Tottenham Hotspur 0, Leicester City 1: Pochettino rues bad luck after Spurs outfoxed
TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino cursed bad luck and his team’s failure to cope with “long ball” Leicester after they slipped to only their third Premier League defeat of the season last night.
Foxes defender Robert Huth’s header seven minutes from time earned a first win in five games for the top-flight’s surprise package and sent Claudio Ranieri’s men level on points with leaders Arsenal.
Spurs centre-back Toby Alderweireld and striker Harry Kane went closest to scoring for the hosts, who remain fourth, but found visiting goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at his nimble best.
“We need to improve to win the games when we have an opponent like Leicester that are strong, they play deeper, always long ball, and they believe in that way,” Pochettino said.
“The frustration is that we gave all, we tried to play always and try to create, we had the better possibility to score, and it’s for that that it’s hard to accept the result.”
Alderweireld was first to be thwarted by Schmeichel, who tipped the Belgian’s downward header from a corner over during an opening 15 minutes dominated by Tottenham.
Leicester’s Danish stopper pulled off an even more improbable save on 61 minutes, flinging out an arm to divert Kane’s shot onto the crossbar after he was played in by Erik Lamela.
The Foxes had not taken three points here since 2002 but Huth secured them — and ended the team’s league goal drought of six hours and 14 minutes — by meeting Christian Fuchs' corner.
“I laugh,” was Ranieri’s answer when asked how he responds to talk of Leicester winning the title. “It’s only January, it’s not May.”