26 January 2025
Tottenham 1 Leicester 2
With the pressure building in North London, Ange Postecoglou seems to have his head constantly on the chopping block right now. They welcomed Leicester City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a match that seemed to be a must-win game for both sides. On paper, even with their current form, this looked like a comfortable home win.
The hosts started well and created a chance as Porro got a shot off at goal but Stolarczyk was able to beat it away. The Foxes’ defenders managed to clear but this was an early sign of things to come for van Nistelrooy’s side. Having seen them play plenty of times this season, you seriously wondered if this back line was capable of absorbing wave after wave of attack.
In the early stages, it was evident that Bergvall was playing a lot higher up the pitch. He was looking to be the link between their midfield and attack, helping them transition more quickly to put the visitors on the back foot. Spurs had enough attacking threat to cause major problems for this Leicester City defence.
The young midfielder drilled a crossfield pass into Son. He skipped past a couple of challenges as he cut inside before drilling a low shot towards the bottom corner of the goal. Only the agility of the Leicester keeper was able to deny him as he made an excellent save and tipped the effort around the post. This got the home faithful going as they hoped to see a long-awaited performance from their team.
It had all seemed to be going according to plan for the visitors. With half an hour gone, it was goalless in the capital. That was about as rare as a politician who kept to their word in London. As a cross was sent deep into the back post, Stolarczyk came to punch it clear but could not get much on it. The ball ran out to Son on the wet surface, who tried to clip it over the keeper but he tipped it onto the crossbar.
Moments later Porro put in a quality delivery into the box and it was headed home by Richarlison to break the deadlock and the stadium erupted. It was the goal they had been threatening since the start of the game. The Foxes had offered next to nothing in an attacking sense, purely focussed on keeping Spurs at bay.
The goal seemed to wake this Leicester side up and they started to focus on getting forward. El Khannouss received the ball and skipped past a challenge before looking to get a shot off but it took a huge deflection and looped over the goal onto the roof of the net. The resulting corner gave them the chance to send more players forward in search of a goal.
As the resulting corner came in, The Foxes were looking to get players on the keeper to make life difficult for him. Faes had a free header from all of a yard out but, somehow, managed to put it over the crossbar. You felt chances like this would be limited for the visitors and not something they could afford to waste if they were to get anything from the trip to the capital.
After the interval, Leicester started to pass the ball around a little more. With the majority of the seats in the stadium still empty, with fans still enjoying their half-time refreshments, it was The Foxes’ turn to pile on the pressure. De Cordova-Reid drilled a low cross into the box and Kinsky made a mess of it, with the ball seemingly going through his grasp.
Vardy was playing the role of the ultimate poacher and scrambled it over the line for an equaliser for the visitors. In true style, the striker wandered over to the Tottenham fans, motioned the number one and pointed to the Premier League badge. Classic shithousery from the veteran forward. He loves nothing more than winding up the opposing fans.
Spurs seemed a yard off the pace in the opening stages of the half. Porro played a pass to Bentancur who lost it to De Cordova-Reid. He laid it into the path of El Khannouss, who ran towards goal. As he got to the edge of the box, he used the defender in front of him to bend the ball into the bottom corner. Kinsky was nowhere near it and in the space of four minutes, this game had been turned on its head.
Levy was sat in the crowd and the fans started to let him know what they thought. He was proving as popular as Gregg Wallace turning up unannounced at the Masterchef Christmas party. Tottenham tried to find a way back into the game as Kulusevski burst through the middle. A poor first touch took him slightly wide of goal however and his shot was saved and The Foxes cleared their lines.
Porro tried his luck from a free kick some way out. It took a deflection and crashed against the crossbar and came back out. Bentancur volleyed the rebound but it was well blocked by the Leicester defence. Try as they might, Spurs just seemed unable to create any clear-cut chances. They managed to force a corner deep into added time.
The Foxes defended it well, like their life depended on it. Blocking shots, putting their bodies on the line and giving Tottenham no time on the ball whatsoever. As the full-time whistle sounded, boos echoed out from all corners of the ground. It was a massive win for the visitors, one which took them out of the bottom three in the Premier League table.
When the dust settles, the bigger question will be just how long Postecoglou has got before the club pull the trigger. The fans are very demanding at Tottenham and expect more from their club than the owners and players are ever able to give them. Some big managers have tried and failed, Ange may just be added to a long list of managerial casualties in North London.
Did you enjoy this article? Please share to your social media. With one click you can help spread the word and make Solid at the Back the one-stop shop for all Premier League fans.