Tottenham Hotspur 2
Eriksen 8’, Kane Kane 89’ (pen)
Leicester City 2
Wasilewski 19’, Okazaki 48’
LONDON // When Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City’s starting XIs were released an hour before kick-off, it was clear that Mauricio Pochettino and Claudio Ranieri’s priorities lay elsewhere.
Both clubs have demonstrated in recent months that they are good enough to win this year’s FA Cup, but the pair’s lofty positions in the Premier League standings inevitably meant the knockout competition playing second fiddle to the ultimate goal of securing a top-four finish.
The only outfielder in Leicester’s line-up who tends to start every week was N’Golo Kante, with new signing Demarai Gray handed his debut by Ranieri after joining from Birmingham City on Monday.
Tottenham, meanwhile, left out the likes of Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli as Pochettino gave run-outs to some of the fringe players in his squad.
All of that rotation did not preclude an excellent cup tie from taking place, with Tottenham and Leicester both playing their part in an entertaining encounter.
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It was the two teams’ changes up front that were most noticeable, with Kane and Jamie Vardy – who underwent groin surgery this week but could be back for Leicester’s next Premier League outing – both sitting this one out.
Tottenham began with Son Heung-min leading the line, although the lively Josh Onomah regularly swapped positions with the South Korean, who spent time on both the right and left flanks.
Tottenham dominated possession throughout and put together some nice moves at times, with Christian Eriksen’s opener coming after some good work from Nacer Chadli down the left.
On the whole, though, they missed the presence at the top of the pitch that Kane provides, at least until the England international replaced Tom Carroll with 22 minutes left to play.
While Kane likes to drop deep and move wide in the build-up, his ability to act as a focal point and bring others into play through the middle is essential. With no like-for-like replacement waiting in the wings, Tottenham were forced to alter their approach.
“If we analyse 90 minutes, we played very well and deserved more,” Pochettino said. “We have a strong squad and I’m happy with the players who don’t play every week.”
Leicester were also without a striker who is integral to their style of play.
Vardy’s scoring form this season has been exceptional – the 28-year-old is the top flight’s joint-highest goal-getter with 15 strikes to his name – but above all it is his speed and work ethic that makes him the ideal centre-forward for a team who like to sit deep and soak up pressure before bursting forward on the counter-attack.
Leonardo Ulloa was left isolated as Leicester’s lone frontman for much of the first half, with the Argentine’s lack of pace meaning the visitors rarely threatened in behind the Tottenham backline.
The introduction of Shinji Okazaki at the interval saw Ranieri’s charges shift into a 4-4-2, a decision that was vindicated almost immediately as the substitute put his side 2-1 ahead.
His industriousness was vital as Leicester, missing the outlet that Vardy’s rapidity provides, gradually got used to attacking in a slightly different manner.
The formational switch to two up top looked like paying off until Kane’s late penalty levelled the scores and set up a replay at the King Power Stadium in nine days’ time.
“Today we showed my [back-up] players can replace the others,” Ranieri remarked. “We had eight new players but I didn’t see a big difference.”
These two teams meet again before then, with three points rather than a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup the prize on offer to the victors at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.
Pochettino and Ranieri will name vastly changed sides for that clash as attention turns back to the bread-and-butter business of the Premier League.
More than anything, they will relish the probable return from the start of Kane and Vardy, the strikers spearheading their clubs’ assault on the Uefa Champions League places.
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