David Nugent continued his remarkable goalscoring record against the Blues as Leicester came from behind to beat Town 2-1 at Portman Road. David McGoldrick put the home side in front in the second minute but Nugent — who has now scored 13 goals in 12 matches against Town and nine in seven at Portman Road — scored twice in six minutes as the Foxes improved after the break.
Mick McCarthy returned to his tried and tested 4-4-2 formation with Tommy Smith and Paul Anderson back in the side and Luke Hyam and Carlos Edwards dropping to the bench. Leicester switched to 4-3-3 from their expected 4-4-2, while Tyrone Mings was making his home debut for Town.
Blues keeper Dean Gerken needed treatment after being caught on the head early on and after he had recovered, Town went ahead via the game’s first shot.
McGoldrick found himself to shoot five yards outside the penalty area to the right and hit a low strike which beat Kasper Schmeichel to his left. While the Town striker celebrated his seventh goal of the season, the keeper will have been thinking he ought to have done much better.
Blues nemesis Nugent shot across the face of goal almost immediately, then McGoldrick seized on a poor Paul Konchesky backpass but Schmeichel was alive to it and blocked his shot. Soon after, Foxes right-back Liam Moore headed a Danny Drinkwater corner into Gerken’s arms.
It had been a lively first 15 minutes with Leicester increasingly having most of the ball but with Town looking more dangerous in the final third.
However, on 17 Lloyd Dyer sent a dangerous ball across from the Leicester left after a Jamie Vardy shot had deflected to him, but ahead of any of his team-mates. A minute later, Daryl Murphy sent over a deep ball from the Town left and Luke Chambers shot over.
Home debutant Mings had a chance in the 21st minute when he broke forward having won the ball from Moore in his own half. A Murphy cross deflected to the left-back but the ball got caught under his feet and ricocheted through to Schmeichel.
Gerken tipped over Andy King’s header from Drinkwater’s right-wing corner in the 41st minute before the Blues broke dangerously, Murphy having the ball stabbed away from him just as he looked to shoot, then Anderson having a low cross cut out having taken the ball into the area on the right.
On 43, Skuse played a freekick to McGoldrick on the edge of the Leicester box but the Blues’ top scorer’s shot looped into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.
Vardy will feel he should have done better moments before the end of scheduled time when he smashed Dyer’s left-wing cross well wide.
A minute later, referee Oliver Langford blew his whistle to end a battling first half display from the Blues.
After Town grabbed the early goal through McGoldrick, the visitors had most of the ball but with Gerken only rarely tested. When the Blues did get forward they had looked more dangerous and had created most of the game’s better chances.
Foxes boss Nigel Pearson switched King and Moore for Ignasi Miquel and Matty James as the second half got underway with Tunnicliffe forcing Schmeichel into a sharp save to his right.
Chambers picked up the game’s first yellow card for a somewhat cynical foul on a breaking Dyer in the 50th minute.
A minute later, Leicester got back on terms and inevitably Nugent was the goalscorer. Dyer crossed from the left, Vardy laid it back to the edge of the box and the former England man slammed the ball past Gerken.
On 56 Murphy headed a Chambers cross from the right to Schmeichel, then the visitors could have gone in front when Dyer found Vardy with a deep cross from the left, but keeper Gerken reacted quickly to come off his line to block.
A second Leicester goal was only a minute more in coming, however, and again Nugent was the scorer. Drinkwater sent Dyer away, the winger taking the ball round Gerken before cutting it back from the right to Nugent, who diverted the ball home from six yards.
The Foxes had got well on top after the break and were worth their lead. On 64 McCarthy switched things around, bringing on Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor for Anderson and Tabb and moving to the 4-3-3 system which paid dividends at Blackpool.
As the game moved into its final 20 minutes Leicester retreated into their own half with Town having more of the ball but without overly threatening, aside from blocked Nouble and Skuse strikes.
Chambers came closer to an equaliser in the 73rd minute when he nodded Taylor’s cross from the left down but across the face of Schmeichel’s goal.
Dyer should have added to the Foxes’ lead a minute later when he ran on to Vardy’s cross from the right but blazed over. Moments later, Vardy was replaced by Chris Wood, then Mings made way for Stephen Hunt.
Konchesky was allowed to bring the ball forward from his own half before shooting well over in the 79th minute with the Foxes by now happy to defend in depth and hit Town on the counter-attack.
Taylor chipped an effort from the edge of the area into Schmeichel’s arms on 81 with the Blues having a lot of the ball but without creating any clear-cut chances.
But there was a scare for the visitors in the 84th minute when Hunt’s crossed flashed across the six-yard box, somehow avoiding both Nouble and Murphy.
As the match moved into its final scheduled minute McGoldrick curled a shot just over from the left, then at the other end Nugent cut in from the left but shot across the face of goal.
Soon after, referee Langford’s whistle went to confirm yet another Nugent-inflicted defeat, the 28-year-old — a player Jim Magilton and Paul Jewell tried to sign during their spells as Town boss - having taken his record to 13 goals in 12 against the Blues for Preston, Portsmouth and Leicester and nine in seven at Portman Road, including a goal for England’s U21s against Moldova in 2006.
Overall, Leicester deserved the three points on the balance of the second half with the Blues never really looking like getting back in it after Nugent’s two goals.
McCarthy will be disappointed that his team again went in front and took nothing from the game, although he said beforehand that he believes the Foxes are the best side in the division and his side would have to be at the top of their game to take anything from the match.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Mings (Hunt 76), Anderson (Taylor 64), Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Tabb (Nouble 64), Murphy, McGoldrick. Unused: Loach, Edwards, Hyam, Wordsworth, Hunt, Nouble, Taylor.
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Moore (Miquel 46), Konchesky, Morgan (c), Wasilewski, Hammond, Drinkwater, King (James 46), Dyer, Nugent, Vardy (Wood 75). Unused: Logan, James, Schlupp, Bakayogo, Taylor-Fletcher, Miquel, Wood. Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands). Att: 18,227.