Leicester City ended a run of four defeats in the Premier League by battling to a goalless draw with Sunderland.
In a game of few chances, Steven Fletcher came the closest to scoring for Sunderland in the first half, while Matty James was twice denied by the keeper after the break.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the King Power Stadium.
Match Statistics:
Leicester City:
Shots 13
On Target 4
Possession 40%
Corners 6
Fouls 18
Sunderland:
Shots 10
On Target 5
Possession 60%
Corners 9
Fouls 12
Was the result fair?
A draw was the fair result this afternoon. Neither side showed enough quality in the final third to warrant the three points. Leicester started the game strongly and put Sunderland under pressure, but the visitors gradually grew into the game and created the better chances in the first half. It was very open after the break, with both teams taking their turn in possession. However, the closing stages of the match went by without much incident, as each side feared the threat of losing a hard-earned point.
Leicester City's performance
It was an improved performance from Leicester, following their defeat against Southampton last time out. They looked more resolute at the back and kept their first clean sheet in eight matches. They were hard to break down and the visitors rarely got in behind them. Nigel Pearson will be pleased at how things went down that end of the pitch, but he will be frustrated that his team were not able to take their chances when they were on top. They have not found the net since the start of October and a striker may be on the list of priorities for the manager in the January transfer window.
Sunderland's performance
It seemed as if Sunderland's defensive troubles had returned in the early stages of the match, with a number of big mistakes being made by their most experienced players. They were fortunate to get away with a horrid back pass from Wes Brown and slowly recovered to dominate possession. Fletcher had the best chance of the match when he was denied at point-blank range by the keeper, but they did not do enough to seriously trouble the Leicester defence.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Riyad Mahrez: There were not too many players on show today that looked capable of providing a moment of inspiration, but Riyad Mahrez always looked lively for the hosts. He showed plenty of skill on the right wing and whipped a number of decent balls into the box, as well as testing the keeper on a couple of occasions.
Biggest gaffe
Brown was punished for making a huge mistake against Arsenal recently, but he got away with a momentous error this afternoon. The defender miscontrolled a back pass and allowed Jamie Vardy to run in behind him. He was fortunate that Costel Pantilimon came off his line so quickly to force the striker out wide.
Referee's performance
It ended up being a very difficult match for Robert Madley to take charge of. The referee handed out five bookings, but Sunderland were arguably lucky to still have 10 men on the pitch by the final whistle. Lee Cattermole escaped a red card for a crunching challenge on Esteban Cambiasso, while Sebastian Larsson is another who could easily have been handed a second yellow. He also had to make a big call when Mahrez tumbled inside the box, but on that occasion there did not seem to be enough contact to warrant a penalty.
What next?
Leicester City: Pearson's side will visit fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers next Saturday.
Sunderland: The Black Cats host league leaders Chelsea in next Saturday's evening kick off.
Alex Meyers
