Tottenham 1-2 Leicester: Three Foxes Talking Points | OneFootball

Two troubled clubs

Tottenham Hotspur hosted Leicester on Sunday with both, for slightly different reasons, not having the best of seasons. Spurs form has been poor of late, not helped by a lengthy injury list, and Ange Postecoglu, the London club’s Australian manager, is, it is said, on borrowed time. For Leicester, results on the pitch - seven successive league defeats – have established them as one of the favourites for the drop. This has been coupled with widespread criticism of the club by the fan base and rumours of off-field conflict between Ruud van Nistelrooy and at least some players, Defeat for either side on Sunday would serve to heighten the crisis even further.

How the victory happened

There was something of a surprise in the Leicester team selection with Bobby Decordova-Reid replacing Stephy Mavididi on the left and less of a surprise with Jordan Ayer preferred to Facundo Buonanotte on the right. In the first half, the Foxes had Jakub Stolarczyk to thank as three smart saves prevented Spurs taking early control. He could do little, though, when Richarlison ghosted into the six yard box to give Spurs the lead. Not for the first time, Victor Kristensen failed to close down Pedro Porro who was allowed to pick his spot with a cross from the left. City put the home team under pressure for a while after going behind but never really looked like scoring. An eighth successive defeat was on the cards.

The transformation in the second half was remarkable. Goals from Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss, the first a scuffed tap in, the second a sweet strike, put the Foxes ahead. Most of the rest of the second half was a back to the wall  exercise with Spurs, their fan’s increasingly frustrated, desperately seeking  an equaliser. Leicester, though, held firm with Jannik Vesterggard outstanding and Stolarczyyk, the man of the match, stopping everything that was thrown at him. What a victory.

What now?

With Everton, under new management, now beginning to pick up points, the relegation contest now appears to between four clubs. With Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves also losing over the weekend, the Foxes are now out of the bottom three for the first time in 2025.

It is looking like just over 30 points may well secure survival this season. That still means Leicester will have to pick up around 15 points from the same number of games, a tall order given their tally so far but by no means impossible.

The last week of the transfer window remains crucial. A winger and a centre back appear to be the priorities. As reported by FoL, Cardiff’s right-winger Ollie Tanner and AC Milan’s centre back Strahinja Pavlovic are the latest names in the frame. Another striker, too, would be welcome. The club, however, are constrained by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. In addition, unless Odsonne Edouard – who has not played a minute under the current Foxes’ boss – departs, Leicester will be unable to bring in another player on loan.

That’s all for the future. For now, the Blue Army, streaming proudly away from the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, can wallow in a much needed win. Bring on Everton.