The waiting game
Musa goal adds to the frustration as Spurs keep on fluffing their lines
AS taunts from the terraces go, it was one of the gentlest you will hear but it will have eaten away at Mauricio Pochettino as more points slipped through his grasp.
‘Tottenham Hotspur, we’re waiting for you,’ sang the Leicester fans, with a reference to last season’s title race.
Spurs lost their way when it mattered last spring. Now they are the only unbeaten team in the top four divisions but they are haemorrhaging points at an alarming rate as the leaders ease away at the top.
Vincent Janssen fired them into the lead from a disputed penalty — and Pochettino saw his side hit the woodwork twice — but they led for only four minutes and Leicester refused to yield.
Ahmed Musa levelled early in the second half and Ranieri celebrated a first away point of the season and a performance much more impressive than the 3-0 capitulation at Chelsea a fortnight before.
There were traces here of last season’s Leicester, resilient at the back and explosive on the break. Perhaps the proximity of Tottenham stirred the old spirit.
Perhaps the proximity of Leicester triggered an episode of selfdoubt at White Hart Lane.
Spurs have lost something. This was a third successive draw in the Premier League, six points dropped and a north London derby at in-form Arsenal next weekend, by which time Pochettino hopes to have Harry Kane back.
‘He’s important, our main striker,’ said the Tottenham boss. ‘We’re happy with Vincent, but we need him to share that position with Harry. It’s impossible to put all the pressure on him.
‘We also need the second line of strikers to be more aggressive, more determined to score, not only to play well. We dominated from the first kick until after 90 minutes and we created more chances. It was a good performance, we were good in the build up and good in possession but it’s important to score more than we scored today.
‘You need to kill the game. Be more aggressive, not to punch, but to shoot. We need to be more clinical. Ten games unbeaten, I would have signed for that. Five wins and five draws, but it’s true that is not enough.’
Spurs dominated possession. Kasper Schmeichel punched away a fierce drive from Dele Alli and gathered a dipping volley from Danny Rose. Alli rattled the bar but there were few clear-cut chances.
Shinji Okazaki flashed a header over and with the pace of Jamie Vardy up front, Leicester were always dangerous on the break, even if the England striker’s touch sometimes let him down. He needs a goal, too.
This time last year, Vardy was in the midst of his record-breaking 11-game scoring sequence. He has scored only two this season and is without a goal for six weeks.
Spurs have had their problems with Kane out injured. Pochettino gives him a ‘50-50’ chance of being ready to face Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday but Arsenal has always been his target.
Christian Eriksen has yet to score in the league this term and Janssen’s first came from the penalty spot when referee Bobby Madley decided Robert Huth had hauled the Dutchman down.
Leicester’s hands-on form of marking had been irritating Spurs for some time and the home crowd were already engaged in a dispute with the officials regarding a sequence of decisions, many of them featuring Huth and Wes Morgan.
This time Tottenham got the decision. Huth dropped an arm across Janssen’s shoulder to stop him twisting free in a crowded goalmouth and he tumbled over without hesitation.
‘Hey, Janssen is very strong,’ said Ranieri, blowing out to suggest a gust of air might have made the difference. ‘In that moment, he went down.’
Janssen converted the spot-kick. It was his third goal of the season, all penalties, but this was his first in the Premier League. Leicester were level three minutes after the break when a rare midfield mistake by Victor Wanyama presented Vardy with the chance to capitalise on the space behind the Spurs back four.
Vardy raced away from the central defenders on the right and cut a low cross to the far post where Musa beat Kyle Walker to force the ball past Hugo Lloris. It was only the fifth goal conceded by Pochettino’s team in the Premier League.
Spurs went close to finding a winner through Eriksen, thwarted by Huth’s block, and Janssen who whipped a free-kick narrowly wide, but Pochettino’s options were restricted with Erik Lamela ill and Moussa Sissoko banned.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Harry Winks were sent on more in hope than in expectation and there were chances at both ends. Jan Vertonghen headed against the bar in the 87th minute; Lloris saved low from Morgan and Leonardo Ulloa nodded wide in stoppage time.
The last effort of the game came from Rose, lashed into the side-netting. One point each, but Leicester the happier. As usual. They’re still waiting.