Tottenham vs Leicester City result: Spurs stay in touch in title race as Foxes pay the penalty
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Leicester City: Mauricio Pochettino's side secured another win as they kept themselves on the coattails of Liverpool and Manchester City
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Christian Eriksen and Hugo Lloris were the architects of victory as Tottenham Hotspur continued their dogged pursuit of the top two.
Eriksen created the opening goal, Davinson Sanchez’ first for Tottenham, and scored the second himself after 63 minutes, his sixth goal of the season. Lloris made a series of good saves, none more important than from Jamie Vardy’s 60th-minute penalty, the former England striker’s first kick of the game after coming on as a substitute.
Vardy did later pull a goal back but Heung-Min Song made sure with a late breakaway, which added insult to injury for Leicester, who could justifiably claim that they deserved more from the match for their attacking approach.
Leicester manager Claude Puel had benched Vardy because he wanted “to develop other options,” which meant Demarrai Gray starting as a central striker. Puel also gave Youri Tielemans his Leicester debut following his loan move from Monaco and was forced into another change in midfield when Nampalys Mendy was injured in the warm-up, Wilfred Ndidi taking his place.
Leicester were first to show, Harry Maguire forcing a good save from Lloris with a header when he escaped the marking of Llorente from a free kick. That was in the ninth minute and within seconds Tielemans, looking confident and adventurous in possession, sent Harvey Barnes through to hit a left-foot shot past Lloris but also the far post.
Spurs made little impression until 15 minutes had passed, when Heung-Min Son fell under challenge by Maguire just inside the area. Referee Michael Oliver saw the incident as simulation and showed the Korean a yellow card, but replays suggested that he should have awarded a penalty. Three minutes later Son found Danny Rose, just back on the field after receiving treatment for a knock, and the England left back tested Kasper Schmeichel with a right-foot shot.
However, Leicester were taking every opportunity to get forward themselves. After 31 minutes Ben Chilwell won a challenge with Christian Eriksen and released Barnes, but the Leicester man seemed to run out of ideas and ended up dragging a right-foot shot well wide of the near post. Finishing was where the visitors fell down, and two minutes later Spurs showed them how it was done. Kieran Trippier played a short corner back to Eriksen, 25 yards out and Sanchez launched himself at the Dane’s cross to head past Schmeichel from six yards. The Leicester players appealed for offside, none more loudly than Maguire, who should have been marking Sanchez, but in vain.
The first half ended with Lloris colliding with an upright as he tried to deal with a daring shot from an extreme angle by Tielemans and Leicester were soon back on the attack early in the second, Gray producing a winger’s header straight at Lloris from a cross by Ricardo Pereira when a true number nine would most likely have equalised. That was the signal for Vardy to rise from the bench but before he could take the field, Leicester were awarded a penalty after James Maddison was brought down by Jan Vertonghen. Maddison had the ball in his hands in preparation for taking the spot kick but deferred to Vardy, which proved the wrong option as Lloris guessed correctly and dived to his right to turn Vardy’s kick aside.
Just under four minutes later, Ricardo conceded possession under pressure deep in his own half and Eriksen took Llorente’s short pass before driving a 22-yard shot past Schmeichel’s right hand and into the bottom corner.
Seconds later Barnes had his third good chance, shooting straight at Lloris, but Leicester would not have long to wait for a goal, Pereira exchanging passes with Tielemans before crossing for Vardy to get ahead of Toby Alderweireld to poke the ball in from close range.
The Foxes went in search of a leveller but they were undone as the game entered stoppage time. Ndidi slipped as he tried to intercept a clearance from Moussa Sissoko and Son found himself running clear to slip the ball past Schmeichel.
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