Stoke City Vs Leicester City: Ben Wilmot's late double reshapes the immediate outlook — who feels it first
The point earned in stoke city vs leicester city lands hardest on Leicester, whose new manager could not secure a winning start and remains with his side inside the relegation positions. For Stoke, Ben Wilmot's late intervention halts an alarming sequence without victory but does not erase a seven-game winless stretch; both squads leave the pitch with pressing questions rather than tidy answers.
Impact on standings and morale after Stoke City Vs Leicester City
Leicester's inability to convert late pressure into three points keeps them in the bottom three, preserving the immediate peril around their league position. The draw follows a run of poor results for the visitors and arrives on the day a new manager took charge, so the psychological cost — missed opportunity to climb clear of danger — will be felt first by the Foxes.
Stoke also take mixed news: Ben Wilmot's second goal of the game gave them a valuable rescue, but the home side remain without a league win in seven matches across competitions and need more than set-piece threat to reverse form.
Match details and decisive moments
The fixture finished 2-2 after an early Stoke opener and a late Wilmot equaliser. Stoke took the lead inside three minutes when Ben Wilmot headed in from Aaron Cresswell's cross. The visitors moved level early in the second half when on-loan midfielder Divine Mukasa curled an effort in at the far post, and Harry Winks then put Leicester ahead with a low strike following neat interplay.
Wilmot's calm finish late on — described as an 89th-minute or last-minute leveller in coverage — secured a share of the points. Leicester piled forward in stoppage time, coming close with a looping header that struck the bar and a point-blank header that hit the post, but could not force a winner.
- Scoreline: Stoke 2-2 Leicester (Wilmot 2; Mukasa, Winks)
- Stoke maintained early control through physical play and set-piece chances; Leicester dominated the second period.
- Leicester remained in the relegation zone after the draw; Stoke extended a winless run to seven matches.
- Gary Rowett's first match in charge of Leicester ended without a victory.
Here’s the part that matters: both teams left the day with tangible problems. Leicester missed a clear chance to climb out of trouble, while Stoke's point papered over deeper form issues that persist despite the late equaliser.
What’s easy to miss is that the match swung between two very different half-times — a one-sided opening for the hosts and a much stronger Leicester showing after the interval — which suggests both teams have phases to fix rather than a single fatal flaw.
- Ben Wilmot's brace changed the immediate narrative for Stoke but doesn't resolve their longer winless streak.
- Divine Mukasa continued an eye-catching run with another important contribution for Leicester.
- Late stoppage-time pressure from Leicester produced two near-misses that would have altered the weekend's consequences dramatically.
- Attendance at the match was recorded as 23, 997.
The real question now is whether Leicester can translate late dominance into full points under new management and whether Stoke can convert set-piece strength and early momentum into consistent wins. Small margins decided this game — and similar fine lines are likely to decide both clubs' next results.
Mini timeline:
- Inside 3 minutes: Wilmot heads Stoke into the lead from Cresswell's cross.
- Early second half: Divine Mukasa's effort levels the game; Winks soon puts Leicester ahead.
- Late on: Wilmot pokes home a late equaliser; Leicester strike the bar and the post in stoppage time.
