A high intensity game that seemed to be headed for a goalless draw came down to two minutes of brilliance on either sides of the pitch for the teams to share the spoils.
Tottenham Hotspur is yet to find its first victory in the current season. The North London team gave away their lead as soon as they took it in a manner that has become synonymous to its name. Leicester City on the other hand have had a good run with Claudio Ranieri and were looking for their third victory in a row.
The First Half
Ranieri and the home side posted an unchanged squad, for the third game in a row, even as new signing Gokhan Inler was available. Spurs on the other hand made a late change to bring in Eric Lamela as their star midfielder Christian Erkisen was injured in training. Right from the first whistle, Spurs attacked well with Nacer Chadli mainly operating from the left hand side. Ben Davies, who was named in the squad ahead of a fit and available Danny Rose, supported the Belgian well but struggled in defence. Dembele looked the brightest for Spurs in the first half as he seemed to be the only player apart from a heavily marked Harry Kane who seemed to be capable of breaking through.
Schlupp, the Ghanian youngster, who was the designated left-back, looked bright as he held Lamela and Dembele whenever they came out wide and even contributed with a few surging runs down the left flank. Maharez, on the other hand, is a name Vertonghen will remember for quite a while as the Algerian winger ensured the big Belgian struggled every time he ran into the box. With a few near misses and no goals to celebrate for either sides, the highlight of the first half seemed to be the water break at 20 minutes led by Leicestera s number 10 Danny on a surprisingly hot English evening.
The Second Half
Very much like the first half, the last 45 minutes of the game began with energy and ferocity. Up until the 80th minute, neither team could break the dead lock as both of them played a high paced box to box game. However, soon after the scheduled drinks break, a run into the opponenta s box saw Chadli lob a ball into the path of Ali who then dived in to head the ball home and gain the lead. This lead was short lived and within a minute after the kick off, Mahrez cut into the box and curled in a left footer to beat Lloris and provided Leicester with an equalizing goal. Neither side had the energy nor the ability, even after the necessary substitutions, to take all three points. The game ending 1-1 turned out as a fair result for a match between two hard working teams.
Player Ratings
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Leicester City
Casper Schmeichel a 5/10
He wasna t really tested too much as his centre-backs provided quite a cover keeping the likes of Chadli and Kane at bay. Except for a late clearance in the first half which Kane closed down and relatively poor distribution, Schmeichel seemed up for the task.
Jeffrey Schlupp a 7/10
The young defender kept a check on Eric Lamela and Dembele whenever they ran into his left hand side. With a few crucial clearances and a solid show when going forward, Schlupp was Leicestera s best defender.
Wes Morgan a 5/10
Morgan looked solid in the first half, as he did a tidy job of keeping Harry Kane quiet. But his poor communication with teammates in the second half meant that he was busy marking Kane which allowed the ball to fall to an unmarked Alli who scored Tottenhama s goal.
Robert Huth a 5/10
Huth enjoyed his game with Morgan as the two formed a stable partnership and ensured that all threats were kept in check. A small error was made in marking where he let Kane free, forcing Morgan to take him on. This was the one error that allowed Spurs to score.
Ritchie De Laet a 5/10
Other than a poor back pass, the Belgian right back looked comfortable in his position and also provided his share of support for his team’s attack.
Marc Albrighton a 6/10
Albrighton didna t have as bright a game as he did in the previous two fixtures, although he did deliver a few good set pieces which were ultimately not put to good use.
Andy King a 6/10
King played a good game with very few errors but failed to score with a powerful drive.
Danny Drinkwater a 5/10
The Englishman performed his duty of keeping Mason in check and also broke up some of the continuous plays of the opposition.
Riyad Mahrez a 8/10
The Algerian was exceptional, constantly testing Ben Davies and Jan Vertonghen. Mahreza s form allowed him two chances where he beat Vertonghen as well as Lloris. One struck the post while the other was neatly curled in to the back of the net.
Shinji Okazaki a 6/10
He held off his markers with great pace and troubled the center halves of Tottenham. Unfortunately for Okazaki, no real chances in front of the goalpost meant that he was unable to get his name on the score sheet.
James Vardy a 6/10
Vardy was a constant threat as he troubled the right sided combination of Walker and Alderweireld. He wasna t able to get into any goal scoring positions but worked hard to support Okazaki as well as Mahrez.
Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris a 6/10
Hugo Lloris made a few good saves and a few very fortunate ones. He seemed to have tried very hard to cope with the ever shaky Tottenham defence. Luckily for him, he was saved from conceding two goals to Maharez as the Algerian’s first shot narrowly missed the target by striking the post.
Ben Davies a 6/10
Davies tried to keep Mahrez at bay and tracked him back. He looked good going forward but a few small errors made him struggle against his opponent.
Jan Vertonghen a 4/10
Vertonghen seemed low on confidence even though pundits stated that his new found partnership with his fellow center-back will be fruitful. He struggled to mark Mahrez which led to the equalizer and made quite a few errors in the first half as well.
Toby Alderweireld a 5/10
Initially, Alderweireld seemed comfortable and slowed down the game as Spurs looked to keep possession and frustrate Leicester. However, he was a little shaky and looked low on confidence, especially as he often found his wing-back, Walker, out of position.
Kyle Walker a 5/10
Walker often contributed well to the attack with his driving runs down the right flank. Although helpful to provide crosses, he often left his team’s center-half and the opponent’s left wing isolated.
Ryan Mason a 5/10
With the presence of Dier, Mason was given the freedom to attack and create chances. But the constant presence of Drinkwater kept him in check.
Eric Dier a 6/10
Dier seemed comfortable in his new found position and provided good protection for the back four while also being an aerial threat in set pieces. He occasionally gave away silly fouls and was troubled by the pace of Okazaki.
Nacer Chadli a 6/10
Chadli initially threatened the home defence and made a few good runs. His lob was what brought Alli on the score sheet, bagging him as assist.
Eric Lamela a 5/10
Playing for his future in the side, Lamela did not produce anything exceptional as he often struggled to win the ball back and create any good chances. However, Lamela managed to play a reasonable game in that he made very few errors.
Moussa Dembele a 7/10
Dembele played an extremely positive game and looked to threaten the opposition’s defence. He was the best player on the Spurs’ side as he tried to create chances and also attempted a shot at a score.
Harry Kane a 6/10
Kane had a few good runs and a chance to score but couldna t, as he was marked constantly. He also seemed to be still struggling to attain full fitness.
Special mentions
Gokhan Inler a Even though he was able to play for only a few minutes of the game, Inler was focused on the ball and also managed a long range shot at the goalpost. More time on the field may allow him to display his quality better in the future.
Deli Alli a Alli was quite exceptional and looked very focused on the ball. The youngster has proven his ability to play for the first team, scoring the lone goal for Tottenham. His performance has left fans looking forward to watching him play in the upcoming games.
