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Tottenham Hotspur have continued to blow hot and cold this season. They fell to a miserable 4-1 loss at the King Power Stadium against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday, February 11.
Spurs came into the game as certain favorites after a decisive win against Manchester City where they were reduced to ten men. They looked to continue their improved form, hoping to make it three straight wins after two consecutive losses to Arsenal and Manchester City. They were boosted Antonio Conte's return after his gallbladder surgery.
Leicester, on the other hand, were determined to continue their surge away from the relegation places. They started the game three points away from the bottom three, looking to add to their win last week against Aston Villa.
The Foxes have been bolstered by the arrival of new signings including the likes of Victor Kristiansen, Harry Souttar, and Tete in the January transfer window.
Spurs looked threatening from the start, creating multiple chances off set pieces. The spell ended well for the North London club after Rodrigo Bentancur knocked one in from point-blank range to give the Spurs the lead.
However, Nampalys Mendy unleashed a brilliant strike after a Leicester City corner to put the Foxes back in the game. They completed the comeback after just two minutes and 19 seconds.
Spurs lost the ball in midfield and Kelechi Iheanacho set up James Maddison for an easy finish. Iheanacho then added to his tally late in the first half to give the Foxes a two-goal cushion.
The first half was an end-to-end affair, with both teams posing a strong threat to score. Leicester were much more clinical with their chances and took a 3-1 lead into halftime.
The tempo of the game was much reduced in the second half, with Leicester content to defend and preserve their lead. It turned into quite a scrappy affair, with the Foxes happy to resort to fouls to disrupt Spurs' attacking flow.
Leicester almost made it worse for the Lilywhites after Harvey Barnes slotted coolly past Fraser Forster, only for the goal to be ruled offside by inches.
Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma came on for the last few minutes as Conte hoped to grab some late goals. However, Barnes put the result to bed with a smart finish to make it four for the hosts.
Tottenham's inconsistent performances continued this season as Leicester continued their rise towards the mid-table positions. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5. Pedro Porro had a forgettable debut
Pedro Porro had a night to forget against the Foxes. Signed from Sporting CP for €45 million after much negotiating, Conte hoped the Spaniard would be an improvement over Emerson Royal.
However, it was not to be. He won just seven of his 13 duels, completed two of his five dribble attempts and lost possession 13 times.
Leicester were a potent threat down the left-hand side as Porro was found out of position regularly. Harvey Barnes often got the better of him and was menacing to the Spurs' defense.
#4. Kelechi Iheanacho had a fantastic outing
Manager Brendan Rodgers continued his faith in Kelechi Iheanacho, starting the Nigerian over the likes of Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy. The striker rewarded that faith by having a sensational game.
He was instrumental in the first half, making the cool pass to James Maddison for the second goal. He then got himself on the scoresheet late in the first half with a nice finish.
He was too much for the Tottenham defense to handle and linked up well with Barnes and Maddison. He left the game after 77 minutes with four shots (two on target), three dribbles completed, and one key pass.
#3. Tottenham's defensive woes continue
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will not be happy with the team's defensive struggles. They have conceded 35 goals in the Premier League this season, which puts the team in the bottom five in the league.
Time and again, there has been poor play from the defense. It has been one of the main reasons behind Tottenham's highly inconsistent play this season. After holding a strong Manchester City attack goalless in the last game, Spurs looked all out of sorts and were lucky not to concede further.
#2. Brendan Rodgers earns trust back
The Foxes endured a torrid start to the season, winning just one of their first 10 games. Brendan Rodgers was in the hot seat, with many believing that the club was looking for his replacement.
However, the club's ownership has stuck with the Northern Irishman and their patience has paid good dividends. Bolstered by the good signings of Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen and Tete in the January transfer window, Leicester look like a completely different side after the World Cup break. They have managed to make a jump away from the bottom three and are currently 13th in the table.
#1. Tottenham lose track in the top 4 race
Tottenham lost ground in the race for the top four with today's shocking performance.
Manchester United only managed a draw against Leeds United mid-week. Hence, Tottenham had the incentive to put pressure on the Red Devils and Newcastle United towards a top-four berth. However, their inconsistency continued as they completely faltered against Leicester.
They are now two points behind Newcastle, having played one more game.
