Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League.
The King Power StadiumAttendance31,971.
Saturday 22 August 2015 21:19, UK
Riyad Mahrez continued his fine scoring run as his equaliser earned Leicester a 1-1 draw against Tottenham.
The 24-year-old netted his fourth goal of the season just 90 seconds after Dele Alli had put Tottenham in front.
Mahrez was denied a strong penalty shout in the first half and hit the post after the break before netting his side's equaliser.
The result means the Foxes couldn't register wins in their opening three top-flight fixtures for the first time in their history, but they maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Claudio Ranieri named the same XI that beat West Ham last time out, and his side shaded the opening stages before Marc Albrighton had the first meaningful chance of the match, cutting in from the left and firing an effort just off target.
Tottenham had more of the possession as the half wore on, but they were struggling to create any clear openings as Leicester kept men behind the ball.
Moussa Dembele looked lively for the visitors, and he tested Kasper Schmeichel with a dangerous low shot from 25 yards which the goalkeeper managed to parry away.
Shortly before the break Mahrez - looking to make an impact for the third game in a row - had a strong penalty appeal turned down as he went down under pressure from Jan Vertonghen.
The Spurs defender appeared to have hold of his opponent's shirt, but referee Martin Atkinson didn't deem the contact worthy of awarding a spot kick.
The game picked up after the break, and Tottenham nearly took the lead as Kyle Walker played Nacer Chadli in behind, but the midfielder could only blast over from close range.
Leicester went close themselves around 10 minutes into the second half, when Mahrez found Danny Drinkwater with a pass from the flank, but the Foxes midfielder could only drill into the side netting.
It was starting to look like it wasn't going to be Mahrez's afternoon, especially when he again darted into the box but could only fire a low shot against the near post.
And with nine minutes remaining it looked to have got worse for Leicester, as Harry Kane found Chadli on the left and he chipped a ball across the box before Alli met it with a simple headed finish at the far post to put Spurs in front.
But the lead was eradicated almost instantly as Mahrez registered his fourth goal in three games less than 90 seconds later.
Jamie Vardy flicked a header down the flank, and Mahrez once again managed to cut inside before firing a superb left-footed shot into the far corner.
Mahrez was involved again as the hosts had a glorious chance to win it late on. He fired in a superb cross from the left which was met with a powerful header by Wes Morgan, but it was straight at Hugo Lloris, who managed to parry it away as the game finished level.
Soccer Saturday verdict - Matt Le Tissier
From what I saw, Leicester should have had a penalty. Vertonghen was fortunate to get away with it,. He got sucked into the challenge and caught him and I thought it was penalty.
To be fair to Spurs they had a lot more possession. In the first half they were very predictable, Harry Kane hardly got a touch in the first half, he hardly got a sniff on goal and had one half-chance in the second half. They did have a great deal of possession but didn't hurt Leicester.
Most things that were good about Leicester came through Mahrez. He is so lively at the minute, coming in from the right onto his left foot and that is exactly how the goal came about.
Player ratings
Leicester: Schmeichel (7), De Laet (7), Huth (6), Morgan (7), Schlupp (7), Albrighton (6), Drinkwater (7), King (6), Mahrez (8), Okazaki (6), Vardy (7).
Used subs: Kante (6), Ulloa (6), Inler (7).
Tottenham: Lloris (7), Walker (6), Alderweireld (6), Vertonghen (5), Davies (7), Dier (5), Mason (6), Chadli (6), Dembele (5), Lamela (5), Kane (5).
Used subs: Alli (7), Bentaleb (6), Carroll (6).
Man of the match: Riyad Mahrez
