Football: Spurs rediscover their fighting spirit
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Leicester City 1
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.TO HAVE Spurs meet Leicester when the spectre of relegation was lurking, then to see them give away a goal start, left a persuasive mid-match feeling at White Hart Lane on Saturday that a Tottenham team still disadvantaged by injuries would not realistically have a ghost of a chance. But it was a measure of an albeit still fragile resurgence that they equalised and won high praise from one of the game's most charming bad losers, Leicester's manager, Martin O'Neill.
Although spitting eloquent venom about not being awarded a penalty when Tony Cottee was intercepted powerfully but fairly by Sol Campbell, O'Neill said Tottenham's second-half recovery was "not the sort of performance you expect from a relegation-threatened side". Indeed, he predicted that they would stay up.
In a letter read on David Mellor's radio show later on Saturday, Tottenham's former manager Gerry Francis defended his achievements in difficult, injury- troubled circumstances. He rather missed the point. Achieving a fighting spirit is not something you can put on your CV. Whether it is current manager Christian Gross, or the injured but influential Jurgen Klinsmann who is inspiring a substantial hint of that spirit is less relevant than that it is there, whereas in the era of Francis you felt that Spurs lived in a permanent state of "if only".
On Saturday, Leicester were the more practical, aggressive side, and not long ago would have broken Tottenham's resolve without difficulty. Here, though, a Spurs team forced to play a frail though entertaining strike partnership of David Ginola and Chris Armstrong, with some helpful assistance wide by Ruel Fox, were inspired by surging runs from Colin Calderwood, playing an unusual but positive midfield role. It was Calderwood who, in the second half, went forward to snatch the equaliser after Leicester's capable deputy goalkeeper, Pegguy Arphexad, did well to parry Fox's hefty cross-shot.
Tottenham's own otherwise excellent replacement goalkeeper, Espen Baardsen, suffered the same fate 10 minutes before half-time when Theodoros Zagorakis, the newcomer from Greece, substituting for Garry Parker, drove a long- range, bending drive low into his hands. The ball bounced as if on a West Indian wicket and Baardsen failed to get it into his grasp. Cottee was there in an instant.
Goals: Cottee (34) 0-1; Calderwood (51) 1-1.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Baardsen; Carr, Campbell, Vega, C Wilson (Edinburgh, 46); Nielsen, Calderwood (Brady, 67), Berti, Fox; Ginola, Armstrong. Substitutes not used: Mabbutt, Dominguez, Grodas (gk).
Leicester City (3-5-2): Arphexad; Prior, Elliott, Kamark; Savage, Parker (Zagorakis, 28), Izzet, Lennon, Guppy; Heskey, Cottee. Substitutes not used: Campbell, Fenton, S Wilson, Andrews (gk).
Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).
Bookings: Leicester Izzet, Savage.
Attendance: 28,355.
Man of the match: Calderwood.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments