Stoke 2 Leicester 2: Jamie Vardy sent off as Daniel Amartey’s thrilling late strike sees ten-men Foxes come back from two goals down

JAMIE VARDY was shown a controversial red for a two-footed lunge as ten-men Leicester fought back from two goals down to earn a point against Stoke.

Goals from Bojan Krkic and Joe Allen looked to have put the Potters in the driving seat, with sub Leonardo Ulloa helping himself to nothing more than a consolation strike at the time.

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But Daniel Amartey pounced with just two minutes remaining to complete Leicester's stunning comeback, although fans would have been hoping for a win at the start of the game.

Leicester have won just once in their last eight league matches, and a relegation dogfight is on the horizon as they enter the second half of the campaign.

The Tigers picked up an astonishing six yellow cards during an ill-tempered game at the Britannia, but it was Vardy's red which had everyone talking.

The England international was sent packing by Craig Pawson the 28th minute after he came sliding in on Mame Diouf with studs on both boots showing.

However, Vardy won the ball cleanly without making contact, and it's sure to be the hot topic for fans and pundits alike for the remainder of the weekend.

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FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Kasper Schmeichel’s return after a six week absence with a fractured hand was a huge boost for the Foxes. Ron-Robert Zieler simply hasn’t cut it in his absence.
• The Dane underlined his importance to Ranieri’s team within five minutes, blocking bravely to deny Jon Walters at point blank range.
• Robert Huth was in the thick of the action from the start at his old stomping ground, denying Ryan Shawcross with a backpost clearance, then forcing Grant into a fine save at the other end.
• Stoke fans don’t half love a good moan and had put in a couple of loud claims for non-existent penalties before the fun really began!
• Potters People Power paid off when Craig Pawson decided to have a change of heart THREE DAYS after failing to send off Marcos Rojo for a two-footed lung – by sending off Jamie Vardy for a two-footed lunge.
• The problem was Vardy actually played the ball with one foot and did everything he could to avoid contact with his trailing foot which he consciously drove towards the turf.

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• Did anyone actually else spot what caused Biram Mame Diouf to beat the ground and hold his knee when Vardy clearly played the ball? Nope, me neither.
• The law is an ass when it comes to penalty claims such as the one which snared Danny Simpson. The law states contact must be intentional – which it clearly wasn’t in Simpson’s case.
• For those who argue Simpson had his arm above his head and therefore in an unnatural position, I get it - but only if it was his leading arm! What was Simpson supposed to do with his trailing arm once momentum takes over? Where was that supposed to go?
• Foxes fans had a fair idea. Think Craig Pawson, Christmas Dinner and a well-stuffed TURKEY!
• Bojan Krkic has scored the opening goal in each of his last three Premier League appearances against Leicester.
• Finallly, there was a nice line of patter from the Potters support who sang: “He’s having a bath, he’s having a baaaaath ….. Jamie Vardy is having a bath!”
• Leicester fans had the last word after Amartey's late equaliser as they taunted Stoke fans by chanting: "Jamie Vardy he's having a LAUGH!"

THE BIG PICTURE

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Stoke next five fixtures:

Liverpool (A): 27 Dec – Prem

Chelsea (A): 31 Dec – Prem

Watford (H): 3 Jan – Prem

Wolves (H): 7 Jan – FA

Sunderland (A): 14 Jan – Prem

Leicester next five fixtures:

Everton (H): 26 Dec – Prem

West Ham (H): 31 Dec – Prem

Middlesbrough (A): 2 Jan – Prem

Everton (A): 7 Jan – FA

Chelsea (H): 14 Jan – Prem

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DREAM TEAM RATINGS

Stoke: Grant 7, Johnson 7, Shawcross 6, Martins Indi 6, Pieters 6, Imbula 6, Whelan 7 (Sobhi 6), Diouf 6, Allen 7, Bojan 7 (Adam 6), Walters 6

Subs not used: Bony, Shaqiri, Given, Crouch, Ngoy

Goals: Bojan 39’ (pen), Allen 45’+3

Booked: Johnson, Pieters

Leicester: Schmeichel 7, Simpson 6, Morgan 6, Huth 6, Fuchs 7, Mahrez 6 (Musa 6), King 6, Amartey 7, Albrighton 7 (Gray 7), Slimani (Ulloa 7), Vardy 5

Subs not used: Chilwell, Okazaki, Zieler, Mendy

Goals: Ulloa 74’, Amartey 88’

Booked: Simpson, Huth, Fuchs, King, Albrighton, Slimani

Sent off: Vardy 28’

Star Man: Christian Fuchs

SOCIAL SAYS

WHAT THEY SAID

Leicester captain Wes Morgan: “It was a long game, we had to battle hard, wasn’t easy with 10 but it was great character from the boys to stick at it. A point out of nothing.”

Claudio Ranieri, Leicester manager: “Fantastic spirit. We continued to believe that anything was possible and the players made a fantastic performance.

“Thank you to my players, but also to my fans. They were fantastic. Today could be a turning point.”