Tottenham battled from 3-1 down to eventually overcome Leicester 5-4 in an entertaining end to the Premier League season and Spurs’ time at Wembley
Tottenham bow out at Wembley in style
“We’re going home, we’re going…! Tottenham’s going home!” the Spurs fans chanted in the first half as the north London side kickstarted their final Premier League game at Wembley. 12 months away from Tottenham has arguably gone better than many expected. Some tipped Spurs to drop out of the top-4 given their Wembley woes and after a dire start to life at the national stadium, they quickly got their act together and guaranteed a Champions League return with a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Wednesday night.
They played like a team with nothing to play for on Sunday in what was the game of the final day of the campaign, coming from 3-1 down to eventually win 5-4. With nothing to play for, the pressure was off for both teams and they certainly entertained the Wembley crowd. 77, 841 fans came out to watch and witnessed an encounter befitting of a final league match at the stadium for some time. The Wembley experiment, though, will serve Spurs in good stead in the future, with the experience garnered likely to bolster their chances of silverware.
Leicester gameplan wreaks havoc on Spurs defence
Leicester have routinely struggled against teams that allow them possession - their title winning season was built on a foundation of sitting deep and hitting opponents on the counter - yet they thrive when they don’t see much of the ball. It’s for that reason why they excel against the Premier League’s bigger team and Tottenham today were no exception. Mauricio Pochettino implements a high defensive line and Leicester again had the pace in attack to put Spurs to the sword.
Pochettino was forced into an early reshuffle after Jan Vertonghen pulled up with a calf problem in the warmup, which didn’t help, yet the Foxes did what they do best and raced into a half time 2-1 lead. In truth, it could have been more, with Hugo Lloris forced to turn behind a Demarai Gray effort as Leicester again sprung a break that left Spurs struggling at the back and the young winger, Kelechi Iheanacho, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy efficiently exploited the space behind the hosts’ defence.
When Spurs dropped deeper, the midfield wasn’t attentive enough to cover the space and that saw Iheanacho net just his third Premier League goal of the season in some style as he rifled past Lloris into the top corner from 20 yards. The hosts may have fought their way back ahead, only for Vardy to net his second and Leicester’s fourth with 15 minutes still to play. It was to no avail as Harry Kane netted his second and Spurs’ fifth with 15 minutes to play. Indeed, 11.1% of the Premier League goals Spurs have conceded this season came against Leicester today and while the hosts’ attack saw them to victory, Spurs took the phrase “you score four, we’ll score five” a little too literally as they struggled to keep the fluid Leicester attack at bay.
Vardy maintains fine top-6 record
There’s little secret to Jamie Vardy’s record against the Premier League’s top-6. He thrives on playing on the last shoulder of the defender and he proved that again at Wembley. He’s now scored 28 league goals in his last 47 meetings with the Premier League’s top six sides with the England international excellent against a high defensive line.
The manner of the game may have appeased supporters - they were treated to nine goals after all - but Pochettino will not have been happy at Vardy’s impact. For the Leicester striker, though, it was another performance that saw the Foxes again played to his greatest strength. With 20 league goals to his name this term, a successful return all things considered, it’s a boost for England ahead of the World Cup that they can change their approach to accommodate his style with Vardy again reminding the watching world that he is very much the man for the big occasion as his top-6 record highlights.
Lucas Moura gives a glimpse of what is to come
Lucas Moura made just his second Premier League start since his January arrival in Sunday’s welcome of Leicester and quickly set about proving just why he warrants the opportunity to nail down a regular starting berth next season. He provides the speed and directness the team has lacked in recent years and he gave a glimpse of just what is to come next season after a full pre-season with the team.
Moura won the ball from Danny Simpson that set Harry Kane on his way to his first goal in the first half. The winger completed one dribble and made three key passes in the entertaining victory at Wembley as he churned out a performance that will have buoyed Spurs and Maurico Pochettino. It was a showing that promised there is plenty more in the locker from the former PSG man and supporters have every right to be excited at what Moura can bring in a full campaign in the capital.
