Luck is holding out for Spurs
Against Watford, it was a late goal from Fernando Llorente, then a goalkeeping howler by Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka let them off the hook.
But against a Leicester side producing a display that should keep Claude Puel in a job even if the result does not look too promising, Pochettino had everything go in his favour.
There was the questionable legitimacy of their opening goal, with Davinson Sanchez stooping to nod in Christian Eriksen’s superb whipped cross from what looked like a marginally offside position.
Then, with the game poised at 1-0, a clumsy tackle by Jan Vertonghen on James Maddison had referee Michael Oliver pointing to the spot.
Jamie Vardy, undoubtedly at odds with his manager and on the bench, was already warming up to come on when the foul was committed. So, bang on the hour, cometh the man and he immediately grabbed the ball to take the kick himself, surrendered by Maddison.
The kick was firm, but not in the corner, and Hugo Lloris dived to make his first Premier League penalty save for nearly five years.
Within three minutes, an attempted clearance hit Oliver Skipp and fell for Llorente to tee up Eriksen, who arrowed his shot inside the near post.
The 2-0 scoreline flattered Tottenham, for whom Lloris had tipped an early Harry Maguire header over the bar and then clattered into his own post keeping out a shot by debutant Youri Tielemans.
Leicester’s Harvey Barnes twice missed the target with great chances in the first half and was denied in the second from eight yards by the foot of Lloris. When Vardy darted in to turn home Ricardo Pereira’s low cross 14 minutes from time it led to an anxious home finale until their last piece of fortune.
Wilfred Ndidi slipped as Moussa Sissoko swept the ball away from his own penalty area