Jack Butland’s blunder cost Stoke victory but his manager, Paul Lambert, refused to blame him.
With Stoke leading with 20 minutes to go, the England goalkeeper let Marc Albrighton’s cross slip through his grasp and into the net.
But anyone thinking Butland’s error would affect him got their answer eight minutes later. The 24-year-old keeper produced outstanding saves to deny the Foxes a winner.
A second half own goal from Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland ensured hosts Leicester avoided defeat on Saturday lunchtime
Butland stares at the ground in disbelief as the Leicester players celebrate hauling themselves level against Stoke
Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri opened the scoring in the first half with a stunning effort from outside the area
Stoke find themselves in a relegation battle and Shaqiri’s goal gave them hope of grinding out a crucial win at the King Power
Shaqiri’s effort evades the reach of Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as Stoke went into the lead
But a mistake from the Potters stopper ensured Jamie Vardy and co shared the spoils in a game that lacked genuine quality
First he flung himself full length to his right to tip away Riyad Mahrez’s shot, then he diverted Harry Maguire’s shot on to a post and smothered Mahrez’s shot when the winger was clean through.
Lambert said: ‘Butland is the best goalkeeper in Britain, without a shadow of a doubt.
‘There’s no blame whatsoever. He will make mistakes like any other footballer. But more importantly he’s a top-class keeper and a top-class guy.’
The draw left Stoke second from bottom of the Premier League and one point from safety. It was the third draw in five games under Lambert, with only one win, but the Scot is convinced his team can stay up.
‘We need a break, but if we keep playing the way we are, we will certainly climb the table,’ said Lambert.
MATCH FACTS, LIVE LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Leicester (4-4-1-1): Schmeichel 7; Simpson 6 (Iheanacho 62, 6), Morgan 6, Maguire 7, Chilwell 6; James 7, Ndidi 5, Albrighton 6, Gray 5 (Diabate 61, 6); Mahrez 7; Vardy 6
Subs not used: Adrien Silva, Dragovic, Jakupovic, Iborra, Fuchs
Goals: Butland (OG) 70
Booked: Albrighton
Manager: Claude Puel
Stoke (4-3-3): Butland 6; Bauer 7, Martins Indi 7 (Adam 74, 6), Zouma 7, Stafylidis 7; Allen 8, Cameron 7, Ndiaye 7; Shaqiri 7, Choupo-Moting 7 (Johnson 84), Diouf 6 (Campbell 64)
Subs not used: Pieters, Jesé, Sobhi, Grant
Goals: Shaqiri 43
Booked: Allen, Diouf, Adam
Manager: Paul Lambert
Referee: Michael Oliver
Attendance: 31,769
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Leicester had plenty of joy down the right and worked a smart move, allowing winger Marc Albrighton to cross as Butland fumbles in the equaliser
Stoke have certainly got a chance as long as Xherdan Shaqiri stays in this form.
The Switzerland international scored for the third successive game, curling a low shot beyond Kasper Schmeichel for his seventh goal of the season.
The game’s outstanding player then went close with a 45-yard shot, which skidded just wide.
Although Leicester dominated possession until Shaqiri struck, Stoke’s resolute defending looked like seeing them to only their second away win of the season. Their bold approach ensured a grandstand finish, which could easily have gone against them when Leicester’s Matty James heading against a post.
Leicester boss Claude Puel conceded his side did not do enough to win as they made it four Premier League games without a victory.
‘Perhaps the draw was a fair result because we could have won but we could have lost also,’ said Puel. ‘We started very well, with a good intensity and tempo.
‘After, it was too slow. It was a good thing for the opponents because they tried to win. We were up against a fantastic goalkeeper we were sometimes unlucky.’
After a week of more tabloid stories about his private life, Saido Berahino was left out of the Stoke squad and how far the striker’s stock has fallen was shown when 18-year-old Tyrese Campbell came on for his first-team debut in the second half.
Lambert insisted: ‘It’s for football reasons only. There are only so many times that you can ignore someone (Campbell) who has managed to score 17 goals (for the Under 23 side) this season.’
Leicester went close to stealing all three points but Butland produced a good save to deny Riyad Mahrez towards the end
The early kick-off at the King Power stadium was a physical affair with Stoke’s Welsh midfielder Joe Allen among the tackles
Allen was also the first to go into referee Michael Oliver’s book as the official penalised a rash challenge on Demarai Gray
Leicester full back Ben Chilwell keeps a close eye on Shaqiri after the midfielder scored for visitors Stoke
Stoke boss Paul Lambert showed off his close control in his club tracksuit while Claude Puel cut a frustrated figure
Riyad Mahrez was making his first Premier League start of the month and looked lively in the game’s opening exchanges
The Foxes were favourites going into the game but soon found they had a real fight on their hands to come out on top
Danny Simpson was in a battle with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting before the defender was withdrawn in the second half
Both sides believed this was a game they could collect three points before teams around them did battle elsewhere