Ange Postecoglou admitted that “wasteful” Tottenham lost their composure after Jamie Vardy’s second-half equaliser secured a 1-1 draw for Leicester against his profligate team on Monday.
Leicester, promoted back to the Premier League after a year in the Championship, survived a series of missed opportunities from Tottenham before Pedro Porro’s first-half opener for the visitors at the King Power Stadium.
Vardy punished Tottenham’s erratic finishing with a header, making a surprise appearance just days after being ruled out by Steve Cooper due to a pre-season injury. The 37-year-old striker has now scored nine Premier League goals in 17 matches against Tottenham. The visitors left the field questioning how they had failed to capitalize on their dominant first-half performance.
Tottenham finished fifth in Postecoglou’s debut season, with their attacking style ultimately costing them Champions League qualification. The team struggled once again with poor finishing and weak defending.
Dominic Solanke, making his debut for Tottenham after a £65 million ($84 million) transfer from Bournemouth, was notably ineffective. Postecoglou reflected on the game, stating, “Disappointing night for us. First half excellent and controlled the game but wasteful in front of goal. Once Leicester scored, the crowd lifted and we lost our composure.”
Postecoglou continued, “It was an issue we had last year as well. We need to keep working hard and be a bit more ruthless in front of goal. At times we made poor decisions. The dominance is great but if you don’t score it is meaningless. We have to be stronger in our mindset in the front third. To be that wasteful is disappointing. We just weren’t clinical.”
Leicester, back in the Premier League after winning the Championship, showed resilience amid reports of potential points deductions for financial rule violations. New manager Cooper needs to secure points quickly to avoid relegation, and this performance was a positive start.
Vardy commented, “I was as fit as a fiddle until I got to about 65 minutes if I’m honest! Tottenham are a really good team but we have them too much respect. We started getting after them and it changed the momentum. When we are at the top of our game we can give anyone a run for their money.”
Tottenham nearly took an early lead when Wilfred Ndidi cleared Rodrigo Bentancur’s shot off the line, and Mads Hermansen saved Brennan Johnson’s follow-up effort. Solanke’s diving header was saved by Hermansen, and Cristian Romero’s header from Porro’s cross went just wide.
Solanke tested Hermansen again with a header, and Tottenham’s pressure resulted in a goal in the 29th minute. James Maddison delivered a precise cross into the Leicester area, where Porro headed in from 12 yards.
Maddison nearly assisted again with a cross that Johnson missed narrowly. Solanke should have scored early in the second half but shot straight at Hermansen, who also saved Bentancur’s close-range attempt.
Leicester capitalized on Tottenham’s wastefulness in the 57th minute, with Vardy heading in Abdul Fatawu’s cross. Tottenham’s defenders were caught flat-footed, reminiscent of their defensive struggles from the previous season.
Vardy almost exploited more disorganized defending but could not beat Guglielmo Vicario. Bentancur required treatment for a potential concussion after an awkward fall, receiving oxygen and being stretchered off after seven minutes.
In stoppage time, Vicario made a crucial save against Boubakary Soumare’s header, and Richarlison missed a close-range header, marking a fitting end to Tottenham’s inconsistent performance.
