How we scored the Leicester City players as Patson Daka scored twice to earn a point but Gary Rowett’s men remain in the bottom three
Jordan Blackwell
17:20, 03 Apr 2026Updated 18:01, 03 Apr 2026
Patson Daka of Leicester City celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Harry Winks during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Preston North End at The King Power Stadium
Patson Daka pounced late to earn Leicester City a much-deserved point against Preston but it was not enough to lift Gary Rowett’s men out of the Championship relegation zone.
Daka produced one of his best-ever City performances and twice showed his speed and awareness to latch onto Preston mistakes, including for an 81st-minute equaliser.
City had led early through Daka’s opener, and looked in control, but collapsed late in the first half and went into the break trailing, Andrew Moran and Ben Whiteman on target for the out-of-form visitors.
But City pushed hard for a leveller and while Daniel Iversen made a string of saves, he could not stop Daka from getting a second.
A point was not what City wanted though, and neither is it enough to lift them out of the bottom three, with the gap to safety remaining at a single point after Portsmouth drew at Norwich.
The first half had started so well. City were alert in attacking areas and so swooped the moment Preston made a mistake.
Moran’s back-pass to Iversen was slightly wayward, and Daka was onto it in a flash. Iversen had slipped as he tried to recover, giving Daka an empty net to roll the ball into for his fourth Championship goal of the season.
City were in control and with Preston pushing forward, they were making the most of the space on the break. Daka was especially effective, the Zambian pressing at speed and running to the channels to latch onto passes and pinch back possession.
He was showing an excellent touch too. When Stephy Mavididi’s scooped cross dropped to the edge of the box, Daka feigned to volley but then brought the ball down superbly before prodding through, Iversen saving with his legs.
The Dane denied City again a minute later when Daka robbed Preston on the right and cut the ball back to Divine Mukasa, whose scuffed shot needed parrying away.
But in the space of seven minutes, City went from pushing for a second to trailing. Preston had barely had a sniff but after Abdul Fatawu miscontrolled in midfield, they surged forward with Lewis Dobbin, who teed up Moran. On the stretch, Moran fired a shot off, the ball bouncing off the underside of the bar and over the line.
Just before the break, Preston had their second. City decided to leave two men free at the back post at a corner, with Whiteman given all of the time he needed to loop a header back over Jakub Stolarczyk and into the far corner.
If City performed how they did in the first 35 minutes during the second half, they would have a chance. And in fairness, they did. But they found a former goalkeeper in Iversen who got himself in the way of nearly everything.
Patient play saw Fatawu tee up Harry Winks, but his shot was punched clear by the Dane.
Then, in a huge moment, Ricardo Pereira’s searching pass saw Daka fouled and the ball run clear for Oliver Skipp one-on-one. But he got too close to Iversen, and the goalkeeper dived at his feet to save.
City did not lose heart and they kept pushing, Luke Thomas getting forward and firing in a shot. Again Iversen parried away.
But with 10 minutes to go, City finally found a way past Iversen. Fatawu’s aimless pass bounced off Pol Valentin and Daka scampered onto the loose ball, finishing first time, the ball clipping the bar.
The crowd were up for a dramatic finish, but even with seven minutes added, there was only one major City opportunity. A long throw was cleared to Winks, but his effort took a deflection and skidded just wide. City had to settle for a point.
Jakub Stolarczyk: He conceded twice, and there may be question marks over his positioning for the second, but otherwise he had very little to do. He rushed out well when he needed to. 5
Ricardo Pereira: Not at his sharpest initially, and on the ball in the first half he was a little slow, which saw aimless passes made and possession lost cheaply at times. But he improved in the second period, especially in advanced areas. Defensively he was alert. 6
Caleb Okoli: Defensively he was excellent. He won headers and, most importantly, was successful in his 50-50s when the game became stretched. His passing wasn’t bad either. 8
Jamaal Lascelles: He wasn’t involved in too many big defensive moments, which may again show how good he is positionally. On the ball, he did seem a little slow at times, with his touch occasionally heavy. 6
Luke Thomas: He started strongly, making a surging run on the overlap and pinging a great pass to Daka, and he continued to get forward when he could in the second half. Defensively, could he have been tighter to Moran for the first Preston goal? That may be harsh. 7
Harry Winks:There were lots of nice forward passes throughout, albeit as the game became more stretched, his influence did wane a little. He picked up good positions on the edge of the box to make himself an attacking threat too, and twice came close to a goal. 7
Oliver Skipp: He lost the ball cheaply early and was well off the pace. He did speed up, and got about the pitch well, but didn’t make too big an impact on the match. He should have scored his one big chance though, taking the ball too close to Iversen. 5
Abdul Fatawu: A frustrating afternoon. He lost the ball poorly for the first goal, and his shot selection felt petulant in the first half. But his decision-making improved and he was perhaps unfortunate not to win more free-kicks. 5
Divine Mukasa: He’s an excellent technician and that showed in his dribbling and his smart quick passes, especially those out to Mavididi. He played well throughout, but his passing was perhaps a little less creative as the game wore on. 7
Stephy Mavididi: He linked terrifically with Mukasa and Daka early and put in dangerous crosses, but he couldn’t really keep that up in the second half. 6
Patson Daka: His best game in a long, long time. Not only has he pounced brilliantly for his two goals, he pressed superbly throughout and regularly pinched possession, ran the channels well, and his touch was excellent too. 9
Ben Nelson: He didn’t adjust as well as he did at Watford to coming on. There were a couple of bad touches and one moment of miscommunication between him and Stolarczyk. 4
Bobby De Cordova-Reid: He helped City’s attack by almost playing in a free role, popping up here, there and everywhere to keep moves flowing. He put in dangerous crosses too. 6
Jeremy Monga: He looked a little rusty when he first came on and got into his groove a little too late to make much of a difference. 5
Jordan Ayew: Held the ball up well at times and supported team-mates out wide, but wasn’t a goal threat. 5
Jannik Vestergaard: Came on up front, and that could be the role for him for the rest of the season with competition in defence. N/A
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