Jamie Vardy inspires late comeback as Leicester draw with Brighton | first division

Where Jamie Vardy is, there is hope. Ruud van Nistelrooy has joked with journalists to stop pointing out that the Leicester City legend stole his record of score in 11 consecutive Premier League games in 2015, but is now delighted that the veteran striker is providing a goal-scoring advantage at the start of a new era at the King Power Stadium.

As Brighton cruised towards the 2-0 victory that would have put them back in the Champions League places, with 86 minutes on the clock, it was Vardy who scored on a volley to inspire hope of a comeback the likes of which had never been seen as Brighton created chance after chance, just as West Ham United had done here on Tuesday night.

Van Nistelrooy brought on Bobby De Cordova-Reid with half an hour remaining and it was his deflected shot that fell to Vardy to score. Then, in the first minute of added time, the former Fulham striker was on hand to score his first goal for Leicester from close range after Vardy had knocked down an easy ball.

So that's four points from two games (Vardy started the win over West Ham) for Van Nistelrooy, who at this point can be happy to be a lucky general if he hasn't proven himself yet.

Conceding 31 shots on target in the hard-earned victory over West Ham presented Van Nistelrooy with the challenge of making his new team harder to beat. But the Leicester boss, although sticking to the initial 4-4-1-1 shape out of possession, must still have seen the writing on the wall as Brighton closed in on their half-time lead.

Fabian Hürzeler's side may have had two fewer days to recover from their midweek efforts (the defeat to Fulham was only their third of the season), but with four changes to their starting eleven, they looked more incisive in the first half .

João Pedro should have done better than his left foot volley after Tariq. Lamptey crossed from the right and, although Yasin Ayari's long-range shot was easily saved by Mads Hermansen, the ease with which Brighton beat Pedro midway after Leicester's own corner was disarming.

Hermansen was tested again, flying to his left to deflect Pervis Estupiñán's curling shot. But Kaoru Mitoma should have opened the scoring when, selflessly greeted by the retired Evan Ferguson, he raised his head at the wrong moment and the ball went over the bar from 10 yards.

So it was no surprise that the visiting team took the lead. Lamptey changed the play from right to left and his opposite full-back, Estupiñán, beat his cross beyond the far post. Lamptey collected the ball, cut inside with his left foot and proceeded to play a beauty into the far top corner.

It was his first first division goal since November 2020, a record that was put into context five minutes later when, after a mistake by Jordan Ayew, the Ghanaian opted to square up instead of shoot as he entered the corner of the six-yard box.

Leicester finally had their first attempt on goal a minute before half-time when Victor Kristiansen crossed from the left and James Justin headed in a header that Bart Verbruggen dived to save.

While Leicester tried to play off the ball in a more compact way, to prevent their opponents from playing through them, Brighton always knew they could come out using a big shift. Lamptey and Estupiñán, although playing either side of just two centre-backs on this occasion, attacked as full-backs would, knowing that Hürzeler's midfield engine room had them covered.

Brighton's steady progress remains notable to outsiders. On a day when Dan Ashworth, their former manager and mastermind of so many good plays during his three-year stay on the south coast, was leaving Old Trafford Accepting that implanting his methods at Manchester United may not be working, his old ship continues to take a steady upward course.

Yankuba Minteh, a £35million transfer from Newcastle United in the summer after impressing while on loan at Feyenoord under Arne Slot last season, replaced Pedro midway through the second period and quickly increased Brighton's lead within 10 minutes. .

Mats Wieffer, also signed from Feyenoord in the summer, played a long pass for the Gambian to break past Kristiansen and score. It looked like a game set for Brighton. But Van Nistelrooy has revived Leicester's spirit and Vardy had something to say about that.