Reaction from the bet365 Stadium as Stoke City lead but then have to come from behind to draw with Leicester
14:46, 21 Feb 2026Updated 14:55, 21 Feb 2026
Ben Wilmot of Stoke City scores his team’s second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Leicester City
Two-goal Ben Wilmot rescued a point for Stoke City in a match they had seemed in control of against Leicester.
The captain opened the scoring when he steamed onto a cross from Aaron Cresswell in the third minute and Stoke were cursing not having a bigger lead by the break.
Instead, in a re-run of the recent Middlesbrough game, they inexplicably sat off in the second half and the visitors took advantage.
Divin Mukasa levelled with a cross-shot that bounced into the far corner and then Harry Winks put them in front with a hammer drive from 20 yards.
Yet this time Wilmot came to the fore again when he sprinted up to convert a Sorba Thomas cross in open play as the Leicester defence appealed in vain for an offside flag.
Leicester still hit the bar and post in injury time and former Stoke boss Gary Rowett, in his first game in charge, stormed onto the pitch at full-time to confront referee Gavin Ward.
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Mark Robins had made two changes to his starting XI from the Fulham game – but kept the same wing-back system. Cresswell came into the back three, with Ben Wilmot shuffling into the middle position while Maksym Talovierov dropped to the bench. Ben Pearson returned in midfield after illness in place of Tomas Rigo.
The mood in the travelling Leicester party suggested that there was no hope of a clean sheet and Stoke started like they sensed it too, aggressive in their attacking and determined to put in crosses.
It was from one of those early crosses – Thomas trying to find Milan Smit – that Stoke forced a corner that led to the opening goal. Leicester knocked the first corner out for another and, from that, Thomas’s delivery came back to the left where he teed up Cresswell to send the ball into the six-yard box. Wilmot attacked it and cracked a header past Asmir Begovic.
Stoke fans teased Rowett about his football while Leicester supporters responded by asking: “How bad must you be, it’s only 1-0?”
Wilmot might have had a second when he got on the end of another Thomas cross from the right in the seventh minute. Having got a solid connection at the back post, he planted that one over the bar.
The stadium rose to an emotional ovation in the 14th minute for Niamh Taylor, a brave 14-year-old Stoke fan from Benitlee who passed away at the Donna Louise Hospice earlier this month.
Junho wriggled in from the left and forced a save from Begovic before Cresswell had a deflected 25-yarder pushed around the post by the former Stoke keeper. Phillips headed a superb Thomas free-kick onto the bar although the flag was raised for what must have been a marginal offside call. At the other end, Ricardo Pereira let rip with a shot from 20 yards that Tommy Simkin read well to push over the crossbar.
Stoke were regretting going in at half-time with only a one-goal advantage because, once again, they conceded in the opening few minutes of the second half. This time it was a cross-shot from Mukasa from inside right that went through bodies and ended in the far top corner.
Milan Smit might have had a perfect response when he got on the end of a cross from Lamine Cisse but his volley from a tight angle hit the wrong side of the net in front of the Boothen End – but it was a rare chance for Stoke to create.
Mukasa fired a left-foot volley just wide before Winks put the visitors ahead. Stoke couldn’t or wouldn’t clear their lines and the ball eventually fell nicely to Winks to wallop into the left corner from just outside the box. It could have quickly been three when Stephy Mavididi slipped too easily away from Tatsuki Seko to get in one-on-one but fired his shot past Simkin and the far post.
Stoke fans hadn’t seen enough to hope of a comeback and many had headed for the exits before Wilmot forced in an equaliser. Thomas’s cross was a beauty and whistled past Cisse’s head and it was the centre-back there, in open play, at the back to tap in. Leicester rushed towards the linesman, who stood frozen by the corner flag, in a frantic appeal for offside. If Cisse had got a touch then Wilmot would probably have been flagged – but it stayed down.
There was still time for frantic late drama. In the last minute of six added on, Simkin made a superb save to keep out Joe Aribo before Ben Nelson headed against the bar and Luke Thomas headed against the post. Full-time.
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Here are the player ratings from the bet365 Stadium:
Simkin: Good save to stop a Pereira ripper in the first half and outstanding save late on to stop Aribo. 7
Thomas: Ready to swing in an early cross, forcing corners and action, in the first half. Quieter in second but set up leveller. 7
Bocat: More licence to throw himself forward with Cresswell covering space behind. 6
Phillips: Throws himself into defending duties but needed more help from players in front of him to press properly as game went on. 6
Wilmot: Attacked crosses well and might have added a second goal in first half. Goodness knows how he ended up with that late tap in in open play but a vital goal. 8
Cresswell: Left of back three and made a strong contribution going forward. Excellent delivery for opening goal. 7
Pearson: A silly yellow card for a foul on Mavididi and almost immediately hooked. 5
Seko: Let players slip past him all too easily, particularly in the second half as Leicester were sniffing blood. 5
Junho: More involved in good play in first half but couldn’t maintain that link-in play after the break. 6
Cisse: Needs to find that final link ball with Smit. Attacking that Thomas cross at the end helped force equaliser. 6
Smit: Building up his partnerships and showed a bigger glimpse this time around. 6
Substitutes
Nzonzi (for Pearson, 54): Thrown on to help Stoke keep the ball but not involved in receiving and couldn’t force passes through lines. 5
Gibson (for Bocat, 71): A little rusty but whole-hearted on rare cameo. 5
Manhoef (for Smit, 71): Couldn’t help Stoke climb back through the gears in closing stages. 5
Rak-Sakyi (for Junho, 79): A couple of touches to try to turn the tide. 6
Not used: Fielding, Talovierov, Otegbayo, Kelly, Osei.
Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey) 3
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