Vardy hits milestone as Foxes end Spurs’ title hopes for another year
AT times this felt like the Leicester City of two seasons ago, the Leicester who so wonderfully won the Premier League. But it did not feel like the Tottenham Hotspur of then, who ran them so close.
Leicester deservedly won and there will be delight, for them, that in doing so they extinguished any f lickering, improbable hope Spurs had of winning the league this season.
They suggested it was over last weekend. Well it is now despite their second-half efforts and a host of missed chances when they should have actually salvaged this.
Instead, having almost won the league in the past two campaigns Spurs could be 16 points behind leaders Manchester City should they beat Southampton at home tonight.
Spurs are in a fight to finish in the top four and could drop to seventh if other results go against them after suffering their third successive away defeat in the league.
For Leicester this was vintage Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez while new boy Vicente Iborra was outstanding in their midfield even if they ended up hanging on with Spurs, who missed four clear chances, demanding an injury-time penalty after Danny Rose went down as he shaped to shoot.
CONVICTION
The conviction was there from Leicester as they sprung at Spurs and twice Vardy almost burst through, a Hugo Lloris intervention and a blocked cross denying him, before the first shot was sent in low by Wilfried Ndidi.
It was Vardy who gained the corner which was met by Wes Morgan with a header only for Rose to volley away from close to the goal-line. Lloris was beaten.
The goalkeeper was beaten again, soon after, and this time the ball was in the net.
Harry Maguire stepped forward from defence – as he can, as he has done to earn a place in the England squad – and sent the ball out wide to Marc Albrighton who flighted an astute pass over for Vardy. He ran between Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez and reacted superbly to improvise and loft a controlled right-footed volley over the stranded Lloris for the 100th league goal of his career.
Leicester were ahead and it was a lovely goal from their striker. Vardy reeled away in celebration, cupping his ear as he ran past the Spurs fans who had been attempting to goad him about the involvement of his wife Rebecca in the television show ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’.
As those celebrations continued in the stands, Spurs should have drawn level with Moussa Sissoko released through on goal by Harry Kane, after the striker had turned sharply, only for him to delay, as he tried to pick his spot, with Kasper Schmeichel def lecting his eventual side-footed shot.
It may well have spun into the goal but for Vicente Iborra running back to clear.
Spurs should have equalised when they broke from a corner with Kane setting Christian Eriksen free. He found Dele Alli whose first shot was saved by Schmeichel, with his legs, only for him to miscue the rebound as it hurtled at him.
Even then it went goalwards and Kane thought about turning it home only to realise he was offside with the ball trickling agonisingly wide.
Back came Leicester with Rose just cutting out a Vardy cross and almost turning it into his own goal and then Morgan peeling free from a free-kick, although he could not direct his header on target.
Spurs countered once more with Kane switching play to pick out Rose who chested the ball down – only to blast it wildly, wastefully, over the bar as the visitors, finally, began to apply concerted pressure.
However, it was Leicester who struck next, and with another glorious goal, and on the counter.
They poured forward and Ndidi slid the ball out wide to Mahrez who teased Jan Vertonghen, cutting inside to arc a wonderful left-foot shot from the area’s edge around Lloris. The stadium erupted.
Spurs were sent out early for the second half. Manager Mauricio Pochettino took his seat even earlier, his face like thunder.
His team needed something. Instead Leicester should have gone further ahead when Shinji Okazaki, in space, met Albrighton’s cross – after more good work from Iborra and Vardy – only to glance his header over.
Finally a clear opportunity came for Spurs. But Eriksen hacked it horribly wide from five yards.
On came Erik Lamela – 400 injury-enforced days since his last appearance – and he quickly played a smart pass through to Kane, with only his third touch, who fired high into the roof of the net.
They poured forward with Serge Aurier crossing for another substitute Fernando Llorente to volley horribly over from closerange. He surely had to score. Another away-day to forget for Spurs. (© Daily Telegraph, London)