Tottenham Hotspur FC ran riot against Brendan Rodgers’ hapless Leicester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening in a 6-2 thrashing of the Foxes in the English capital as Antonio Conte’s men have now temporarily climbed back to sitting level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Son was the star of the show for Tottenham, scoring a 14-minute hat-trick to take the match away from Leicester City.
Brendan Rodgers side fall to a sixth successive defeat.#BBCFootball #TOTLEI pic.twitter.com/4UwNyVreCZ
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 17, 2022
A thirteen-minute hat-trick by second-half substitute Son Heung-min highlighted a Spurs performance that on paper was sublime on all fronts but was considerably questioned at the half-time interval when both sides went into the break level at two goals a piece with Leicester looking the better side after having the lion’s share of possession as well as the balance of the created chances after Youri Tielemans and James Maddison scored goals on either side of strikes from Harry Kane and Eric Dier.
But Spurs took the lead once again just two minutes after the break through sensational Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and would not relinquish command again before Son completed what turned into a rout while becoming only the seventh player in Premier League history to bag a hat-trick as a substitute, in a result that will surely heap questions on the future of Rodgers at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester have now surrendered 22 goals in just seven league fixtures this season and sit bottom of the table with only a single point on record when they began the season with a 2-2 draw at home against Brentford.
22 – Leicester’s 22 goals conceded is the most any side has shipped after seven games of a Premier League season, and the most in the top-flight since 1965-66 (West Ham, also 22). Trouble. #TOTLEI pic.twitter.com/Vbvp6NaKlq
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 17, 2022
With that total, the Foxes have now made the worst defensive start to a Premier League campaign in history, while sitting level with West Ham United who also allowed the same amount of goals during the 1965-66 division one campaign.
Spurs now wait with bated breath as bitter rivals Arsenal clashes with Brentford tomorrow in the lunchtime kick-off before the pair clash in another installment of the North London Derby after the international break.
📰 Table Of Contents
Tottenham Player Ratings
RCB: Davinson Sánchez (6) – With Romero rested at the start the Colombian was given a chance today and proved why he is further down the pecking order behind Romero, Dier, and Lenglet.
CB: Eric Dier (7.5) – A goal from Dier and another strong showing from the England international and former midfielder. Quickly becoming one of Conte’s trusted NCOs.
LCB: Clément Lenglet (6.5) – Decent from the French center-back but will have to do more in a Spurs shirt if the club will maneuver to make a full move for him in the future.
RWB: Ryan Sessegnon (6.5) – Enjoying increased minutes this season due to a lack of trusted options at wing-back apart from Perišić and was decent enough on the day.
CM: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (7.5) – The second half of Spurs’ midfield duopoly was quietly effective once more in the center of the park alongside Bentancur while adding an assist to his name as well.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur (8.5) – Bentancur continues to produce the goods in the center of the park for Tottenham while adding a goal and an assist, and is now unquestionably a vital cog in the wheel under his Italian headmaster.
LWB: Ivan Perišić (7) – The veteran Croatian added another assist to his season tally after settling nicely at Spurs. Somewhat of a shock early substitution but he was good again.
RAM: Dejan Kulusevski (7) – The Swedish international winger continues to stake his claim as one of the most influential figures in the Spurs tea, with another assist and general good performance from him.
LAM: Richarlison (6) – Worked hard off the ball and put in a commendable physical shift but was unable to chip in on the scoresheet in either capacity. Could still push Son this season.
CF: Harry Kane (8) – Another goal and another assist for Harry Kane as he climbed level with Aleksandar Mitrović for joint second in the league in goals. Good once again.
Sub: Emerson Royal (6) – Many questioned why Royal replaced Perišić after just 55-minutes of action for the Croatian and hardly justified the substitution.
Sub: Son Heung-min (10) – A sensational second-half hattrick performance off the bench from the South Korean star after he was dropped in favor of Richarlison. He’s back.
Sub: Cristian Romero(6.5) – An improvement on the man he replaced in Davinson Sánchez after being rested today. Proved why he is key for Conte moving forward.
Sub: Yves Bissouma (6.5) – Called out by his manager during the week for struggling in the defensive phase of play but Bissouma should still come good as he adapts to increased pressures at Spurs.
Leicester City Player Ratings
GK: Danny Ward (5) – The inability to replace Peter Schmeichel is coming home to roost for Leicester with Danny Ward one of many reasons why the Foxes have the worst defensive record in England’s top flight.
RB: Timothy Castagne (6) – An assist cannot mask how sub-par the Belgian right-back was on the evening in a career that is quickly taking a nose dive after starting so well previously.
RCB: Wout Faes (5.5) – With Leicester’s financial struggles at the forefront, a move for Wout Faes hopefully signaled a bargain but he proved incapable to perform in the Premier League on his league debut.
LCB: Jonny Evans (5.5) – Generally so much better for Leicester over recent years, Evans may finally start to watch his form and performance levels dip though the club has bigger tactical issues that are not just down to him.
LB: James Justin (6.5) – A somewhat solid display from the left-back and cannot really be held accountable for the defensive nightmare overall. Not a problem area, but not a definitive factor either.
DM: Wilfried Ndidi (5) – An uncharacteristic performance from the Nigerian international who is often considered one of the best in the business in his position. An error leading to Spurs’ third goal rounded off a frustrating evening.
