Tottenham Hotspur ran riot against Brendan Rodgers’ hapless Leicester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening in a 6-2 thrashing of the Foxes in the English capital as Antonio Conte’s men have now temporarily climbed back to sitting level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
A thirteen-minute hat-trick by second-half substitute Son Heung-min highlighted a Spurs performance that on paper was sublime on all fronts but was considerably questioned at the half-time interval when both sides went into the break level at two goals a piece with Leicester looking the better side after having the lion’s share of possession as well as the balance of the created chances after Youri Tielemans and James Maddison scored goals on either side of strikes from Harry Kane and Eric Dier.
But Spurs took the lead once again just two minutes after the break through sensational Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and would not relinquish command again before Son completed what turned into a rout while becoming only the seventh player in Premier League history to bag a hat-trick as a substitute, in a result that will surely heap questions on the future of Rodgers at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester have now surrendered 22 goals in just seven league fixtures this season and sit bottom of the table with only a single point on record when they began the season with a 2-2 draw at home against Brentford.
With that total, the Foxes have now made the worst defensive start to a Premier League campaign in history, while sitting level with West Ham United who also allowed the same amount of goals during the 1965-66 division one campaign.
Spurs now wait with bated breath as bitter rivals Arsenal clashes with Brentford tomorrow in the lunchtime kick-off before the pair clash in another installment of the North London Derby after the international break.
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK: Hugo Lloris (7) - A fantastic save on Patson Daka to keep the scoreline at 3-2 for Spurs before Son’s magic off the bench highlights his overall evening in goal.
RCB: Davinson Sánchez (6) - With Romero rested at the start the Colombian was given a chance today and proved why he is further down the pecking order behind Romero, Dier, and Lenglet.
CB: Eric Dier (7.5) - A goal from Dier and another strong showing from the England international and former midfielder. Quickly becoming one of Conte’s trusted NCOs.
LCB: Clément Lenglet (6.5) - Decent from the French center-back but will have to do more in a Spurs shirt if the club will maneuver to make a full move for him in the future.
RWB: Ryan Sessegnon (6.5) - Enjoying increased minutes this season due to a lack of trusted options at wing-back apart from Perišić and was decent enough on the day.
CM: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (7.5) - The second half of Spurs’ midfield duopoly was quietly effective once more in the center of the park alongside Bentancur while adding an assist to his name as well.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur (8.5) - Bentancur continues to produce the goods in the center of the park for Tottenham while adding a goal and an assist, and is now unquestionably a vital cog in the wheel under his Italian headmaster.
LWB: Ivan Perišić (7) - The veteran Croatian added another assist to his season tally after settling nicely at Spurs. Somewhat of a shock early substitution but he was good again.
RAM: Dejan Kulusevski (7) - The Swedish international winger continues to stake his claim as one of the most influential figures in the Spurs tea, with another assist and general good performance from him.
LAM: Richarlison (6) - Worked hard off the ball and put in a commendable physical shift but was unable to chip in on the scoresheet in either capacity. Could still push Son this season.
CF: Harry Kane (8) - Another goal and another assist for Harry Kane as he climbed level with Aleksandar Mitrović for joint second in the league in goals. Good once again.
Sub: Emerson Royal (6) - Many questioned why Royal replaced Perišić after just 55-minutes of action for the Croatian and hardly justified the substitution.
Sub: Son Heung-min (10) - A sensational second-half hattrick performance off the bench from the South Korean star after he was dropped in favor of Richarlison. He’s back.
Sub: Cristian Romero(6.5) - An improvement on the man he replaced in Davinson Sánchez after being rested today. Proved why he is key for Conte moving forward.
Sub: Yves Bissouma (6.5) - Called out by his manager during the week for struggling in the defensive phase of play but Bissouma should still come good as he adapts to increased pressures at Spurs.
Leicester City Player Ratings
GK: Danny Ward (5) - The inability to replace Peter Schmeichel is coming home to roost for Leicester with Danny Ward one of many reasons why the Foxes have the worst defensive record in England’s top flight.
RB: Timothy Castagne (6) - An assist cannot mask how sub-par the Belgian right-back was on the evening in a career that is quickly taking a nose dive after starting so well previously.
RCB: Wout Faes (5.5) - With Leicester’s financial struggles at the forefront, a move for Wout Faes hopefully signaled a bargain but he proved incapable to perform in the Premier League on his league debut.
LCB: Jonny Evans (5.5) - Generally so much better for Leicester over recent years, Evans may finally start to watch his form and performance levels dip though the club has bigger tactical issues that are not just down to him.
LB: James Justin (6.5) - A somewhat solid display from the left-back and cannot really be held accountable for the defensive nightmare overall. Not a problem area, but not a definitive factor either.
DM: Wilfried Ndidi (5) - An uncharacteristic performance from the Nigerian international who is often considered one of the best in the business in his position. An error leading to Spurs’ third goal rounded off a frustrating evening.
RM: James Maddison (7.5) - Maddison will certainly be wondering when his time will be up at Leicester given how much water the KP ship is taking on. Stood tall above all overs around him once more with a well-taken goal.
CM: Youri Tielemans (7) - A goal from the spot from the Belgian international midfielder and was generally excellent in the first half. Dropped off the pace in the second forty-five but overall he was good again.
CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (6) - Highly touted in the Leicester City ranks, Dewsbury-Hall has had faith put in him this season justifiably but was unable to be a difference maker here.
LM: Harvey Barnes (6) - One of many Leicester players that have been well off the boil this season, Barnes was once coveted by much bigger fish in the Premier League but will have to do more if he’s to get back to such a level of prominence.
CF: Patson Daka (7) - Incredibly unlucky to not have found the match equalizer to make it 3-3 after Hugo Lloris brilliantly saved his well-taken effort in the 59th minute. A good outing unjustly unrewarded.
Sub: Jamie Vardy (6) - Did little in his ~15 minutes on the pitch after replacing an unfortunate Daka and may finally have begun to slow down regarding his performance levels and ability to be a difference maker.
Sub: Kelechi Iheanacho (6) - Like Vardy, he was unable to settle quickly and change the flow of the match after Spurs were two goals up and looking clear in the latter stages.
Sub: Boubakary Soumaré (6) - Hard to gauge given he featured for just five minutes before stoppage but at least he was better than Ndidi in the little time he did receive.
