A last gasp header from Wes Morgan denied Derby County another Premier League scalp as last season’s champions Leicester City forced an Emirates FA Cup replay after a pulsating 2-2 draw.

For the second consecutive game in a week, the Rams fought back from a losing position to a winning one at Pride Park Stadium.

Darren Bent inexplicably put through his own net to give the Foxes an early lead, but the forward reclaimed hero status by glancing a header into the far corner later on to get Steve McClaren’s side back on level terms.



Craig Bryson’s first goal of the season five minutes before the interval turned the game on its head, but Morgan’s header in the dying embers of a nail biting second 45 minutes saw Claudio Ranieri’s side claim a draw and force a replay at the King Power Stadium next month on Wednesday 8 February (kick-off: 7:45pm).



Without chances coming by the dozen, the first half of the Rams’ meeting with their Premier League opponents was decided over four key moments – three goals and a save of similar importance.



As promised, Ranieri, the charismatic Italian, reverted Leicester back to basics, shaping up in a familiar 4-4-2 formation after humbling 3-0 defeats at Chelsea and Southampton and the visitors made a strong start in the Derbyshire rain.



The first of those aforementioned key moments came on eight minutes as Leicester broke the deadlock.



Earning a corner off Marcus Olsson, Marc Albrighton swung a ball in from the right and after the high delivery was knocked across Scott Carson’s area by Robert Huth, it hit the backside of Chris Baird. That directed the ball towards the back of the net, but in attempt to clear the danger, Bent sent a rash kick into his own side netting.



The 10 minutes that proceeded that were about staying in the game for Derby as the visitors maintained their stranglehold.



Manful defending denied the Foxes any clear sights on Carson’s goal and just as they did against Reading in their last outing, Derby struck against the run of play to equalise. Key point number two.



McClaren’s side had chipped their way back into the contest by this point and from Will Hughes’ deft left wing cross, Bent stooped down to flick a glancing header across goal into the far corner to go from zero to hero and maintain his outstanding FA Cup record as a Derby player.



The third key moment came five minutes later – this time, though, it came in the form of a save.



Driving through the middle, Shinji Okazaki was afforded space with two other blue shirts peeling left and right and the 30-year-old Japanese international unleashed a powerful drive that was turned over, superbly, by Carson.



It was a huge moment and laid the foundation for Derby to finish the half strongly and here comes key point number four.



Bryson has had so many enjoyable East Midlands derby moments over the years, including a hat trick against Nottingham Forest as well as a winner at the City Ground, and he added another to the list here as he picked up the ball 25 yards from goal, drove into the area, switched the ball on to his left foot and smacked a low shot beyond the reach of Schmeichel and into the far bottom corner.



The Rams deservedly went into the interval a goal to the good, but that was put under intense pressure as the Foxes returned for the second 45 minutes with a spring in their step.

Within the first four minutes, the hosts had been saved by a crucial header from Richard Keogh, the captain, whilst Demarai Gray, on as a substitute, cracked the woodwork with a low, bending, shot from outside the area and Okazaki was denied by a block and then by Carson - both coming within seconds after the woodwork had come to the rescue.



McClaren’s men survived the early onslaught, regaining some ground in the game, and shortly before the hour, Leicester were let off a hook as the deficit remained at one.



From the right, Chris Baird delivered an inch-perfect cross that just evaded the head of Bent, but had enough on it to land on the forehead of the unmarked Johnny Russell at the back post, but he planted his header just the wrong side of Schmeichel’s near post – close enough to have the home faithful around Pride Park Stadium believing that it had crept in.



The visitors passed up a chance equally as guilty on 70 minutes. It fell to the man that has crafted a story good enough for Hollywood with his goalscoring exploits last season, but Jamie Vardy, largely anonymous over the course of the evening, directed a point-blank header straight into the arms of Carson – either side and it would have been an equaliser.



There proved to be one final twist in this tale, however, as the Foxes did eventually snatch a late, late, equaliser to take this pulsating tie back to the King Power Stadium for a replay as Morgan rose highest to direct a corner into the far corner of the goal to save the visitors’ blushes.



Derby County: Carson, Baird, Keogh (C), Pearce, Olsson; Johnson, Bryson (Camara, 88), Hughes (Butterfield, 63); Ince, Russell (Vydra, 84), Bent



Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Christie, Shackell, de Sart



Leicester City: Schmeichel, Chilwell, Drinkwater, Morgan (C), Huth, Vardy, King, Albrighton (Musa, 74), Simpson, Okazaki (Mahrez, 64), Fuchs (Gray, 46)



Substitutes not used: Robert-Zieler, Mendy, Ndidi, Benalouane



Attendance: 25,079 (5,353 away supporters)