RM: James Maddison (7.5) – Maddison will certainly be wondering when his time will be up at Leicester given how much water the KP ship is taking on. Stood tall above all overs around him once more with a well-taken goal.
CM: Youri Tielemans (7) – A goal from the spot from the Belgian international midfielder and was generally excellent in the first half. Dropped off the pace in the second forty-five but overall he was good again.
CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (6) – Highly touted in the Leicester City ranks, Dewsbury-Hall has had faith put in him this season justifiably but was unable to be a difference maker here.
LM: Harvey Barnes (6) – One of many Leicester players that have been well off the boil this season, Barnes was once coveted by much bigger fish in the Premier League but will have to do more if he’s to get back to such a level of prominence.
CF: Patson Daka (7) – Incredibly unlucky to not have found the match equalizer to make it 3-3 after Hugo Lloris brilliantly saved his well-taken effort in the 59th minute. A good outing unjustly unrewarded.
Sub: Jamie Vardy (6) – Did little in his ~15 minutes on the pitch after replacing an unfortunate Daka and may finally have begun to slow down regarding his performance levels and ability to be a difference maker.
Sub: Kelechi Iheanacho (6) – Like Vardy, he was unable to settle quickly and change the flow of the match after Spurs were two goals up and looking clear in the latter stages.
Sub: Boubakary Soumaré (6) – Hard to gauge given he featured for just five minutes before stoppage but at least he was better than Ndidi in the little time he did receive.
Expert Takes
Son Heung-min when Antonio Conte dropped him: pic.twitter.com/MvmcZKv7CV
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 17, 2022
Tottenham team news: Son benched with both Perisic and Sessegnon starting
Leicester team news: Wout Faes makes debut at the back with Daka leading the line #TOTLEI
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) September 17, 2022
Tottenham’s Ben Davies will miss Wales’ upcoming Nations League matches with a knee injury, according to Antonio Conte.#THFC https://t.co/q4SYrvYUkn
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) September 17, 2022
James Maddison appears to be in pain during pre-match warmups as he holds his ankle. #MyPLMorning | #TOTLEI pic.twitter.com/quxJn0Pdnq
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 17, 2022
More impressive diligence from Richarlison – this time tracking back to win the ball on the edge of the Spurs area.
Spurs still 2-1 up after 35 mins.
— Charlie Eccleshare (@CDEccleshare) September 17, 2022
Leicester are as scared of corners as Boaz Myhill was of giving Rory Delap a long throw
pic.twitter.com/IhTrGfTs0X— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) September 17, 2022
James Maddison has been directly involved in 16 Premier League goals in 2022:
◎ 23 games
◉ 10 goals
◎ 6 assistsHarry Kane and Ivan Toney are the only English players with more. 🧐 pic.twitter.com/dBWZc1Aupd
— Squawka (@Squawka) September 17, 2022
Youri Tielemans’ first half by numbers vs. Tottenham:
90% pass accuracy
4/4 long balls completed
3/4 ground duels won
2 tackles won
1 interception
1/1 dribble completed
1 goalBossing the middle of the park. 💪 pic.twitter.com/6pvuQmx1Vp
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 17, 2022
Hugo Lloris denies Patson Daka the chance to make it 3-3 – what a save!🧤 pic.twitter.com/ujNJR0mKGh
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 17, 2022
Heung-Min Son is BACK 🤩
🎥: @NBCSportsSoccer #TOTLEI pic.twitter.com/alPrGnSUcK
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) September 17, 2022
Son Heung-min scores his first Premier League goal of the season.
Worth the wait. 🥵 pic.twitter.com/8q1EJGR4yR
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) September 17, 2022
Fan Reaction
Always have to be wary of what you encounter online, but there does appear to be a substantial disparity between Spurs’ results and the subsequent external perception of their performances, and the opinions of the fans who watch them every week.
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) September 17, 2022
Danny Ward is a social experiment to see how long it takes people to realise he’s being paid to match fix
— Dubois (@CFCDUBois) September 17, 2022
Danny Ward for Leicester vs Danny Ward for Wales #TOTLEI pic.twitter.com/F3pIzVaJMH
— Luc Wood (@straightedgeze2) September 17, 2022
Leicester’s set piece coach #TOTLEI pic.twitter.com/Ol31Ym74JV
— ⚽️442oons⚽️ (@442oons) September 17, 2022
This is unwatchable, unacceptable, I’ve no words to describe the approach to this game.
Something need to change quickly or we are going to lose this game BADLY.
45 minutes to get back some dignity, because the performance is shockingly bad.
Conte need to do something.
— Jaco™ (@JacoCats) September 17, 2022
This was once a discussion. What a joke of a club. This Leicester team should be relegated pic.twitter.com/WW1V4OUZQQ
— Lion Mind (@e_masaba) September 17, 2022
Leicester City’s Offence v Leicester City’s Defence#TOTLEI #LCFC #WYS 🦊💙 pic.twitter.com/OEqckRXhKx
— 🇨🇦GlennTheFoxile🇬🇧 (@GlennTheFoxile) September 17, 2022
a top attacking team are gonna tear spurs apart
— Andrew Merakli (@merakligr81) September 17, 2022