A typical Jamie Vardy goal, in typically adverse Jamie Vardy circumstances, earned Leicester a point after Pedro Porro had put a dominant Tottenham in front. Vardy, now 37, only persuaded his body to play because Patson Daka was injured, but no one will be surprised that once there, he made his presence felt.
Looking at the teams before kick-off it was hard to envisage how this could be a contest, and the first half was not: Spurs dominated from start to finish. But they created relatively few chances and had to settle for just one goal, Pedro Porro trying with a back header and succeeding with his back, sending James Maddison’s teasing cross past Mads Hermansen.
There was no sense whatsoever that Leicester could take something from the game, but they were more aggressive after the break, both in and out of possession. Nevertheless, an equaliser did not look imminent and then one arrived, Vardy heading home after good work from Victor Kristiansen and Issahaku Fatawu.
After that Leicester were the better side, Vardy missing the kind of chance he has made a career out of snaffling. But then Rodrigo Bentancur sustained a head injury, the match stopped for nine minutes, and never quite reigned its momentum – thankfully Bentancur is now sitting up and talking. So Spurs return to London wondering quite how they managed to avoid winning while Leicester, haunted by the spectre of points deduction, may feel just a little more optimistic about the season ahead.
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