Have Leicester found a new way to play? Could Sevilla display kick-start season?

Kasper Schmeichel's display in goal kept Leicester in Europe's top competition on Wednesday night, no doubt.

At half-time, despite the score being only 1-0, it seemed the inevitable would happen and the Foxes' season would continue to spiral down the plughole with another demoralising defeat.

But then, up popped Jamie Vardy with a late away goal to add a bit of lustre to the loss.

So where does this leave Leicester? We look at the plus points and negative news from the performance...

It's taken a while, in fact all season so far, but Leicester seem to have realised that N'Golo Kante is a hard man to replace. The Frenchman, who is powering a title push for the second season in succession - this time at Chelsea - did all the dirty work in an incredible Premier League story last season and his departure left a gaping hole in front of the Foxes defence.

But now Ranieri seems to have found a solution. Of course, Kante cannot be replaced by one man - don't be silly - but the one and a half option seems to be having some success. That is, when Marc Albrighton tucks in alongside Danny Drinkwater and Wilfred Ndidi, the Leicester team looks more compact and means that the creative talent of Riyad Mahrez can be relieved of even more defensive duties to try and combine with Jamie Vardy up front.

Of course, it's might be more of a sticking plaster than a long-term solution - another high quality defensive midfielder is certainly needed - but it also allows each of these midfielders a bit more freedom to get forward themselves, knowing there are two others who will pick up the slack behind. This was of course seen for Leicester's goal, with Drinkwater supplying the cross that led to the crucial strike. 'Drinkwater to Vardy. Goal!' Where have we heard that before?

Vardy's goal could be crucial in so many ways. Not only does it give Ranieri's men hope they could snatch a win in the return leg on March 14, but it crucially hands their main poacher a much-needed surge in morale.

The stats highlight the scarcity of his scoring. Not only was it Vardy's first goal in 758 minutes across all competitions, it was also his first shot on target for 380 minutes. And the first half in Spain wasn't looking particularly hot either.

But this single strike could have a massive bearing on Leicester and their top marksman. As Ranieri put it after the match:

If they can keep a clean sheet at the King Power Stadium in the return leg - which is, of course, by no means guaranteed against one of the form teams in La Liga this season - then they will just need a single goal to progress, courtesy of the away goals rule. So, they can revert to the formula which worked wonders last season: sit back, absorb as much pressure as they can, and hit Sevilla on the break with the pace of Vardy and magic of Mahrez.

Similarly, it shows their hopes of survival in the Premier League are very much alive. With two tight and cagey games coming up - against Liverpool on Monday and Hull the following Saturday - Leicester will be happy to concede possession and let the other teams make the running. Both of their opponents need to win the game more - for Champions League qualification and survival reasons respectively - which could just play into the Foxes' plans and set them up nicely for the visit of Sevilla shortly afterwards.

And that, it seems, is pretty much how Ranieri is thinking as well. He added: "We didn't give up and then we went back and scored a goal that was important for three things: it gave strength to us, Vardy goes back to scoring goals, and it reopens the match in the second leg.

"We know they are better than us, a very high quality team, a lot of experience. But we have a very big heart, very big effort, we helped each other and I think we deserved this goal.

"It's a defeat. The first half was very tough, we were a little scared, nobody wanted to show for the ball and Kasper kept the team live, saving the penalty and some shots, and slowly we got better. The second half was much better and we believed we could do something good.

"When we play with this character, also the luck comes on your side. We have to continue in this way and keep going. Now we know our focus is on the Liverpool match. It could be a turning point, but it's important to make another good match against Liverpool."

Although the second-half display put a nice sheen on what would have been another demoralising night, Leicester are still in a lot of trouble. They sit just a point above the drop zone in the Premier League and will have to be disciplined in the extreme to survive the second leg against Sevilla.

That's especially as the Spaniards should have had the tie wrapped up long before Vardy's strike and, as Ranieri honestly put it, are clearly the better side. Indeed, Jorge Sampaoli was clearly frustrated after the match.

"We were far superior in the development of the game, with 10 clear, scoring chances," he said. "They did very little but succeeded in the end. I think we deserved a bit more.

So if it all clicks for Sevilla at the King Power Stadium Leicester will still be in trouble. Realistically, Ranieri's men are still hugely up against it. But, with a little luck and an extended period without a goal, the more they will fancy their chances.