Leicester 0 - Middlesborough 0Gaizka Mendieta's debut for Middlesbrough coincided with them recording their first point of the season, though the credit for avoiding a third defeat went to a defence that refused to submit to Leicester's busy forwards.
The team selections reflected the moods of the respective camps: Leicester made one change to the team that had lost at Chelsea; Boro changed four following Sunday's home defeat by Arsenal. The most notable was the inclusion of the Spanish midfielder Mendieta after his move to Teesside from Valencia. Given that Boro were pointless after two games and the newcomer's first name means "saviour" in the Basque language, it was perhaps timely.
Mendieta lined up on the right of a midfield trio but drifted across to the inside left channel for his first attempt on goal, a dipping effort from 20 yards that landed on the roof of Ian Walker's net.
Walker then had to dive to his right to keep out a skidding shot from the Spaniard, but it was his opposite number Mark Schwarzer who was more gainfully employed in a keenly-contested first period, not least when Muzzy Izzet tested him with a well-struck volley after being set up by Riccardo Scimeca.
Izzet and Scimeca drove Leicester forward at every opportunity. Their promptings, however, went unrewarded, especially when Jamie Scowcroft headed over the crossbar when directing the ball past Schwarzer seemed easier.
Boro replaced Colin Cooper with Robbie Stockdale for the second half and Stuart Parnaby moved to left back. It was a change the hosts wasted little time exploiting: Keith Gillespie's pace clearly discomforted the Boro defence, likewise his crosses. One zipped tantalisingly across the six-yard box and Schwarzer palmed another one away for a corner.
Mendieta, meanwhile, appeared to be having trouble adapting to the pace of the Premiership. He was frequently caught in possession but his eye for the half-chance was as keen as ever.
LEICESTER: Walker, Curtis, Howey, Thatcher, Rogers, Izzet, Nalis (Deane 72), Scimeca, Gillespie, Scowcroft, Dickov (Hignett 80). Subs Not Used: Coyne, Impey, Taggart. Booked: Scimeca, Nalis, Gillespie.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Southgate, Cooper (Stockdale 45), Davies, Mendieta, Boateng, Juninho Paulista, Greening, Job (Ricketts 80), Nemeth (Christie 80). Subs Not Used: Nash, Doriva. Booked: Boateng, Parnaby.
Referee: G Barber (Hertfordshire).
