An afternoon that had started with last season’s joint Golden Boot winner almost inevitably relegated to the bench – Antonio Conte had little choice after eight outings without a goal – ended with a 13-minute hat-trick. By the time Sean slotted a spectacular first past Danny Ward, Tottenham had already come from behind to take a thrilling, if defensively innocuous, 3-2 clash. The majority of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium was jumping with the kind of pure, unadulterated joy reserved only for football grounds. there are few more popular scorers around these parts. It was only the beginning. A left tackle of similar quality quickly followed and then a third which was initially ruled out by the offside flag. Praise for VAR. Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Rodrigo Bedancourt had already scored in a win that, temporarily at least, lifted Tottenham above neighborhood rivals Arsenal and level with Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League. A performance brimming with character, if not the defensive fortitude that makes Conte purr. Leicester’s rot continues. No win? rooted at the bottom; six straight losses. Brendan Rodgers may be hanging on by a thread. Leicester’s inability to hold on to a lead – handed to them by Yuri Tielemans’ second penalty – will be particularly bleak. Even after falling behind James Maddison equalized before the end of the first half. But then they capitulated. This season alone they lost 11 points from the winning positions. Ward has conceded 22 in just seven games, while the late debut of Wout Faes, the club’s only summer signing, could hardly have gone worse. Before the game, both Ledley King and Emile Heskey laid wreaths on the pitch, but unfortunately the minute’s silence that followed was poorly observed. Then came a rousing rendition of God Save the King and then a frantic match. Davinson Sánchez – along with Clement Lenglet resettled alongside Eric Dier as part of Conte’s four changes from midweek’s European adventure – set the tone by leaving an initial leave. The rebound saw James Justine race up the Tottenham left and, as he reached the penalty area, Sanchez cut him down. The provocation was equally unnecessary and pointless. Tielemans’ initial penalty was taken by Hugo Lloris, but the Frenchman’s feet were ruled out by VAR. he had moved in early. Tielemans and Lloris went the same way again, but this time the strike was up and Leicester took the lead. Rodrigo Bentancur celebrates his first goal for Tottenham. Photo: Vincent Mignott/EPA It was, however, short-lived. A routine training corner saw Dejan Kulusevski and Ivan Perisic exchange passes before the former lifted the ball to the back post. Harry Kane encountered it. 18 in 15 league games against Leicester for him now. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Soon Tottenham had turned the score line upside down. Again, it came from an angle. This time Perisic’s attacker was looked from front to back by Dire. Known failures for Leicester. Just like at the Amex a fortnight back, they squandered an early advantage to trail within a quarter of an hour. Tottenham missed a third corner when Sanchez pushed goalkeeper Ward. But their openness meant their lead never felt secure, with Leicester – for all their faults this season, and there are many – capable on the break. And indeed, they leveled before the interval, two of Rodgers’ three returning players – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Timothy Castagne – combining. The former’s pass was won by the latter. Ryan Sessegnon was, frankly, weak. and Castagne got a header of his own to send Maddison through. His finish was great, the match pulsating. Any locker room suggestions for some calm failed to reach the pitch. Wilfred Ndidi has spent the past few weeks as a makeshift central defender, but Faes’ involvement has allowed him to return to his preferred position at the base of midfield. It was from there that Ndidi dallied, allowing Bentancur to come in and regain possession. Now Bentancur rarely gets out front, but because of Leicester’s error he was the most advanced and drove to the edge of the area. His finish was his first for Tottenham. Ndidi’s hands covered his face. Leicester might have equalized again, with Patson Daka getting the best of Lloris, who made a diving save to deny a towering header. Daka then comically saw yellow for a ‘Hand of God’ attempt that was more home movie than Hollywood. Sean entered the scene, who had his own script to write. Next? The north London derby.
