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Soccer News of Monday, 16 March 2015

Source: goal.com

Schlupp stars in Leicester draw

Jeffrey Schlupp delivered an outstanding performance as Leicester City drew 0-0 with Hull City in the Premier League.

Despite the Ghana man’s excellent outing, and some fine showings across the Foxes team, Nigel Pearson’s side were unable to achieve the result their endeavour deserved.

They end the day at the foot of the top tier, having accrued 19 points from their first 28 matches. With ten games still to play, the Foxes remain seven points off Sunderland in 17th but with a game in hand.

Schlupp’s side had their chances to beat Hull and indeed this match, in front of over 31,000 at the King Power Stadium, will go down as an opportunity missed.

That is not to say the visitors didn’t have their chances, Nikica Jelavic could have opened the scoring inside the first half, while a late opportunity was missed by substitute Abel Hernandez.

Leicester lacked a key creative player and this told in the first half as they failed to create much in the way of chances, with striker Andrej Kramaric looking largely isolated.

In the second half, Schlupp himself had an opportunity to win the match, but his sweetly-struck late drive cannoned off substitute Leonardo Ulloa—his own teammate—and deflected wide.

Defensively, Schlupp, who operated as a wing-back, largely managed to deal with Hull’s rampaging wideman Ahmed Elmohamady.

According to WhoScored, Schlupp won four aerial battles, completed three dribbles (the highest in the match) and made four tackles, second only to Tom Huddlestone, who was dismissed in the second half.

Leicester will be well aware that their chances of staying in the top flight beyond the end of the season are steadily slipping away.

The Foxes are widely impressing with their effort, but lacking both composure in attack and conviction in defence. They have won only once since January 10—against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup—and have lost five of their last seven matches.