Tottenham came from behind to sink Leicester 3-2 at the King Power Stadium in dramatic fashion, courtesy of Steven Bergwijn’s quickfire brace off the bench.
Antonio Conte’s unbeaten run in the Premier League as Tottenham boss continued after super-sub Steven Bergwijn scored twice deep into stoppage time to secure an incredible 3-2 comeback win for over Leicester City on Wednesday. Spurs made a blistering start to the game with Harry Kane having an effort cleared off the line before hitting the crossbar with a commanding header from the corner inside the opening 20 minutes.
However, Leicester seized the lead against the run of play when Sergio Reguilon’s challenge on Ademola Lookman fell nicely into the path of Patson Daka, who swept the ball over the scrambling Hugo Lloris. The visitors were eventually rewarded when Kane equalised in the 38th minute with a precise finish after skipping past Caglar Soyuncu and drilling a low drive into the net.
Tottenham dominated large parts of the game but were punished by a gritty Foxes side for clumsy defending. A Spurs defeat looked like a foregone conclusion when James Maddison scored in the 76th minute until a dramatic climax by Dutch substitute Steven Bergwijn turned the game on its head and in Tottenham’s favour.
The victory lifts Spurs above North London rivals Arsenal into fifth place on 36 points – a point adrift of fourth-placed West Ham United. The Lilywhites have three games in hand, while Leicester are languishing in mid-table. After a thrilling encounter at the King Power Stadium, The Hard Tackle will now run the rule over both sets of players.
Spurs beat Leicester despite trailing after 94 minutes and 52 seconds, overtaking Manchester City 3-2 QPR in May 2012 (91:14) as the latest a team has been losing but gone on to win in a #PL match ?#LEITOT | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/uaF59A90Dq
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 19, 2022
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel: 6.5/10
The Danish goalkeeper made several smart saves to keep the Foxes in the game. He was left helpless by his backline for all three goals, but he was also indebted to Albrighton’s off the line clearance after failing to gather the ball as he rushed to intercept.
Hamza Choudhury: 6.5/10
Choudhury made a couple of good tackles and was too aggressive at times, giving up free-kicks in dangerous positions. He gave up possession a few times too, but still, he was Leicester’s best centre-back by miles. The striking thing is that he is not even a central defender by trade.
Caglar Soyuncu: 3/10
Soyuncu was constantly on edge and never looked assured defensively during the game. His general play lacked conviction as he only made half-hearted attempts while making tackles and clearances. Then he made poor choices and stepped out unnecessarily. He was very slow and humiliated by Kane for Spurs’ equaliser.
Jannik Vestergaard: 3/10
Vestergaard made some good blocks and stops, ending the game with two tackles and three interceptions. However, defending a high line is really not his thing. He lacked pace and was shaky defensively as Spurs played around him far too easily. He lost the ball cheaply for Kane’s goal, and much like Soyuncu, he never looked comfortable at the back.
Marc Albrighton: 7/10
The makeshift wing-back had a pretty decent game both from an offensive and defensive standpoint. Albrighton was the only player in Leicester’s backline who looked composed in possession when under pressure and made smart passes. He also made an excellent goalline clearance to deny Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 6.5/10
One of the Foxes’ better performers, Dewsbury-Hall, battled hard and showed energy while surging forward with the ball to release pressure on Leicester’s defence.
Youri Tielemans: 4/10
Spurs’ midfield trio gave Tielemans a runaround as the Belgian looked leggy and laboured throughout the game. He was very wasteful in possession and looked like a passenger in the midfield. He was also to be held guilty for Tottenham’s winner.
Luke Thomas: 6.5/10
The left-back had a decent game and carried the ball well while also making a brilliant goal-line clearance to deny Kane. He defended with enthusiasm and finished the game with four tackles and two blocks. Substituted early in the second half after picking up a knock in the first period.
James Maddison: 8/10
13 – James Maddison has been directly involved in 13 goals (8 goals, 5 assists) across his last 11 appearances for @LCFC in all competitions. Crackerjack. pic.twitter.com/q3sUqojQjm
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2022
The attacking midfielder was Leicester’s best player on the night. The Englishman was ever so elegant on the ball, and his off-the-ball movement was also decent as he looked extremely potent in attacking transitions. He showcased good ball control in the second period to win free-kicks in great positions to trouble Spurs; eventually, he darted beyond Barnes to grab yet another goal for himself.
Patson Daka: 7/10
Despite having little service to work with, Daka still posed a danger. The Zambian attacker took up great positions, made runs in behind the defence, and was rewarded with a goal. He also tried to put pressure on the Tottenham defenders off the ball.
Ademola Lookman: 6/10
Lookman was dispossessed a fair few times in the first half, but he was otherwise a threat and kept running at the opposition defenders without any fruition. He played an important part in the first goal for Leicester while also dropping deep to help out his teammates.
SUBSTITUTES
James Justin: 6/10
Justin looked surprisingly comfortable in his first match after nearly a year out. He combined well with his teammates, surged forward to support the attack and defended well too. However, he did lose Doherty in the build-up to Bergwijn’s first goal.
