| Match report
The game had hardly got
underway before Tottenham had gone ahead, but there was no need for
a last minute goal, although Spurs had to hold on to their 2-1 lead
against a determined Leicester City side, who prop up the bottom of
the table.
Missing Ryan Mason, who was
only ready for the bench, Spurs fielded Benjamin Stambouli in his
place and Poch picked Danny Rose ahead of Ben Davies at left back.
Leicester kicked of, but
when Fazio broke up an attack and his pass found Lamela in midfield,
the Argentine held his pass as Kane was offside, but played it wide
to Chadli, who made ground up the left and played an early ball to
the near post. It looked like Wes Morgan was favourite to win
the ball, but Kane got in front of him, took a touch and struck a
low shot across Hamer from the left of the goal to put Tottenham
ahead in 59 seconds.
Spurs were stroking the ball
about and they had further chances to score when Eriksen's shot was
blocked by the ample backside of Morgan, while Chadli fired a shot
on target as the play continued and Hamer had to beat the ball away.
Ulloa produced a snapshot form 22 yards out that Lloris had to tip
over the top. Just after the half hour, both sides turned over
the ball and when it came to Kane, he played a superb first time
ball out to the left, where Bentaleb had run on and nobody had
picked him up. Nabil had a clear run on goal, but the ball got
away from him as he got the box and ex-Spurs loanee, Paul Konchesky
cleared it away.
Tottenham let Leicester back
into the game by allowing them more possession than in the first
half hour. Drinkwater moved infield from the right and hit a
shot well wide, when he should have hit the target, then Lloris had
to dive to his right to stop Mahrez who drilled a low shot across
him when he took Ulloa's flicked header and then cut inside
Vertonghen. In the 37th minute, Spurs were given a warning
that this match still had to be put to bed. A cross from
Mahrez on the Leicester right found Ulloa running towards the near
post and he met it with his head, but only eight yards out, he put
his effort against the post with Lloris stranded on his line.
Just before half-time, Spurs
got control of the game again and had a couple of free-kicks and
their first corner. From the second free-kick, Lamela put the
ball into the heart of the six yard box and Kane rose, but header it
down, but wide of the goal from a central position. Half-time
came shortly after and for their early domination, Spurs deserved to
turn around in front, but the warnings were there as to what might
happen if they continued in a casual manner.
Just after the restart, a
poor clearance saw the ball drop to Nugent, who was 25 yards out,
but he tried a looping shot, but luckily he got it all wrong and the
ball went wide. A couple of minutes later, that had been
proved to be the case. Mahrez beat Bentaleb to the ball wide
of the penalty area on their right and played a low ball to the near
post, where Ulloa dragged the ball past Lloris with a back-heel to
level the score.
Spurs started to look nervy
and were not holding onto the ball as well as the first half and
giving away free-kicks. One in the 52nd minute for a foul by
Fazio gave Mahrez the opportunity to strike one from 25 yards out
and it beat Lloris, but bounced out off the bar. Leicester
were closing Spurs down quicker and decisions started to go the
Foxes' way, with Vertonghen ridiculously giving away a free kick by
holding Ulloa when the Leicester man hung onto him as he backed in.
When Spurs did break away,
Walker ran forward and ran out of ideas, but later Lamela jinked
around Konchesky and out-muscled him, but when he got to the dead
ball line, his cross was too high for everyone and it fell to Rose,
but his shot went way over. But the game was going end to end
a bit and Leicester broke on their left, making a yard for a shot
that was going across Hugo, but the Spurs keeper got a strong wrist
to it to push it wide for a corner.
Tottenham looked like they
might have to tough it out, but a break saw Kane try to move forward
past two Leicester defenders, who shut the door on him and the ref
gave a free-kick 25 yards out, wide of the left side of the box.
Erik Lamela ran over it, the Foxes' wall broke and Eriksen bent a
low shot in through the gap that skidded up off the greasy pitch and
beat Hamer at his near post to put Tottenham back ahead. It
was a poor goal defensively by the home team, with the wall perhaps
more to blame than the keeper.
Both sides pressed forward
with Kane surprising Hamer with a shot that went a yard wide before
Drinkwater fizzed an effort a foot wide of Lloris' right hand post.
Mahrez took a long cross and had an opportunity, but his shot from
the right side went too high. Pochettino had brought Paulinho
on for Harry Kane and soon after the home team had two shouts for a
penalty. Firstly, Vertonghen slid in on Vardy winning the
ball, but then the forward went down, with the ref giving a corner,
which brought the second claim, when Ulloa shielded the ball and
then went to ground with Jan having his shirt in his hand. No
penalty was the decision again and with Kane suffering the same
outcome in the last few weeks.
Leicester had a real chance
to equalise when Mahrez hit a low ball in from the right and Lloris
got a touch on it which was enough for it to hit the sizeable
backside of the unmarked Wes Morgan, instead of him putting the ball
in at the far post. Hugo recovered to grab the ball as it
trickled goal-wards. The centre half had been thrown forward
and the aerial bombardment was well dealt with by Lloris, who had
come to punch corners and take crosses. They even threw their
keeper forward for a couple of corners, one Lloris touched around
the post and the second he took cleanly and he could have cleared
quickly to have a shot on goal. He was left with a bloody
mouth when Vardy elbowed him in the face when he took a long ball
through. The Leicester sub got a yellow, but elsewhere on the
pitch, it might have brought a red card.
Spurs were trying to keep
the ball away from Lloris' goal and a move started on the right by
Lamela, went through Soldado and Paulinho to set up Eriksen with a
low shot a couple of feet wide, with the end of the game coming
straight after that effort.
So, nearly a last minute
Eriksen goal in another away win, but it was Kane in the first
minute that helped Tottenham on their way to another away-day three
points. Not a great performance and Spurs should really have
made the most of the dominance they had in the first third of the
game, but there was always a chance Leicester would come back into
it and they did. Maybe a bit lucky with the penalty shout
against Vertonghen on Ulloa, but then Morgan pushed Kane down in the
box and it could have evened itself out, but two opportunist goals
took the win for Tottenham and the impressive away form is keeping
Spurs up there, so a few more home wins over the next couple of
weeks would be marvellous !!
Pete Stachio |
