Tottenham 1-2 Leicester: Match report & talking points from second-half Spurs collapse | OneFootball

A burst of two goals in the opening five minutes of the second half from Leicester City condemed Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-1 home defeat on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs had taken a first-half lead through Richarlison but were punished for a ponderous restart by a quick-fire double from Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss.

Victory for Leicester allowed them to climb out of the relegation zone, while Tottenham remain ensconced in the depths of 15th place, closer to the dotted line than the top half of the table.

Tottenham's Premier League matches with Leicester have averaged more goals than any other regularly played fixture in the competition's history.

It was not immediately apparent that the latest iteration of this duel would follow suit. A pair of porous rearguards afforded each side ample room to canter forward, yet the ineptitude seeping through both desperately out-of-form outfits had also infected the frontlines. Son Heung-min struck the base of Leicester's post inside the opening 20 minutes, but the Foxes were not without their own failed forward forays.

Richarlison broke the deadlock shortly after the half-hour mark. Pedro Porro was afforded the freedom of north London to whip in a sumptuous cross, letting the ball roll to a halt before stepping back and swinging a delivery onto the Brazilian's peroxide scalp at the back post.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was half-empty by the time Vardy fired Leicester level 58 seconds after the restart. Many of the Spurs lineup may as well have been in the queue at Europe's longest bar. Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies had made it onto the pitch but both flailed hopelessly at Bobby De Cordova-Reid's low cross which Vardy bundled over the line.

Barely three minutes had elapsed before El Khannouss compounded Tottenham's woes. Waltzing through a yawning chasm which seemed to perennially exist on the edge of the Spurs box, Leicester's attacking midfielder nonchalantly curled a low effort into the bottom corner via the base of the post.

Spurs, the division's third-top scorers, were uncharacteristically blunt while chasing the game. Postecoglou could not be accused of passivity, reshuffling his midfield and forward line shortly after falling behind, but an attack spearheaded by Son through the middle scarcely forced Jakub Stolarczyk into a meaningful save.

Tottenham's 13th league loss of the season, more than they suffered throughout the entirety of Postecoglou's debut campaign, was greeted with a chorus of angry boos by the fans who had suffered through to the final whistle.

Check out player ratings from Tottenham 1-2 Leicester here.

Dr Tottenham delivers again

Ange Postecoglou watched his side give up a first-half lead against the relegation strugglers / HENRY NICHOLLS/GettyImages

Tottenham are almost in on the joke at this point. After giving Everton and Arsenal some much-needed respite, Spurs afforded Leicester their first top-flight victory of the year after a run of seven consecutive losses.

While the same 'Dr Tottenham' jokes will be rehashed, this was a new nadir for Postecoglou's increasingly hapless outfit. The backline was as unconvincing as ever, the contrast of Pedro Porro's reckless over-eagerness and the frozen fear of a leaden-footed centre-back duo was almost concussive to watch. Yet, the feeble second half display from the frontline was a new, entirely unwanted evolution.

Shifting Son through the middle didn't leave him marooned out on the wing, but somehow bringing him closer to goal ensured that he was more isolated. After taking 42 touches across the first 55 minutes he spent out wide, Tottenham's talismanic captain was limited to just 11 (meaningless) interactions with the ball over more than half an hour. Not one of which was an effort at goal.

The creativity so often provided by an injured James Maddison was pointedly absent as Spurs were able to muster just two shots on target in the second half - neither causing any concern for Stolarczyk, who was able to celebrate not conceding on multiple occasions for the first time in his Premier League career.

Tottenham fans expressed their disdain for Daniel Levy / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

The jubilant roar from the away end in celebration of El Khannouss' winner was drowned out by the aggressive boos from the rest of the ground. The boiling crowd burst into spontaneous chants of "We want Levy out!" on multiple occasions throughout the second half.

Postecoglou's tactical decisions were also forcefully questioned, Leicester's time-wasting goalkeeper Stolarczyk became a pantomime villain and even Spurs players weren't spared an angry blast by an ever-more toxic atmosphere. Porro's insistence on shooting from the narrowest of angles soon wore thin.

Tottenham's manager has expressed his own frustrations with the club's hierarchy this week, claiming that a lack of new arrivals in January would be "playing with fire". Levy, as he has made it abundantly clear during his two decades at the helm of Spurs, is not going to sack himself. That luxury may not be extended to Postecoglou for much longer.

Jamie Vardy taunts Tottenham again

Jamie Vardy has scored home and away against Tottenham this season / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

"You take a bit of stick during the game," Vardy grinned the last time he came up against Tottenham. "As long as they can take it when I give it back then it's all good." Spurs ultimately had bigger issues to worry about than the Premier League's tormentor-in-chief, who enjoyed himself nevertheless.

After eventually tucking Leicester level, Vardy followed up Tottenham's failed clearances with a miscue of his own before belatedly making contact, the evergreen veteran replicated his taunt from the opening game of the season, pointing at the Premier League badge on his sleeve to remind everyone in north London of his personal accomplishments and their own failings.

Vardy's signature barbs can distract from his remarkable longevity. The proud top-flight champion is just the fifth player aged 37 or over to have directly contributed to ten or more goals in a single Premier League season.

Richarlison has scored more goals against Leicester than any other club in his senior career / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

The last time Richarlison started a Premier League game for Tottenham, he was lining up for a side that sat inside the division's top five. Leading the line for a team which began Sunday in 15th place, the Brazilian marked his long-awaited return with a goal - his first in the top flight since May.

Richarlison's return to fitness came just as Postecoglou lost Dominic Solanke to a knee injury for around six weeks. Tottenham's coach was keen to downplay the expectations around his number nine pre-game, warning: "He's not played for a long time so he won't be at his sharpest, but the reality is unless something changes he has to play."

The former Everton forward was sharp enough to find room in Leicester's airy backline, wandering between the dozy duo of Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes to nod in from close range.

The decision to take off Richarlison within ten minutes of the restart was met with a roar of derision from a crowd which didn't get any happier.