For what this game meant to Tottenham Hotspur, nobody present had to look any further than the figure in the dark coat on the touchline. Mauricio Pochettino tends to exist on an even keel; the Tottenham manager rarely gets too high or too low. Here, he lived every breath of a frenetic struggle. Passionately.
It was plain that Pochettino sensed this was the night for his team to make a statement with regard to the top four; to reel in one of their rivals, namelyLeicester City, the surprise package of a gloriously unpredictable Premier League.
Pochettino paced his technical area throughout; he bellowed his instructions and he howled to the heavens when the big chances went begging – most excruciatingly for him, when Harry Kane’s one-on-one with Kasper Schmeichel on 62 minutes reared up off the Leicester goalkeeper to strike the crossbar.
It was Leicester who made the statement, who fired their fairytale still further to remain bang in title contention. There have been those who have presumed that they will fade; that they have to fade. But they simply refuse to slide away.
They went toe-to-toe with Tottenham, as they had done in Sunday’s FA Cup tie here, which finished 2-2 and they always believed that they could have the decisive say.
After three league games without a goal, they conjured up one what that mattered hugely. Eighty-three minutes were on the stadium clock when Christian Fuchs sent over a corner and there was Robert Huth, criminally unmarked and with his feet planted, to direct a firm header back into the near top corner. Finally, Pochettino stood motionless. The FA Cup replay next Wednesday had led to talk of trilogies but there could be little doubt that this instalment was the most important. Part II had been heavy on pre-show anticipation and excitement and, for Leicester, it was the beginning of what Claudio Ranieri had effectively suggested was an extended free hit for his club.
Leicester reached their pre-season target of 40 points – the widely accepted survival cut-off – on the Saturday before last with the 0-0 home draw with Bournemouth and the manager’s feeling is that the pressure ought to be off from now on in. His team could play with freedom, although they have hardly looked inhibited previously. It is worth remembering that Leicester finished last season with 41 points.
The temptation had been to play up the aspect of familiarity between the clubs but that was largely removed by the welter of team changes from Sunday. Tottenham made seven; Leicester nine. Three of Leicester’s starters from the cup game did not make the squad here.
Tottenham started with the greater drive and intensity, with the tone set by Mauricio Pochettino on the touchline – the manager, unusually, was a whirlwind of emotion, variously urging his players and exploding at them.
Erik Lamela got both barrels early on when he did not attack Ben Davies’s low cross at the far post and there would be further Pochettino eruptions. Leicester can be infuriating opponents. At half-time, he strode down the tunnel, his expression set to thunderous.
The visitors have made their mark this season by staying tight, waiting and then pouncing at the merest hint of an opportunity, possibly following an error. Kyle Walker and Hugo Lloris combined for just that midway through the first half, when the former took an ill-advised throw-in back to the goalkeeper and, in turn, received a pass that put him into trouble.
Leicester converged in a heartbeat, mobbing Walker and, having won the ball from him, they worked it quickly to Shinji Okazaki, who dragged his shot wide. Tottenham had looked comfortable but, suddenly, Leicester enjoyed a purple patch. Okazaki almost got in again, following a jet-heeled burst up the right by N’Golo Kanté only for Toby Alderweireld to stick out a boot while Danny Drinkwater drew a fine save out of Lloris with a well-executed volley.
Tottenham’s lively start had featured a low Dele Alli blast that fizzed wide and a downward header from Alderweireld, following Lamela’s corner, that bounced back up and looked bound for the top of the net. Kasper Schmeichel threw out a hand to tip over. Christian Eriksen also worked the Leicester goalkeeper on the half hour from outside the area; Schmeichel’s reflexes were sound.
It was relentlessly hectic and, for long spells, the quality was submerged. The tackles flew in and the creative talents gasped for room. It became increasingly clear that one moment could be decisive and that it might not even have to be beautiful. Something scruffy would suffice.
Jamie Vardy, back after a minor groin operation, sparked in the second half. He reacted quickly inside a congested area to unload at goal and only a block by Kane, of all people, denied him. There was also the moment on the hour when he stole into the area, all pace and menace, only to be cleaned out by Lloris, who took both the ball and the man. There were strangled Leicester cries for a penalty but Lee Mason, the referee, was unmoved.
The rain tumbled down and the atmosphere cranked up. Tottenham had their chances after the interval. From another dangerous Davies cross, Lamela had a glorious one, on his left foot only to scuff his shot slightly and watch it squirm past the far post, via a deflection.
There was also Kane’s moment, when Lamela slipped him through with a cute pass. Schmeichel, as he did all evening, would not be passed and, after chances for Alli and the substitute, Leonardo Ulloa, the scene was set for Huth. Leicester march on.
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