How we scored the players as Patson Daka’s missed penalty proved costly, with City missing out on the three points they needed to get out of the relegation places
Jordan Blackwell
17:23, 21 Mar 2026Updated 20:07, 21 Mar 2026
Patson Daka’s penalty hit the post during the Sky Bet Championship match between Watford and Leicester City at Vicarage Road(Image: Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Patson Daka’s saved penalty cost Leicester City a chance to jump out of the relegation zone as they drew 0-0 with Watford.
Daka stepped up for the golden opportunity at the end of the first half but his effort was tipped onto the post, and City were made to rue the miss, Gary Rowett’s men unable to find the net despite a valiant push in the second half.
While a fourth away draw and another clean sheet under their new manager is not a poor result, City need to start winning games.
Albeit, their point did lift them a place to 22nd, and to just one point from safety, with Oxford and Portsmouth both defeated.
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For the first time since taking charge, Rowett opted to break up his centre-back partnership, with Ben Nelson dropped for Jamaal Lascelles to come in. Four changes were made in total from the loss to QPR, with Ricardo Pereira, Harry Winks and Daka also coming in.
City looked much more well structured following those changes and they gave up very little in the first half at Vicarage Road, Watford taking just one shot across the 45 minutes.
The task for City was to break down the Hornets, and it took 40 minutes before they got in behind. But in doing so, they earned themselves a golden opportunity.
Ricardo’s interception and Oliver Skipp’s prod set Abdul Fatawu free, and his burst of acceleration saw him round Formose Mendy, who then clumsily tripped the winger in the box.
Up stepped Daka for his first penalty of the season, and it wasn’t taken with conviction, the spot-kick neither powerful nor far enough into the corner, with Egil Selvik able to get down and tip it onto the post.
It’s the third straight penalty City have failed to convert this season, meaning they’ve now missed more often than they’ve scored from 12 yards.
City started the second half as they finished the first, on top, and Stephy Mavididi saw a shot saved by Selvik.
And they ramped up the pressure when they made changes on the hour. Selvik again saved when closing the angle well to deny substitute Divine Mukasa after a ricochet fell the loanee’s way, and then Daka placed a back-post diving header wide when he should have perhaps hit the target.
But both sides were chasing a winner and Jakub Stolarczyk needed strong wrists to keep out Nestory Irankunda’s vicious drive.
In the final stages, City looked the more likely to get a late goal, and indeed they had the best in the final moments, coming with the last kick. Fatawu beat his man and crossed, with substitute Nelson hooking a shot goalwards, only to see it land in Selvik’s hands.
Jakub Stolarczyk: Excellent. His defence protected him in the first half, but he earned his clean sheet in the second, tipping away a corner under pressure, keeping his wrists strong to deny Irankunda, and rushing out to prevent a one-on-one. 8
Ricardo Pereira: There were plenty of nice moments. City looked a better threat when he picked up the ball in the half-spaces, and there was a cool back-heel in the build-up to the penalty. But there were also cheap giveaways and defensively he was beaten a few times in the second half. 6
Caleb Okoli: Defensively, he could barely be faulted. He won every header he needed to, including an excellent diving one from a dangerous free-kick, and stepped in to intercept and start attacks. But his passing, whether playing short or looking long for Fatawu, was often inaccurate. 7
Jamaal Lascelles: Whether he left the majority of the defensive work to his team-mates, or whether his positioning was so good he didn’t need to get too heavily involved, it all looked pretty comfortable for Lascelles. There were a couple of moments of brief miscommunication in the first period, but nothing that couldn’t be rectified quickly. 7
Luke Thomas: Irankunda threatened to get past him regularly but when he did, Thomas seemed to have close the space enough that the winger then couldn’t muster much in the way of danger. He defended the back post well too and was good on the ball. 8
Harry Winks: He was probably not as involved as City would like him to be, with his involvements little touches here and there, rather than a controlling midfield display. But his tackles and intricate passes were helpful. 7
Oliver Skipp: There was a promising run from deep early but we didn’t see many more of those. He gradually got more into the game, touching the ball on nicely to Fatawu for the penalty, and did his duties well enough. 6
Abdul Fatawu: By far City’s biggest attacking threat. He produced brilliant pieces of skill and bursts of acceleration not only to win the penalty but to get into threatening positions regularly. 8
Jordan James: He wasn’t really involved early on, and when the ball did start coming his way, he tried to do too much, going for the extra take-on rather than trying to find a team-mate. He also risked a red card with a rash challenge just after the penalty miss. 5
Stephy Mavididi: With Fatawu getting joy on the right, the ball didn’t much come his way, and he was usually wasteful when it did in the first half. But, like James, he was growing into the game at the point he was taken off. 5
Patson Daka: The penalty wasn’t dreadful, but neither was it taken with much conviction. He missed his only other major chance too, the diving header, when he should really have done better. It would ordinarily look bad for a striker who fails to convert two big opportunities but Daka’s all-around game wasn’t bad. He was definitely more effective than Ayew was last weekend, providing much more energy at the top of the pitch. 5
Divine Mukasa: He made an immediate impact, getting on the end of a ricochet and seeing a shot saved, while he used the ball well too. He wasn’t as involved in the very final stages though. 6
Bobby De Cordova-Reid: Put in a great cross for the Daka header that should have been converted, and sped up City’s attacking play with quick offloads. 6
Ben Nelson: He made back-to-back tackles with his first involvement in the game and nearly grabbed a goal at the death. It can be difficult for a centre-back to come into a game, but he did well. 6
Joe Aribo: He wasn’t involved all that much, and seemed to be bypassed when City went forward. 5
Jordan Ayew: Booed onto the pitch, he didn’t have enough time to win around the fans. N/A
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