Highlights
Leicester City earned a hard-fought draw against Tottenham Hotspur, with Jamie Vardy scoring a crucial equaliser in the second half.
Tottenham dominated early on with pressure and chances and got their reward when Pedro Porro opened the scoring in the first half.
Wilfried Ndidi was a standout performer for Leicester, but James Maddison ran the show for Tottenham.
Leicester City secured a point in their first match back in the Premier League as Jamie Vardy scored in the second half to secure a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
Those expecting a Tottenham whitewash in this game will have been off to a good start in their predictions, as Spurs came flying out of the blocks with a suffocating spell of pressure. Leicester rode the wave as long as they could, with Tottenham having a mound of corners and big chances in the opening thirty minutes, which featured a fine save from Mads Hermansen to deny Brennan Johnson and a fine clearance off the line by Wilfried Ndidi. But their resolve was soon broken when James Maddison picked out the advancing Pedro Porro with a delightful whip into the box, with the Spaniard glancing an accurate header beyond the goalkeeper to get the scoring underway for the season.
The second half began much the same way, with Johnson and the debuting Dom Solanke seeing themselves denied by a resilitent Leicester defence, and those chances were made to be rued as a lovely counter from Leicester saw the ball fall to Fatuwu on the far side, who clipped a delightful ball into the area for Vardy to turn home from close range.
The Leicester striker had another chance soon after, racing clean through on goal only to be denied by Vicario, who was called into action later on in stoppage time to deny Wilfried Ndidi, who had a superb showing for Leicester.
Leicester hardly played for the draw, looking to break with regularity right until the end, but a sternly improved defensive shift from Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes ensured that the Foxes would anchor a point to the floor of the East Midland's blue corner. Although they were helped by Richarlison missing a sitter at the death.
Match Highlights
Leicester City Player Ratings
GK - Mads Hermansen - 5/10
Was a busy man, keeping out Johnson with a good stop in the first and Solanke in the second. A touch wasteful with his passing.
RB - James Justin - 6/10
Troubled constantly by the threat of Son, but managed it well, all things considered. Was very accurate with his crosses into the area, with Vardy finding some joy from them.
CB - Wout Faes - 7/10
Had very little joy against Solanke in the first half, but improved alongside Vestergaard, particularly with the accuracy of his passing. Made some key interventions toward the end.
CB - Jannik Vestergaard - 7/10
Couldn't deal with Spurs' tempo, pace and physicality in the first half, but improved very well in the second, particularly with some nice line-breaking passes as Leicester began to turn the tide.
LB - Victor Kristiansen - 7/10
Didn't add much in the first half, but was key in the second as Leicester roared into contention. Some lovely balls into the box, and coped well with the considerable pace of Johnson.
LCM - Harry Winks - 6/10
Did very little to retaliate against the Tottenham midfield triumvirate in the defensive phase, and completely lost Johnson in the box for one particularly big Spurs chance. Was accurate with a lot of his passes when Leicester got room to breath, and added some lovely passes forward when Leicester improved.
RCM - Wilfried Ndidi - 8/10
An excellent clearance off the line in the first half and some choice break-ups of play to keep Leicester in the contest. A real physical element that Leicester needed. Almost won it for Leicester at the start of added time.
AM - Facundo Buoanotte - 7/10
A real spark during the match. Worked relentlessly off the ball and showed some real quality while on it. Quieted down a touch in the second half.
LW - Bobby Decordova-Reid - 5/10
Didn't have much joy up against Porro. Drowned out almost immediately every time he got a touch, and didn't provide much when he found the rare chance.
RW - Abdul Fatuwu - 8/10
Lacked the final pass here and there in the first half, but clipped a lovely ball in for Vardy to grab a stunning equaliser and found a decent share of joy against Udogie. Was a vital spark going forward for Leicester.
ST - Jamie Vardy - 7/10
Was kept quiet in general, but he only needs one, doesn't he? Delivered home from close range with an ode to his poachers' instincts. Almost grabbed himself a second when sent through on goal, but was denied well by Vicario. Back in the Premier League with a bang.
Sub - Stephy Mavididi - 4/10
Brought on with 11 minutes to go and didn't have time to impact the game.
Sub - Boubakary Soumare - 4/10
Similarly to Mavididi, he didn't have much time to make his mark on the tie.
Sub - Kasey McAteer - 5/10
Also brought on with 11 minutes left but looked lively.
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK - Guglielmo Vicario - 6/10
Had little to do in the first half and was helpless for Leicester's leveller. Made a great stop to deny Vardy from making it 2-1 just beyond the 70th.
RB - Pedro Porro - 7/10
Didn't have much to do defensively in the first half, but struggled in places when Leicester got going. Got Spurs off the mark with a lovely header from Maddison's ball in, but lost Vardy for Leicester's leveller.
CB - Cristian Romero - 7/10
Crisp with his long passes forward and looked terribly un-threatened when Leicester triggered their press. Calm showing.
CB - Micky Van de Ven - 8/10
Showed plenty of desire to get forward and support. Was comfortable in possession and had the better of the Leicester attack every time.
LB - Destiny Udogie - 6/10
Looked confident as ever going forward, but lost Fatuwu a fair few times throughout.
RCM - Pape Matar Sarr - 8/10
Battled very well in midfield when Leicester got the rare chance to come forward, and knocked some lovely passes forward when Spurs got up.
LCM - James Maddison - 9/10
Picked out Porro amidst the Leicester low block to open the score. Was a joy to watch in tandem with Son on the left, and was constantly keeping his former side guessing with incisive passing and clever movement.
CM - Rodrigo Bentancur - 7/10
Accurate with his passing and handy in the duel. Did the link-up job well. Withdrawn following a nasty head injury from a corner just beyond the 70th minute. We wish him all the best.
LW - Son Heung-Min - 7/10
Constantly threatening down the left-hand side, and linked up superbly down the flank throughout with Maddison and Udogie.
RW - Brennan Johnson - 7/10
Plenty of pace and energy down the right flank, providing a constant thorn in Leicester's side.
ST - Dominic Solanke - 6/10
A spirited debut. Had the better of the Foxes' centre-backs on several occasions with good, physical play. Should have put one of his chances away.
Sub - Archie Gray - 5/10
Didn't have much time to make an impact, but looked composed and confident on debut.
Sub - Timo Werner - 4/10
Didn't have time to make an impact.
Sub - Lucas Bergvall - 5/10
Didn't have time to make an impact, save for a few smart flicks that showed his potential, but also a careless disposession that almost cost his side in added time.
Sub - Dejan Kulusevski - 4/10
Didn't have time to make an impact.
Sub - Djed Spence - N/A
On as a late sub for a rare Tottenham appearance. Didn't have much time to change the game.
Sub - Richarlison - N/A
Didn't have much time to make an impact, but almost did at the death with a header from close range that he could not convert.
Player of the Match - James Maddison
He might have been predicted to be one of the most disappointing players of the season, but Maddison was a constant threat to the defense of his former side, carving out plenty of eye-catching chances that weren't taken and one that was. A delightful ball, so it was, into the area for Porro to get Spurs off of the mark at the King Power Stadium, and he was adept with his set-pieces to keep Leicester guessing. He deserved to be on the winning side.
A special mention must also be reserved for Fatuwu and Ndidi of Leicester City, who were both vital cogs to Leicester's return to life in the fixture.