Image Credit: Evening Standard
By Lee Clow 21 September 2019 | Premier League
Having had VAR benefit them on multiple occasions over the past few months, Tottenham were finally on the receiving end of the technology as it denied them a potential winning goal against Leicester who in the end managed to come back and win the game 2-1.
Leicester’s great comeback first sparkled when Tottenham were denied a goal that would’ve given them a two-goal lead. Serge Aurier had the ball in the back of the net but after some wait VAR intervened and adjudged Son who was part of the build-up to have been offside. Immediately after the decision, Leicester raced up the pitch and found a deserved equaliser through Ricardo Pereira. 5 minutes before time, Leicester’s comeback was complete when James Maddison spectacularly unleashed a powerful drive from range past Spurs goalkeeper Gazzaniga.
In the first half both teams started tentatively but it soon changed into an exciting, open tie. On 15 minutes, Leicester thought they opened the scoring when Wilfred Ndidi poked the ball into the net after Tottenham’s backup keeper, Gazzaniga, fumbled Youri Tielemans’ strike. The goal was immediately reviewed by VAR and after a small delay it was disallowed for offside. The decision was met by boos from the Leicester fans but huge delight from the away supporters who once again experience their team receiving the benefits of VAR.
After the controversial incident involving VAR, the game started to become feisty with both teams being aggressive to each other. The home fans latched on to this and continually put pressure on the referee when a decision was given against their team.
On 29 minutes the deadlock was finally broken between the two sides. Spurs who had been second best for most of the first half broke quickly, through Lamela and Son, and caught Leicester out at the back. Harry Kane joined the Spurs counterattack and latched onto Son’s backheel before slotting the ball into the back of the net despite being knocked off balance by Foxes defender Caglar Soyuncu. Kane’s superb finish from the ground was his 4th goal of the season and his 14th goal against Leicester – the most he has ever scored against any other side in his professional career.
After the goal Spurs took control of the game and searched for a second goal. Kane had two great chances to pull away from Leicester but on both occasions, he fluffed his lines. Perez had a chance to equalise for Leicester but Gazzaniga was equal to his shot right before halftime.
In the second half, Leicester came out the blocks quickly as they searched for an equaliser. The tactic that Brendan Rodgers had set his team in the second half was to knock the ball up to Vardy so he could test the Tottenham backline, of Alderweirled and Vertonghen, with his blistering pace. This tactic seemed to work as the Tottenham defence began to stretch and open up spaces for the Leicester attack. Jamie Vardy had a great chance to equalise as he latched onto a stray ball from Alderweireld. The former England striker ran towards goal and looked certain to score but was denied excellently by a combination of Vertonghen’s last ditch block and Gazzaniga’s outstretched arm. Leicester continued to create chances, but Tottenham stayed strong, determined to keep their lead and clean sheet.
After riding Leicester’s attacks, Spurs thought they had doubled their advantage courtesy of Serge Aurier's rocket just after the hour. Tottenham who have received the benefit of VAR on more than one occasion finally had a decision go against them as the goal was ruled out for offside on Heung-Min Son who was involved in the build-up. The decision was met by huge cheers by the home fans and this seemed to give the Leicester players extra belief to get back into the game.
Leicester eventually did find the equaliser through Ricardo Pereira. Jamie Vardy once again stretched the Tottenham defence before firing the ball across the box towards Pereira who smashed the ball into the back of the net past the helpless Gazzaniga. The goal only inspired Leicester further as they now believed they could get the 3 points.
With both sides pushing for a winner late on, it was Leicester who got it five minutes from time. Maddison, who was Leicester’s brightest spark in the game, from 25 yards out unleashed a wonderful into the back of the net to complete Leicester's comeback, and ensure Spurs were denied a first away Premier League win since January. The goal was met by huge uproar from the home fans as they continued their excellent start to the season with a great win against a big top 6 side.
The win for Leicester takes them up to second in the table while Tottenham again drop points away from home.
After the game Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino spoke to media about his sides defeat. “We dominated the game and we deserved more but that's football. It can change quickly. We need to keep working. We have a lot of games coming and we need to be ready…I'm always saying that sometimes it (VAR) benefits you and sometimes it goes against you. You can't complain afterwards. You have to accept it…Today, we were the better side, but I hope they (Leicester) have a very good season. I admire Brendan Rodgers and wish them the best."
Leicester manager, Brendan Rodgers, spoke highly of his side in his press conference after the game. "It was a wonderful performance. I thought the players were outstanding. We started the game with a great tempo, which sets the emotion in the stadium…It was just a case of preparing the players mentally for the second half. We had to adapt the system at half-time. The players deserve huge credit. The quality we showed was top-class against an outstanding team."
What’s next?
Both sides are back in action in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, with Tottenham travelling to Colchester and Leicester visiting Luton.
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