A goalless stalemate at the Walkers Stadium left Middlesbrough with more to smile about than Leicester who began the game confident of three points against a side who had shipped seven goals in their opening two Premiership games of the season.
As well as having the satisfaction of plugging a leaky defence, Boro manager Steve McClaren was delighted with the debut of his on-loan signing from Lazio Gaizka Mendieta, who gave flashes of genius in a gritty midfield performance that was mirrored by City's own man of the match Muzzy Izzet.
But City failed to convert long periods of domination into goals and manager Micky Adams will be eagerly awaiting the return of the injured Les Ferdinand's firepower.
Foxes threatened early on when Riccardo Scimeca stepped up to curl a 25-yard free-kick over the wall with Mark Schwarzer scrambling to snuff out the danger.
Then on 12 minutes Leicester went closer when Paul Dickov and James Scowcroft cleverly combined to find Izzet unmarked just inside the box and his dipping volley seemed a certain goal until the keeper showed lightning reactions to turn the ball out for a corner.
Boro hit back with a Mendieta 20-yard volley which flew just over and a Juninho free-kick from a similar distance that was too high to trouble Ian Walker.
Midway through the first half Scowcroft's glancing header from a corner was fractionally over the bar while Mendieta was again the focus of all that was good about Boro when his incisive pass freed Szilard Nemeth, but the Slovakian sliced the edge of the box effort high and wide.
After the break Scowcroft did well to get on the end of a looping cross from John Curtis, but his header drifted wide of the far post.
The Foxes began to tighten the screw as the second half wore on and when Keith Gillespie sent in a low cross from the right it needed just a touch, but the ball evaded three blue shirts and the chance was gone.
Alan Rogers then surged forward to join the attack and was unlucky to see his dipping volley from out of the left fly narrowly wide of the far post.
Towards the end Boro went close themselves through the busy Mendieta, but his flying drive from 25 yards dipped inches the wrong side of the crossbar.