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Leicester out of bottom three after comeback win at Spurs
Leicester City ended their seven-match losing run and moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 turnaround win to pile on the pressure for Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s strugglers knew a defeat in north London would see them equal their worst-ever streak in league action, and they fell behind to a first-half header from returning striker Richarlison.
However, two goals in the first five minutes of the second half turned Sunday’s match on its head, with Jamie Vardy levelling just 57 seconds after the restart.
Bilal El Khannouss then put Leicester ahead with a curler from just outside the penalty area, and the Foxes clung on to leapfrog Wolverhampton Wanderers and go 17th in the table.
Leicester are one point clear of the bottom three and seven behind 15th-placed Spurs.
How the match unfolded
Jakub Stolarczyk was again busy in the Leicester goal early on, parrying Pedro Porro’s strike then making a wonderful save to prevent Son Heung-min from finding the bottom corner.
Van Nistelrooy’s side were then fortunate to see a Son cross clip the crossbar, but they had no such luck when Spurs went ahead in the 33rd minute.
Porro whipped an inviting cross in from the right, with Richarlison escaping Wout Faes and James Justin to head home from close range.
However, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was stunned into silence by two quickfire goals to start the second half – Vardy first equalised with a tap-in after goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky failed to gather Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s cross.
El Khannouss put Leicester ahead with a pinpoint finish into the bottom-right corner, after De Cordova-Reid pounced on some sloppy play from Rodrigo Bentancur.
Porro saw a free-kick rattle the crossbar after a wicked deflection off Vardy, but that was as close as Spurs came before the final whistle.
Postecoglou’s problems mount
Postecoglou said in the build-up to Sunday’s match that injuries were solely responsible for Spurs’ poor form.
With Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner and James Maddison among their absentees, it is fair to say the Australian has been working with his hands tied.
He did receive one major boost as Richarlison was fit to make his first Premier League start this season, and the Brazilian was in the right place with his stooping header to put Spurs ahead.
However, by the time Richarlison was withdrawn in the 54th minute the contest had been flipped entirely.
Porro was the only member of Spurs’ first-choice back four to start, but both Leicester goals came from his flank. He was nowhere to be seen as De Cordova-Reid crossed for Vardy’s leveller, then his ill-advised pass saw Bentancur lose possession for the second.
While Spurs remain easy on the eye going forward, such mistakes have become far too commonplace, with 13 defeats in 23 league matches a poor return for a team once tipped for the top four.
Postecoglou will hope to have players such as Maddison available for next Saturday, when they face a trip to Brentford.
Leicester avoid unwanted history
Spurs were not the only side desperately needing a result on Sunday, with things looking bleak for Leicester following a 2-0 loss at home to Fulham last time out.
Supporters at King Power Stadium voiced their frustrations at the end of that defeat, with the Foxes threatening to equal their worst-ever losing run in the league – a streak of eight defeats between March and April 2001.
Van Nistelrooy’s team have seen their goal peppered with shots in recent matches, and only the efforts of Stolarczyk prevented Spurs from taking a more handsome lead into half-time.
However, the Dutchman’s words at the break clearly had the desired effect, and the industry of De Cordova-Reid proved crucial. The former Fulham man unsettled Spurs’ backline by leading the Leicester press, also showing composure in the final third to record two assists.
El Khannouss, meanwhile, gave another glimpse of his Premier League qualities by bending a wonderful finish just inside the post from 20 yards out, scoring his first goal since Leicester’s most recent win, a 3-1 triumph over West Ham United on 3 December – Van Nistelrooy’s first match in charge.
The league’s bottom four teams have threatened to be cut adrift in recent weeks, but Leicester will now hope to drag 16th-placed Everton into the relegation fight when they visit Goodison Park next Saturday.
Club reports
Spurs report | Leicester report
Match officials
Referee: Rob Jones. Assistants: Ian Hussin, Neil Davies. Fourth official: Andy Madley. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.