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Tottenham Hotspur beat Leicester City 6-2 in the Premier League on Saturday, September 17. The win takes them up to second place with 17 points, two points ahead of arch-rivals Arsenal in third place and only behind leaders Manchester City on goal difference.
The Foxes have made their poorest start to a league season under Brendan Rodgers. They entered this contest rooted to the bottom of the league with just one point from six games. They scored eight goals and conceded 16 as they have had contrasting performances so far. They were looking to put in a good shift to try and turn their fortunes around.
Tottenham, on the other hand, won four and drew two of their first six games and were in third place with 14 points prior to kick-off. They scored 12 goals and conceded just five. Antonio Conte fielded a new-look lineup as he gave some of his regulars some rest following their midweek loss to Sporting CP.
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Tottenham made a slow start to the game and were slightly clumsy going into tackles. It bit them in the back as Davinson Sanchez committed an early foul inside Spurs' penalty area. Contact was made on the line and the referee awarded a penalty to Leicester.
Youri Tielemans stepped up and missed his spot kick. Hugo Lloris was off his line and the penalty was asked to be retaken. Tielemans made no mistake as he scored to make it 1-0 to Leicester after just six minutes. However, their lead was erased in a matter of minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski played a lovely cross deep into the visitors' box. Harry Kane rose to meet the ball and scored with a header at the far post to make it 1-1 after nine minutes. Eric Dier then doubled Tottenham's lead as he converted a corner from Ivan Perisic after 21 minutes with a header.
Leicester soon grew into the game, creating good chances of their own. James Justin was a menace on the left flank as he attempted several crosses and long balls. James Maddison then restored parity after 41 minutes with a delightful touch to put the ball past Lloris. The teams went into the break deadlocked at 2-2 after a franctic first half.
Tottenham made a strong start to the second half. They wasted no time in restoring their lead and were handed a helping hand by Wilfried Ndidi. The Nigerian received the ball with his back turned towards Rodrigo Bentancur. The latter snuck behind Ndidi and stole the ball. He then unleashed a low, curling shot that was perfectly nestled into the bottom-right corner to make it 3-2 after 47 minutes.
Conte then made three changes as he brought Cristian Romero and Heung-min Son into the game. Leicester continued to create chances and did not let heads drop. Maddison and Daka continued to arrive in key areas but failed to convert. The latter was booked for handball after 60 minutes as he attempted to score with his hand.
Son then took matters into his own hands, netting a 13-minute hat-trick comprising of three world class goals. He had been on the pitch for just 27 minutes when he completed his hat-trick, having been goalless prior to that this season. With the score at 6-2, both sides just ran down the clock as Tottenham secured a big win over strugglers Leicester City.
That said, let's take a look at how the hosts' players fared in the game.
Tottenham Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris - 7/10
Lloris did well to save Tielemans' first penalty. However, he was unlucky as the Belgian converted the retaken attempt. He made five saves in the game.
Davinson Sanchez - 6/10
Sanchez made a nervy start and gave away a penalty inside 10 minutes following a clumsy tackle. He also won three of his six duels, making two clearances and one tackle. He also had one shot on target and played one accurate long ball.
Eric Dier - 7.5/10
Dier made a good start to the game and scored a lovely glancing header to give Tottenham the lead after 21 minutes. He had a great game overall.
Clement Lenglet - 6.5/10
Lenglet looked composed in Tottenham's back three and played well. He won teo of his three duels and made two clearances and two interceptions.
Ivan Perisic - 6.5/10
Perisic showed his world-class abilities on the ball as he delivered a pinpoint corner which Dier scored from. He passed the ball with 77% accuracy, including three key passes and four crosses. He attempted one shot which was blocked.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7.5/10
Hojbjerg added a steely presence to Spurs' midfield. He won six of his eight duels, making three interceptions. He also played two key passes and five accurate long balls.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 8.5/10
Bentancur distributed the ball well and did well to navigate through narrow spaces in a crowded midfield. He scored a lovely goal from outside the box to make it 3-2 and provided an assist for Son's goal that made it 4-2. He also played two key passes, had two shots on target and won four of his six ground duels.
Ryan Sessegnon - 6/10
Sessegnon received less of the ball and was unable to get involved in Tottenham's attacks effectively. He had an average game overall.
Dejan Kulusevski - 7.5/10
Kulusevski was lively going forward and constantly looked to either play the ball behind the defense or carry it forward himself. He provided an assist for Harry Kane's equalizer. He attempted two shots, of which one was on target. He also played one key pass.
Richarlison - 6/10
Richarlison was passive for large parts of the first half. His involvement did not increase much in the second period either and he was subbed off just before the hour-mark.
Harry Kane - 7/10
Kane scored Tottenham's equalizer with a well-taken header. He also provided a late assist for Son to score from.
Substitutes
Emerson Royal - 6.5/10
Emerson came on just before 60 minutes and put in a decent shift.
Heung-min Son - 9.5/10
Son came on near the hour-mark and scored a hat-trick within just 27 minutes of being on the field.
Cristian Romero - 7/10
Romero replaced the error-prone Sanchez and did well in defense.
Yves Bissouma - 6.5/10
Bissouma came on midway through the second half and put in a decent performance.
