Leicester City v Crystal Palace: Premier League – live!

85 min: Okazaki replaces Barnes, one of Leicester’s few stand-out players tonight.

84 min: On this evidence, you have to wonder how Leicester beat Manchester City and drew at Anfield. They’ve had so much of the ball, yet Guaita has had very little to do in the Palace net.

Milivojevic sidefoots powerfully to the right, Schmeichel having been sent the other way. That’s Milivojevic’s seventh successful penalty this season!

81 min: Schlupp crosses from the left. Batshuayi fires hard towards the bottom left. Schmeichel saves well, but Schlupp comes again from the wing. Evans hangs out a leg, and Schlupp doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. He goes over Evans’ leg, and that’s a penalty. Schmeichel is booked for arguing the toss.

80 min: Townsend is replaced by the more conservative Kouyate, as Palace look to lock down what they have.

79 min: Gray glides in from the left and shoots for the top right. The ball’s deflected off Milivojevic for another corner on the right. Maddison sticks it in the mixer this time, no messing. Some head tennis. Palace clear their lines yet again.

78 min: Maddison plays a shot corner, then faffs about. The over-elaboration allows Palace to clear. That’s a terrible waste in the circumstances.

77 min: Vardy busies himself down the right and wins a corner. Before it can be taken, Dann comes on for the self-hobbled Sakho.

76 min: Sakho, so skilful yet slightly awkward of gait, injures himself while making a simple pass up the left flank. He might have twisted a knee. He’s down getting treatment.

74 min: Iheanacho comes on for Tielemans, who was intermittently impressive this evening. Iheanacho hasn’t scored for 20 games. Now would be a good time to rediscover the knack.

73 min: Townsend peels off down the right. He makes up 80 yards and nearly finds Zaha at the far post with a floated cross. Evans does very well to head clear of danger.

72 min: Barnes tries to respond instantly, driving down the left and whistling a low cross through the Palace area. Nobody in blue takes a chance on him.

Sakho leads the charge upfield. McArthur then drops a shoulder to the left of the D to make himself a little space. He dinks a cross towards Zaha, who is coming in from the right, totally unmarked. He meets the dropping ball on the edge of the six-yard box and bashes a sidefoot past a helpless Schmeichel! Batshuayi was in the middle, miles offside, but not interfering with play. Not sure Schmeichel sees it that way, mind you.

69 min: Barnes has a dig from distance. That one pings off a white shirt and out for another corner, on the right. Maddison takes, and sends it sailing over everyone in the box. A dreadful delivery that allows Palace to counter. And from that break …

68 min: Leicester have taken it up a notch. Tielemans sprays a pass wide right for Pereira, who is sent scampering into acres of space and should be ashamed of himself for hitting the first man with his cross.

66 min: There’s an extra spring in Leicester’s step now. Maguire strides down the left in the Jan Vertonghen style, then slips a pass down the channel for Vardy, who’s clear in the box! But the angle’s no good for a shot. He tries to cut back for Maddison, free on the penalty spot, but gets it all wrong. So much better from the hosts, though! What tonic a goal brings.

Fuchs flings it long. Maddison wins a header, flicking on towards Barnes on the right. Barnes fires a low cross into the mixer. Evans, who had been up for the throw, swivels and slams a shot into the bottom right! That came out of nothing, because neither side had been offering much. But finally there’s something for the Leicester faithful to sing about!

63 min: Barnes busies himself down the left, his pressing forcing Ward into a hack into the stands. And from the resulting throw, near the corner flag …

61 min: Maddison tries a curler from the left-hand edge of the Palace box. It flies wide of the top-right corner. This is a poor match.

60 min: Zaha shows a turn of pace down the left to earn a corner off Pereira. The set piece falls to Ndidi, who breaks upfield and promptly loses possession. Palace give it up again. Leicester give it up again. A farcical passage of play, like a PlayStation game when neither player knows which buttons to press.

59 min: Maddison’s corner from the right is perhaps overly ambitious, a swerving, dipping shot aimed for the top left! Guaita knows exactly what’s going on, and is in position to gently pluck the ball from the sky.

58 min: Pereira drives down the inside right, enters the area, and attempts to find Vardy inside with a chipped cross. It’s deflected out for a corner.

56 min: Tielemans tries to release Barnes with a rolled pass down the inside-left channel. It’s a lovely idea, and Barnes has the legs on Ward, but Guaita reads the danger well, tearing out of his box to batter clear.

54 min: At least that got the crowd going again. They’re also impressed when Barnes embarks on a neat dribble down the left. But he can’t find the final pass that would release Tielemans.

52 min: With Maddison and Fuchs standing over the free kick, Maguire and Sakho get involved in a light shoving match. The ref tells them both to grow up. Maddison then pings the free kick off the wall. It spins to Fuchs on the right. He wedges a cross into the mixer. Maguire tries to head forward, but there’s no real power or direction on his effort. Palace clear.

51 min: Maddison tries to dribble his way down the inside-right channel. He’s nudged in the back by McArthur, who picks up his sixth booking of the season. And this is a free-kick in a very dangerous position, just to the right of the D.

49 min: Leicester have gained 13 points from losing positions in the league this season. That’s a divisional best, with Arsenal and West Ham on 12. Not that the home fans seem particularly hopeful. They’ve fallen silent, with the Palace fans making all the noise.

47 min: Evans steps up from the back and whips a diagonal ball, right to left, that reaches Fuchs, just inside the area. There’s enough pace on the ball for Fuchs to simply flick his eyebrows at it, in the hope of diverting it into the top left. Not enough eyebrow; the ball sails harmlessly wide left. Lovely ball from Evans, though.

Leicester get the second half started. One half-time change: Gray has replaced Ghezzal.

Half-time reading. If Palace hold onto this, it would be a crucial win. Because earlier on today, down near the bottom, this happened …

There’s just enough time for Leicester to win a corner down the right, and for Maguire to send a poor header over the bar. And that’s the half-time whistle. It’s been all Leicester, though they’ve not seriously worked Guaita. Palace had one attempt, and they’ve scored from it. That’s the unpredictable nature of football, and why we both love and hate it in equal measure! Schmeichel accompanies the ref down the tunnel, ranting and raving.

44 min: Tielemans tries to whip one into the bottom left from 25 yards. It’s not a bad effort but always going wide, and Guaita calmly watches it sail by.

42 min: Schmeichel races after the referee, livid at the award of a free kick for Zaha in the centre circle, the move for the goal having started from there. Or maybe he’s angry at the non-award of a penalty. Either way, the ref’s not interested at all.

It’s been all Leicester, so this had to happen. Milivojevic, to the left of the centre circle, fires a pass forward to McArthur, 25 yards out, level with the right-hand post. McArthur shoots towards the bottom left. Perhaps it’s going wide. The ball passes Batshuayi, who sticks out a leg and diverts it towards the bottom right … and it’s in, past a wrong-footed Schmeichel! That’s a great instinctive goal.