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Leicester City fought back to secure a 1-1 draw in an entertaining Championship clash against midlands rivals Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena.

Sammy Clingan's free-kick gave the Sky Blues the lead in the run-up to half-time before substitutes Steve Howard and Martyn Waghorn combined for the latter to score midway through the second half and earn Leicester a deserved point.

In the closing stages of an even first-half, Paul Gallagher handballed on the edge of the Leicester area and Clingan fired the free-kick into the top corner.

Clingan had put in the most eye-catching shift during the first half, and fully deserved the goal, his third in his last four matches.

Waghorn, on loan from Premier League side Sunderland, came off the bench to lash home Howard's pass from 25 yards out for his first Leicester goal since his debut back in August.

The result moves Championship new-boys Leicester up to fifth place in the league, while Coventry join four other clubs on 16 points but remain 10th on goal difference.

Coventry started with a trio of strikers - Leon Best, Clinton Morrison and Freddy Eastwood - on the field, but it was Clingan and fellow midfielder Aron Gunnarsson who caused Leicester the most problems early on.

Icelandic midfielder Gunnarsson had two chances in quick succession, firing one shot over the bar and seeing another saved by goalkeeper Chris Weale.

Eastwood - starting in place of Michael McIndoe - should have opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, but his header from Clingan's cross could not beat Weale.

Best, who has scored six goals in 10 appearances this season, and five in his last five games, struggled to get involved in the match and was caught offside on several occasions.

Leicester - unchanged by manager Nigel Pearson from the side that won at Middlesbrough in midweek - contained some decent attacking threats of their own.

Midfielder Yann Kermorgant had several good chances to put the visitors ahead, while Foxes skipper Matt Oakley fired a shot from the edge of the area over the bar.

After the break, Coventry began to pin Leicester back in their own half, with defender's Patrick van Aanholt and Elliott Ward both having chances.

Pearson had seen enough and on the hour mark made a bold triple-substitution, replacing Gallagher, Kermorgant and Matt Fryatt with Waghorn, Howard and DJ Campbell.

Howard had a shot blocked soon after coming on, and the match began to open up. Indeed, Coventry defender Jack Hobbs should have equalised before Waghorn's strike, but the former Liverpool youth player sent his header wide from close range.

The final 10 minutes were much cagier than the 80 which had gone before, as neither side was willing to risk relinquishing their hard-earned draw, and the match ended with a deserved sharing of the points.

Tony Mabert / Eurosport