TOTTENHAM BACK INTO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RACE AFTER WIN AGAINST FOXES
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Premier League – Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Kane, 22, Son 60, 79) Leicester City 1 ( Iheanacho, 90) – Premier League LIVE.
Tottenham threw down the gauntlet to Arsenal in the race for fourth place with a, belatedly, comfortable 3-1 win over Leicester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs started well but the crowd grew restless as their team failed to make their possession count.
Hugo Lloris was the first keeper to be called into action and a fine fingertip save denied Patson Daka an opener.
After 22 minutes, Spurs took the lead when Harry Kane escaped his marker to head home a Son Heung-Min corner.
Kane almost doubled Spurs’ lead when he stole onto a short backpass but Kasper Schmeichel charged out decisively to deny the England captain.
Leicester had good spells of possession as the half wore on but never again tested Lloris. Ayoze Perez’s scuffed shot almost fell to a sliding Daka but the Zambian couldn’t connect.
The second half was tightly balanced until the introduction of Dejan Kulusevski in place of Lucas Moura.
Moura had struggled to impact the game and his combination with Emerson Royal had been off-kilter, leaving Spurs’ right largely ineffectual.
As if he had a point to prove after being benched, Kulusevski was immediately on fire down Leicester’s left and he made the crucial second goal for Spurs.
Christian Romero delivered two thunderous challenges in as many seconds, the second of which saw the ball squirt into the path of Kulusevski.
The Swede danced into the Leicester box, waiting for his moment, then slipped a clever pass to Son. The South Korean spun on the penalty spot and ripped a low shot into the corner for 2-0.
From that point, Tottenham were right on top and Kulusevski was leading the charge.
A delightful drag back and flick shortly after the goal left a Leicester defender floored and had the Tottenham crowd on their feet.
Brendan Rodgers threw on Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans in an attempt to change things but with Leicester pushing forward, the game took up the ideal pattern for an Antonio Conte team.
Spurs were able to stay compact and play fluently out from the back, seemingly creating a chance with every turnover.
On 79 minutes, Son locked down the victory with a truly sensational strike.
Unhurried at the edge of Leicester’s box, Son unleashed a looping strike that only just dipped in time, and Kasper Schmeichel had no hope of saving.
Spurs’ South Korean reached 19 Premier League goals for the season, his personal best tally, and Tottenham take possession of fourth place despite Kelechi Iheanacho’s late consolation strike.
