Crystal Palace survived the harsh reality of making an abrupt exit from the FA Cup as they managed to chalk out a lacklustre goalless draw against their in-form League One opponents. The team miraculously survived numerous attempts at the goal by the opposition team, and came out with the all-crucial point that was needed to give them a second life, as they secured themselves the chance to take part in the FA third-round replay.

Palace looked a pale shadow of themselves as their players never really got into the rhythm in a match played in the freezing conditions at the Walkers Stadium. The team was also bogged down by the inability as well as unwillingness on the part of its players to push forward and put some real pressure on the opposition flanks, turning the match into a drab affair.

Leicester also needs to be castigated as they failed miserably to take advantage of the many opportunities that came their way, and consequently paid the price since the winner of the replay match will now decide who moves onto the next round. Prior to this match Leicester has been pretty unstoppable winning eight home matches on the trot, and they created enough chances in this match as well only to find Steve Howard and Max Gradel making a mess of them. Perhaps they need to practice with the small Wesco Kickmaster 7ft Premier Goal to improve their finishing, or maybe is was just a spate of bad luck. Leicester fielded a 4-5-1 formation, with the lone striker being Howard, who looked sharp in the early stages of the game but gradually faded away.