Tottenham Hotspur picked up an impressive 6-2 win over Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Goals from Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Rodrigo Bentancur and Son Heung-min sealed the three points for Antonio Conte’s side.The win takes Tottenham up to second in the league table, level on points with leaders Manchester City, who beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Conte will be delighted with the reaction from his players after a sloppy first half as they destroyed a poor Leicester defence after the break.Youri Tielemans handed Leicester the lead from the spot six minutes into the game, but it was cancelled out two minutes later when Harry Kane nodded in from the far post.
Eric Dier scored the second goal for Spurs with a well-taken header, and James Maddison scored the equaliser on the 41st minute. Early on in the second half, Bentancur capitalised on a loss of possession from Leicester to put Spurs back in front.
Second half substitute Son Heung-min ended his goal drought with a remarkable hat-trick to seal the all important win for the home side. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Tottenham players fared on the night.
Big win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium! ✊ pic.twitter.com/RGnxpkokIJ
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 17, 2022
Hugo Lloris: 8/10
The Frenchman had an outstanding game in goal despite conceding twice. Lloris denied Tielemans from the spot, but the penalty was retaken because of encroaching. He pulled off an outstanding save to deny Patson Daka in the second half.
Davinson Sanchez: 5/10
The Colombian struggled against Leicester and gave away the penalty that led to the opening goal of the game. Sanchez lost his attacker time and again, but he was bailed out by Lloris.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Premier League goals scored this season:
Eric Dier – 2⃣
Darwin Nunez – 1⃣— William Hill (@WilliamHill) September 17, 2022
Dier had a relatively solid game defensively and chipped in with a fantastic header to put Spurs in front on the 21st minute. The English international did well to play out from the back, but he should have covered James Maddison quicker in the build-up to Leicester’s second goal.
Clement Lenglet: 5.5/10
An off day in the office for the on-loan defender. Lenglet was out of position for Leicester’s second goal, and his awareness was lacking in general.
Ivan Perisic: 6/10
Perisic had a couple of shaky moments defensively, but he did well going forward. He created Spurs’ second goal for Eric Dier and almost provided another assist when Davinson Sanchez hit the post with a header.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6/10
It was an uncharacteristic performance from the Danish international, who lost possession a few times. However, he improved as the game went on and helped create the third goal for Son Heung-min.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 7.5/10
Rodrigo Bentancur has scored his first goal for Tottenham and his first goal since January 2020. (970 days).
Unlikely goalscorer to give Spurs the lead. ? pic.twitter.com/lp1kXEmMAa
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 17, 2022
Much like his midfield partner, Bentancur had a poor first half but he recovered after half time. He did well to break up the play and took advantage of Leicester’s sloppy passing to score his goal. He also managed to set up the second goal for Son.
Ryan Sessegnon: 5/10
Sessegnon struggled to influence the game in the final third and lost his attacker a few times. He should have done better for the second goal from Leicester City.Overall, a poor game from the talented young full-back.
Dejan Kulusevski: 6/10
The Swedish winger was handed a start by Antonio Conte, and he justified his selection with a bright start to the game. Kulusevski created the equaliser for Harry Kane with an inch-perfect cross. However, failed to do anything of note after that.
Harry Kane: 8/10
No player has scored more Premier League goals against Leicester than Harry Kane (18) ? pic.twitter.com/2B8csPkuAT
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 17, 2022
Kane converted a fantastic header to get Tottenham back into the game. The England captain worked hard and ran the channels. Kane also helped set up a goal for his teammate Son Heung-min.
Richarlison: 5/10
The Brazilian was handed a start ahead of Son Heung-min on Saturday. Richarlison worked hard and won the corner that resulted in Tottenham’s second goal. However, he was ineffective going forward.
SUBSTITUTES
Emerson Royal: 7/10
The Brazilian was brought on in the second half to shore up the Tottenham defence. Emerson did well to add some calmness and composure at the back.
Son Heung-min: 10/10
Son produced an absolute masterclass after coming on as a substitute and grabbed a hat-trick for himself. The South Korean attacker opened his tally with a spectacular long-range effort with his right foot.
3 – @SpursOfficial Son Heung-min has made three hat-tricks in Premier League since the start of 2020/21 season, more than any other player in the competition. King. pic.twitter.com/19UKPSINzh
— OptaJoon (@OptaJoon) September 18, 2022
Son then backed it up with another belter with his left foot, a few minutes later. He then wrapped up the scoring after being sent through on goal towards the end of the game. Dropping Son might have been a masterclass of a decision by Conte.
Cristian Romero: 7/10
Romero was another player who was brought on to tighten things up at the back, and he did just that. He added some aggression and defensive steel to the Tottenham defence.
