Jamie Vardy was up to his old tricks as a spirited Leicester held Tottenham to an entertaining 1-1 draw on their return to the Premier League.
The 37-year-old striker had been widely expected to start among the substitutes but was given the nod from the start by Steve Cooper and produced a typically industrious performance to help earn the Foxes a deserved point.
Spurs started promisingly and took an 29th-minute lead through Pedro Porro, who headed home a pinpoint cross from former Leicester midfielder James Maddison to break the deadlock.
Tottenham’s marquee summer signing, Dominic Solanke, spurned several inviting opportunities across the match and the visitors were made to pay for their wayward finishing, with Leicester displaying a real doggedness in the second period.
The newly promoted side drew level just before the hour-mark as Vardy nodded Abdul Fatawu’s cross beyond Guglielmo Vicario to take the roof off the King Power Stadium.
Cooper brought off a tiring Vardy with just over ten minutes remaining and the hosts held firm to frustrate Spurs.
After taking ‘a bit of stick’, the veteran forward simply couldn’t resist taunting Tottenham’s travelling support as he made his way off the pitch, reminding them that he had won the Premier League while their wait for a title goes on.
‘Yeah, yeah. Well you take a bit of stick during the game but it’s part of football,’ Vardy told Sky Sports when quizzed on his gesture to Spurs fans.
‘So as long as they can take it when I’m giving it back then that’s all that matters.’
Vardy felt Leicester gave Tottenham ‘too much respect’ throughout the first half but were able to force a momentum shift in the second period.
‘We just had a little chat between ourselves at half-time,’ he added.
‘Obviously Tottenham are a really good team but I think we probably gave them a bit too much respect.
‘We started the second half on the front foot, getting after them, and I think that’s what changed the momentum.’
Asked whether there were raised voices in the dressing room at half-time, Vardy replied: ‘No, very calm, very calm.
‘We said when it got to around 40 minutes to make sure we go in not conceding any more.
‘You always give yourself a good chance knowing that we’re going to create chances ourselves. That’s what we’ve gone and done and we’ll take the point and move on now.’
Vardy is clearly relishing his return to the big time and plans to continue playing for as long as ‘physically possible’.
‘Do you know what? I literally see it age as just a number,’ he continued.
‘As long as I keep looking after myself and as long as my legs still feel great when I come into training in the morning, games at the weekend, then I’ll carry on for as long as physically possible.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.