BY AYODELE ODUMADE AT WEMBLEY

Tottenham Hotspurs remain in the title race as they beat a dogged Leicester City 3-1.  Though they have been written off in some quarters they continue to prove their critics wrong and showed they can win games without Harry Kane and Dele Alli who remain on the side lines.  They had to be patient against the 2016 champions  but the breakthrough came from an unlikely source. Christian Eriksen crossed the ball into the Leicester area and Davidson Sanchez powered the ball home with a diving header. That was the Colombian’s first goal for Spurs.

After the half hour mark Eriksen made it two with a shot from the edge of the area. However, Leicester who had been threatening to score got a chance as they were awarded a penalty. Jamie Vardy came on and took control of the ball but his penalty was saved by Hugo Lloris.  Vardy made amends later from a Ricardo Pereira cross, which he tapped in from close range to reduce the deficit.

As to be expected Leicester went chasing an equaliser and after being caught offside a few times, Heung-Min Son, finally timed his run and raced away from the half way line to make the game safe as he slotted the ball past Kasper Schmeichel. 

The Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “ It is fantastic. Sometimes it is good to win games when you are not at your best. It is important to recognise that the team are doing a fantastic effort. With Lloris we are talking about one of the best keepers in the world and his value showed as he helped us to win the game. The penalty save was massive for our team.”

On Eriksen’s contract situation he said:” We should talk but it is important that he continues to give his best. I am happy with him”

Pochetinno was not happy with this fixture though considering they play Borrusia Dortmund in the Champions League in a few days and he said: “ We had a clear week to play this game. We came from a tough game and we only have a day to prepare. I am not using this as an excuse as we will try our best. We will try and win.  We believe we can beat them, be competitive and arrive in our best form. We played Man City here on a Monday and then the Carabao cup a Wednesday against West Ham at the London stadium I think my players are heroes.”

The Leicester Manager Claude Puel lamented at what could have been. He said: “ I have the same feeling as after the Man United game. We had a good game. It is a big shame. It is not a fair result but it is our fault. We had a lot of half chances. We did not perform to find the efficiency of finishing. It is a mixed feeling. We showed a lot of quality on the pitch which is encouraging. We conceded a soft goal and it is difficult to accept. We had a lot of opportunities to get back in the game apart from the penalty.”