Leicester

Leicester wanted a third straight home win for the first time since April 2024. They had the lead twice, and they had most of the ball. They came away with a point, because Stevenage had a goalkeeper in the mood and two finishers who took the only chances that mattered.

It started perfectly. After 67 seconds, a sweeping cross from the left flashed across the face of goal, Will Alves cut it back from the far post, and Sammy Braybrooke, recalled to the side, stroked it home from close range. It was his first senior goal for the club.

A gift for the visitors

Leicester should have been out of sight. Emil Riis hit the post on eight minutes, and John Lundstram, back from suspension and wearing the armband, saw a fierce shot tipped over by Tommy Setford.

Then on 22 minutes, Alex McCarthy collided with his own centre-half Caleb Okoli as a cross came in and fumbled it. Ben Broggio was on it in a flash and scored from point-blank range. It was a goal against the run of play, and Stevenage had beaten Leicester 2-1 in the Football League Trophy earlier this month. The visitors knew how to hurt them.

Leicester spent the rest of the half laying siege. There were six corners in eight minutes, Riis had a header saved, Harry Souttar put one wide from close range, and Warren O'Hora headed wide in stoppage time. It stayed 1-1.

Doyle restores order, briefly

The second half followed the same pattern. Lundstram skied one from the edge after Braybrooke squared it, Kamari Doyle was blocked, and Setford tipped over another stunning strike from Riis. Russell Martin took off Lundstram for Will Smallbone on the hour.

The breakthrough came on 66 minutes. Setford could only turn Alves's shot into Doyle's path, and he pounced inside the box to make it 2-1.

Alex Revell's response was to change his front line. Chem Campbell, Michael Mellon and Matt Smith came on, and on 76 minutes so did Tugra Turhan for Broggio. Two minutes later the teenager, on loan from Istanbul Basaksehir and making his league debut, combined with fellow substitute Campbell and drove an angled shot into the bottom corner. Stevenage were level again.

Martin had already sent on Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin, and Liam Cullen followed. Luke Thomas went closest on 85 minutes, a left-footed shot from Braybrooke's pass that flew just wide, and in the fifth minute of stoppage time Phoenix Patterson had a shot blocked at the other end.

Plenty of the ball, not enough to show for it

The numbers tell the story of Leicester's afternoon: 17 shots to eight, 11 corners to two, two-thirds of the possession. Setford made five saves. McCarthy made two, and dropped the one that mattered.

Martin had said before the game that his side were "not in the position we want to be in". A point against Stevenage, from two winning positions at home, won't change that, and he did not hide from it.

There will be so much brilliant stuff to show the players about the performance, but the message is we can't accept conceding goals like that, we can't. We're conceding too many goals. We kept two brilliant clean sheets in the last few games and we go and concede two today which are so avoidable.

Russell Martin, Leicester City manager, to the Leicester Mercury

I should be coming out and saying 'brilliant performance', but we should score more, we create a lot, but we concede a rubbish second goal, so bad, the amount of bodies we have in the box, it's so frustrating.

Russell Martin, Leicester City manager, to the Leicester Mercury

Alex Revell, short of players, was proud of the point and joked he would fine Turhan for celebrating with a somersault because "we've got enough injuries as it is".

I'm really proud because the lads, even with so many out, went about their work with courage, with purpose and with bravery. That's everything this group of players is about.

Alex Revell, Stevenage boss (PA)

There's qualities about him we really like, such as his pace. There's also a real durability about him as well, and he wants to get involved.

Alex Revell, on Tugra Turhan