Harvey Barnes: 7/10
Barnes immediately impacted the game as he came up with an assist for Maddison’s goal within a minute of his introduction. He had a golden opportunity to seal the win but was selfish and instead of passing to an unmarked Patson Daka, he took an attempt himself.
Boubakary Soumare: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris: 6.5/10
The Frenchman was pretty solid in front of the goal for Spurs and made a couple of great saves at key moments. Perhaps he could have done a little better with Leicester’s opening goal, as Daka easily beat him at his near post.
Japhet Tanganga: 6/10
Tanganga was caught too high up the field for the first goal and endured too many glaring poor defensive moments. The youngster has been woeful in past weeks, but this was a relatively much-improved display. He made four tackles, three clearances and also struck a venomous shot directly at Kasper Schmeichel.
Davinson Sanchez: 5/10
The Colombian centre-back had a solid game as he played some good passes and was solid in the air as well. But despite not being under much pressure from the opposition, there were fleeting moments of danger for the Colombian, who, alongside his defensive partners, could not contain Leicester’s attacking threats.
Ben Davies: 6/10
He defended well throughout and used the ball nicely on occasional forays forward. However, he was weak in the build-up to Daka’s opener and perhaps should have been tighter to intervene shots on both the goals.
Emerson Royal: 4/10
Emerson never really got to grips to the pace of the game and looked rusty. He was not terrible but did not offer much at either end of the pitch and was rightly hooked off at half-time.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6.5/10
Hojbjerg pressed well, and his work rate was excellent, but he lost his runner for Leicester’s second goal. He had an effort cleared off the line and made a crucial late block on Barnes to deny him what would be a game-winning third goal for Leicester.
Harry Winks: 7/10
Winks had an overall decent game in the deep-lying creator role. His set-piece deliveries and corner kicks were exquisite. He showcased quick-thinking to set up Kane’s equaliser. However, he was at times overrun in midfield and lost his focus off the ball on several occasions. He was caught out in possession by Lookman and was perhaps fortunate not to be punished.
Oliver Skipp: 7/10
Skipp thrived in a slightly more advanced role; he roamed forward and caused Leicester all sorts of problems. While he lacks the cutting edge in the final third, he makes up for it by bringing energy, pressing and tracking back qualities.
Sergio Reguilon: 6.5/10
Reguilon’s return from the sidelines made a great difference to Spurs’ attacking play, with his pace and attacking prowess being crucial to Conte’s system. He was lively and linked well with both Kane and Lucas Moura. He made several good crosses, tried many unsuccessful cut-backs, and made late in-field runs into the box. However, defensively he was always suspect, and it was his mistake that led to the hosts’ opener.
Lucas Moura: 6/10
Moura was relatively quiet compared to his recent performances, although he should have had an assist when putting Kane clear on goal. He did a lot of solid work behind Kane and was ready to burst into life with his flair and skills. However, he could not impact the game as much as he would have liked and was also not making runs in behind when Kane dropped deep.
Harry Kane: 9/10
Kane has now scored 18 goals in 17 outings against Leicester. There was a spring in his stride and eagerness to get on the end of the things, and he looks to be rapidly regaining his form. He scored a great goal, his 250th in a Tottenham shirt, and created loads of chances, including a magnificent through pass for Bergwijn’s game-winning goal.
Harry Kane vs Leicester
1 Goal
1 Assist
4/4 Successful Dribbles (Most)
10 Shots
10 Duels Won (Most)
100% Accurate Long PassesWHAT. A. COMEBACK.#TottenhamHotspur #thfc pic.twitter.com/TQcEfUzUsP
— Football Stats (@FtblStats) January 19, 2022
Kane’s movement was superb, and he caused havoc for Leicester’s defence. However, he was not clinical enough, and on another day, he could have easily run away with a hat-trick. Kane thudded a close-range header from Harry Winks’ corner against the crossbar in the 18th minute, while he also missed when clean through at 1-1 with a wild attempt by his high standards.
SUBSTITUTES
Matt Doherty: 7/10
Doherty came on at half-time and was much more dangerous than Emerson in the Spurs attack. His overlapping runs, late bursts into the box and thrust proved vital in creating the equaliser. He looks much better in his preferred position, and his performance surely gives Conte a good headache for the right wing-back slot.
Giovani Lo Celso: 4/10
After coming on as a sub late on, the Argentine proved ineffective. He did, however, make a few good passes.
Steven Bergwijn: 10/10
Steven Bergwijn’s game by numbers vs. Leicester City:
100% shooting accuracy
89% pass accuracy
16 touches
9 passess attempted
8 passes completed
5 duels
2 shots
2 goalsA stunning impact off the bench. ? pic.twitter.com/nGOPk9X62P
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 19, 2022
The Dutchman was simply outstanding on the day and could not have made a greater impact. He scored twice in as many minutes to clinch three points for his side. Both were well-taken goals, too; the first was a rifled half-volley to level things up before sprinting and rounding off Schmeichel in a 1v1 to save the day for Antonio Conte’s side.
