Leicester City ended their Premier League losing streak and goal drought as they twice came from behind in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, extending the Seagulls' winless run to four matches and denting their European hopes.
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Leicester had lost their previous eight league games without scoring, but they showed tremendous fight to take a point from the Amex Stadium.
After Joao Pedro broke the deadlock from the penalty spot, Stephy Mavididi equalised to end Leicester’s 13-hour wait for a league goal.
Joao Pedro restored the Seagulls’ lead with another spot-kick but Caleb Okoli’s first Premier League goal was enough to halt the Foxes’ losing run, and they even went close to a winner when Bilal El Khannouss struck a post.
Despite their improved display, Leicester remain 19th, 14 points from safety with six games remaining.
Fabian Hurzeler’s hosts stay ninth, six points outside the top five spots, which are set to get UEFA Champions League qualification.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
32 | +20 | 55 |
| 5 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
32 | +3 | 54 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
31 | +17 | 53 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
30 | +13 | 53 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
31 | +5 | 48 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
32 | +2 | 48 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
31 | +11 | 45 |
How the match unfolded
Brighton quickly established their authority and broke through in the 31st minute. Joao Pedro calmly tucked away a penalty after Conor Coady was penalised for handling Simon Adingra's strike, following a VAR review.
However, Leicester responded brilliantly and levelled seven minutes later, Mavididi drilling past Bart Verbruggen from a tight angle after his attempted cross ricocheted back into his path.
Matt O'Riley should have restored the Seagulls' lead when he sent a free header wide soon after, before striking a post in first-half stoppage time.
O'Riley was involved again after the break as he was dragged down by Luke Thomas, with Darren Bond awarding a second penalty following another VAR review. Once again, Joao Pedro coolly sent Mads Hermansen the wrong way.
Yet Leicester were not to be denied a share of the points as Okoli beat the offside trap to nod home an inviting free-kick from El Khannouss.
El Khannouss nearly scored a dramatic 87th-minute winner too, but his curler bounced off the far post.
Missed opportunity for Brighton
Despite suffering three successive defeats in all competitions, Brighton knew this was a decent opportunity to get back to winning ways and apply pressure on the top five.
The Seagulls began brightly enough with Yankuba Minteh just unable to turn home Adingra’s deep cross, while the latter also fired narrowly off target before Joao Pedro opened the scoring.
Though they were pegged back before half-time, Brighton were soon back on top and restored their lead through another Joao Pedro penalty.
The Brazilian has now hit double figures in a Premier League season for the first time, while scoring his first brace since December 2023 against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Leicester refused to lie down, and if anything Brighton were grateful to end the game with a point, with their winless streak stretching to four matches.
Brighton know they cannot afford to dwell on that for too long, as the battle for European football intensifies. They still have matches to come against Newcastle United and leaders Liverpool during the run-in, though those are the only two top-half sides the Seagulls will face in their seven remaining games.
Next up is a trip to the Gtech Community Stadium to face Brentford.
Leicester given reason to smile
With no points and no goals from their previous eight Premier League outings, Leicester were aiming to avoid equalling Crystal Palace’s record in the division of nine successive matches without scoring.
Things did not look promising when Joao Pedro put Brighton ahead with the first of his penalties just after the half-hour mark.
Yet, to their credit, the Foxes quickly dusted themselves down and were rewarded when Mavididi’s fierce drive was too hot for Verbruggen to handle.
Leicester had to survive a couple of nervy moments before half-time, and they trailed again within 10 minutes of the start of the second half after another well-taken Joao Pedro penalty.
Once again, though, they responded well. Patson Daka and Kasey McAteer had both gone close before Okoli chose an ideal time to score his first Premier League goal, and it could have been even better had El Khannouss’s later effort been a couple of inches to the left of the post.
Finally, Van Nistelrooy’s side have something to build on, though it is almost certainly too little, too late.
A victory for 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday would leave Leicester 17 points adrift with just 18 left to play for.
Leicester host Liverpool in eight days' time, and results elsewhere could even mean their relegation is confirmed before they next take to the field.
Club reports
Brighton report | Leicester report
What the managers said
Fabian Hurzeler: "There were plenty of chances. We were not mature enough and were too naive. We didn't react well to the second balls and the last 25 minutes were not acceptable.
"It's a concern. We have to show our reaction and stick together; that's what I demand from the players."
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "The season couldn't end like this with a lack of goals or with this run of form and we broke that cycle today. We want to finish the season in a positive way to ensure we start the next season as good as we can."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
After a run of four successive wins in February/March, Brighton and Hove Albion are winless in their last four league games (D2 L2).
Leicester City end a run of eight successive defeats and games without scoring in the Premier League, with this the second time they’ve avoided defeat in a league game in 2025 along with a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in January.
Brighton and Hove Albion have dropped 20 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, the second time they’ve dropped as many in a single campaign in the competition after 2020-21 (25).
Today only the second time that Brighton and Hove Albion have scored two penalties in a Premier League game after December 2023 against Tottenham Hotspur, while it’s the third time Leicester City have conceded two penalties after January 2015 against Liverpool and December 2021 against Manchester City.
