White-hot Spurs win again
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham beat faltering Leicester to keep Premier League title hopes alive
Tottenham kept their bid to gatecrash the Premier League title race alive after Davinson Sanchez’s first goal for the club and Hugo Lloris’s penalty save inspired a 3-1 win over Leicester City on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side took the lead through Sanchez’s firsthalf header, but were indebted to Lloris for keeping them ahead after he saved Jamie Vardy’s penalty just after the interval at Wembley.
Christian Eriksen netted moments later and although Vardy got one back for the visitors, Son Heung-min’s late strike ensured third-placed Tottenham clinched a fifth win in their last six league games.
“I feel very proud. I think it was a fantastic result, it was a tough game. Leicester played well. You always have to fight for big things.
“We were a little bit lucky today, but we deserved it because we fought. I need to congratulate my players because I thought they were fantastic.
“Sometimes you can win games not playing your best. We conceded more chances s than usual, but I think the victory ctory is fair,” Pochettino said.
“The effort was fantastic, c, with the circumstances that happened ppened in this game and also this season,” he added.
The north Londoners are five points off the top of the table as they try to catch pace- setters Liverpool and Manchester City, who both won again at the e weekend. While Tottenham am are still outsiders to win their eir first English title since 1961, their r ability to stay in contention, despite injuries to key players Harry ry Kane and Dele Alli suggests they should not be completely written off. The battling win was good preparation paration for hosting Borussia Dortmund mund in the Champions League last t 16 first leg on Wednesday. W
Meanwhile, Meanw Leicester have lost four of their t last five league games, increasing increasi the pressure on underfire boss Claude Puel.
“It’s disappointing d and again we are left with not a good feeling. We should’ve sh had the game between our hands with a lot of chances,” chances he said.
“We created c a lot of good moves with a lot l of good intentions and we didn’t find good finishing. We had all the opportunities to win this game, but we couldn’t finish.
“It leaves me with mixed feelings as we showed good quality, but I’m very aggrieved with all these chances we had.”
Puel has reportedly lost the support of several influential players, including England striker Vardy, who was left on the bench for the first 60 minutes before coming on to miss the penalty with his first touch.
Insisting he was happy for Vardy to take the penalty, Puel said: “I gave him the opportunity. I said if he felt good he could take it.
“Maybe it was not a good thing, but we had a lot of chances, not just with this penalty.”
The only blemish on Tottenham’s day was Son’s booking for simulation, the South Korean going down after an incisive raid. Tottenham were furious when his penalty appeal ended in a booking for diving after defender Harry Maguire stuck out a leg to halt him.
Still angry about the decision after the match, Pochettino fumed: “It’s unbelievable. I am a person who accepts the mistakes, but today it was so clear. I told Michael Oliver.
“If we are being targeted ( by referees), I don’t understand why. We are nice people,” he said.