Vicente Guaita and Marc Guehi stood out as Crystal Palace held Leicester City to a 0-0 draw at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Crystal Palace had been the more in-form team of the two sides heading into the contest. But apart from a few bright moments in the early exchanges, the Eagles lacked the cutting edge in the first half. And Leicester thoroughly dominated the proceedings in the opening 45 minutes, forcing Vicente Guaita into a couple of sharp saves.
The visitors struggles to test Danny Ward in the Leicester goal and failed to muster a shot on target. The Foxes remained on top after the interval, as Crystal Palace struggled to stitch plays together. The Eagles finally mustered a shot on target just after the hour mark, but that did not kick them into life.
Crystal Palace struggled to trouble Danny Ward, while Leicester City continued to look for scoring opportunities. In the end, neither side had the cutting edge to break the deadlock, and neither manager will be satisfied with the result. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Patrick Vieira’s men.
Vicente Guaita: 7/10
🇪🇸 Vicente Guaita vs. Leicester
• 6 saves
• 6 accurate long balls
• 5 saves from inside the box
• 3 punches
• 3 clearances
• 2 high claims
• 100% run-out success
• 100% aerial duel success
• Man of the Match 🌟 pic.twitter.com/4zupybQYbl— Matchday365 – Palace (@Matchday365CPFC) October 15, 2022
Guaita was a colossal presence between the sticks against Leicester City. The Spanish goalkeeper made several sharp saves to keep his team in the game and earned a deserved clean sheet. He was easily the man of the match.
Joel Ward: 6/10
Ward endured a gruelling afternoon at the King Power Stadium, and Harvey Barnes had his number. But he improved as the game wore on, especially when Jordan Ayew started supporting him more. However, despite being busy, Ward did not lose the ball cheaply, not nearly as much as his teammates.
Joachim Andersen: 5/10
Andersen endured a difficult afternoon at the King Power Stadium, with Daka giving him many worrying moments. The Danish defender also copped a yellow card for his troubles and played within himself after that.
Marc Guehi: 7/10
While Andersen had a few struggles at the back, Guehi was a rock at the back and made several crucial defensive interventions. He made five clearances and three interceptions. In addition, a 93 per cent passing rate meant he did not lose the ball as cheaply as some of his teammates.
Marc Guehi’s game by numbers vs. Leicester:
100% tackles won
93% pass accuracy
82 touches
62 passes completed
4 long balls completed
3/4 ground duels won
5 clearances
3 interceptionHelps to keep a clean sheet. 🧼 pic.twitter.com/a39LdnggBk
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 15, 2022
Tyrick Mitchell: 6/10
Mitchell was not as busy as Ward on the other flank. But he engaged in a few physical battles, one of which left him with a knock. While he soldiered on, he continued to show the effects of the clash. And so, after ten minutes into the second half, Vieira took him off for Jairo Riedewald.
Eberechi Eze: 5/10
Eze was the player to watch in our preview. And while he played more key passes for his side than any other teammate, he struggled to carve out the openings as well as he would have liked. He also had a few careless moments on the ball while barely managing to get into the Leicester box.
Cheick Doucoure: 5/10
Doucoure has been a sensational signing for Crystal Palace. But he struggled to hold together the midfield unit against Leicester City. The Malian midfielder crumbled, at times, under the twin pressure from Youri Tielemans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. And his output on the ball was also underwhelming. It was hardly surprising that he went off early in the second half.
Jeffrey Schlupp: 6/10
Schlupp was a bundle of energy in the middle of the park and constantly looked to push Crystal Palace forward. And while the former Leicester City utility man barely lost possession, he lacked the ideas to make things happen. He should do more with the ball at his feet.
Jordan Ayew: 6/10
Ayew was the workhorse for Crystal Palace against Leicester and put in the hard yards to help out to help out Ward. He also showed some neat touches and linked up well with his teammates. But his added defensive workload meant the Ghanaian attacker did not carry a threat in the final third.
Odsonne Edouard: 5/10
Edouard was the only Crystal Palace player who managed a shot on target against Leicester. But the French striker did not hold the ball well enough to bring his teammates into the game. His passing rate of 59 per cent was abysmal, and he also lost possession 12 times. It was no wonder that his short scoring run ended on Saturday.
Wilfried Zaha: 5/10
Zaha endured a frustrating game on Saturday as he struggled to beat the first man on most occasions. The Crystal Palace talisman spent more time in his half than he would have liked and could not muster a shot on target.
SUBSTITUTES
Jairo Riedewald: 5/10
Riedewald showed signs of rust after replacing Mitchell, and it was hardly surprising. The Dutch utility man was making his first appearance of the season, and he struggled at times on his flank. But he grew as the minutes wore on and made a few crucial clearances.
Luka Milivojevic: 6/10
Milivojevic came on for Doucoure and continued from where his teammate had left. But while the Crystal Palace captain had his initial struggles, he found his feet and helped Crystal Palace retain more control of the proceedings.
Michael Olise: 6/10
Olise replaced Edouard in the final third and showed better creative impetus. But the youngster could not create a game-changing moment for his side despite his endeavour.
Jean-Philippe Mateta: N/A
Mateta replaced the underwhelming Zaha but hardly saw the ball coming his way.
