel from an angle. Shinji Okazaki was introduced from the bench for Leicester with 18 minutes left and the substitute made his presence count immediately. Two minutes after coming on, he crossed towards the back post and found James Maddison, one of the top-flight’s revelations this season, who equalised in the 74th minute to ensure Leicester avoided defeat and Ranieri left disappointed.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Rico 7; Christie 6 (Ream 84mins), Odoi 6, Mawson 6, Le Marchand 6 (Bryan 77); Chambers 7, Seri 7; Kamara 6.5, Vietto 5 (Cairney 45, 6), Sessegnon 6.5; Mitrovic 6. Subs not used: Bettinelli, Kebano, Schurrle, Anguissa. Scorer: Kamara 42. Booked: None. Manager: Claudio Ranieri 6. LEICESTER (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel 6; Simpson 6 (Okazaki 72, 6), Morgan 6, Soyuncu 6, Chilwell 6; Mendy 6 (Iborra 71, 6), Ndidi 6; Diabate 6 (Gray 55, 6), Maddison 7.5, Albrighton 6.5; Iheanacho 6. Subs not used: Ward, Pereira, Fuchs, Knight. Scorer: Maddison 75. Booked: None. Manager: Claude Puel 6. Referee: David Coote 6. Attendance: 22,881.