Tottenham vs Leicester LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction as Son Heung-min hits hat-trick
Antonio Conte’s side move joint-top as Brendan Rodgers faces up to a run of six straight defeats
Son Heung-min ended his scoring drought in stunning fashion with a sublime hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur crushed Leicester City 6-2 to move joint top of the Premier League on Saturday.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s first goal for Tottenham was separating the sides in an entertaining tussle but Son, who started on the bench, exploded back to form with three goals in 13 minutes.
The South Korean, the Premier League’s joint-top scorer last season, had not scored in Tottenham’s first eight games.
Leicester took an early lead with a twice-taken penalty by Youri Tielemans but Tottenham hit back quickly with Harry Kane powering in a header at the far post.
Tottenham went ahead in the 21st minute as defender Eric Dier marked his return to the England squad with a glancing header from a corner.
Bottom-placed Leicester were lively in attack though and James Maddison’s superb finish sent them in level at halftime.
Bentancur seized on a mistake to restore Tottenham’s lead in the 47th minute but Son went on to steal the show.
After coming on in the 59th minute, he curled an unstoppable right-footer into the top corner in the 73rd minute, then curled a left-footer into the opposite side 11 minutes later.
Son then completed his hat-trick after running on to a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg through ball.
Tottenham flying at home
Spurs have won six successive Premier League home games, their best such run at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A seventh consecutive home league win would be their longest streak since a sequence of 14 victories at White Hart Lane between November 2016 and May 2017.
Tottenham vs Leicester
Today’s venue is the impressive Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Can Spurs continue their winning streak at home against the Foxes?
Antonio Conte outlines his plan for Yves Bissouma at Tottenham
Antonio Conte has given Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma a timely boost by telling the summer recruit he will be counting on him after the international break.
Mali international Bissouma has struggled for minutes since his £25million move from Brighton, starting only one of the club’s opening eight matches and failing to be used off the bench during Tuesday’s 2-0 loss at Sporting Lisbon.
While the 26-year-old is likely to be named among the substitutes for the clash with Leicester on Saturday, Conte has explained Bissouma’s slow start at Spurs and also promised he will be used more during a seven-week spell from October 1 where they will play 12 times in the Premier League and Champions League.
Antonio Conte outlines his plan for Yves Bissouma at Tottenham
Mali international Bissouma has struggled for minutes since his £25million move from Brighton
'Leicester have to be brave’
Leicester boss, Brendan Rodgers, says that despite his team’s poor run of form he is backing his players to continue to show the courage and spirit needed to get them out of this tight spot.
“What’s important is that we continue to be brave. We have to continue to show that bravery,” said Rodgers,
“Sometimes when you’re not quite on your game, you can maybe lose that aggression, but you can’t afford to do that. You’ve got to still press the game and be aggressive.”
Tottenham vs Leicester
Tottenham have won seven of the nine most recent Premier League meetings.
They could win four consecutive league matches against the Foxes for the first time.
Leicester have lost four of their last five top-flight fixtures away to Spurs, conceding at least three goals in each defeat.
Tottenham vs Leicester team changes
Antonio Conte makes four changes to the Tottenham team that lost to Sporting CP in the Champions League this week. Davinson Sanchez and Clement Lenglet come into the back three with Ben Davies and Cristian Romero dropping out.
Dejan Kulusevski is given the nod ahead of Son Heung-min who is rested and Ryan Sessegnon comes in to replace Emerson Royal with Ivan Perisic set to move over to the right wing-back role.
There are also three changes for Leicester City. Wout Faes and Timothy Castagne come in to replace Luke Thomas and Boubakary Soumare with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replacing Kelechi Iheanacho.
Tottenham vs Leicester team news
Tottenham XI: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Lenglet; Perisic, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Kane, Richarlison
Leicester XI: Ward; Justin, Faes, Evans, Castagne; Ndidi, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison, Barnes, Daka
Brendan Rodgers on the brink?
Consecutive fifth-placed finishes and FA Cup glory will seem a long time ago for Leicester, who have endured a torrid start to the campaign.
A frustrating summer, which saw the Foxes lose key men and replace them with just one outfield player, has carried over into the start of the season and five successive losses leaves them bottom of the table, with Brendan Rodgers coming under pressure for the first time in his reign.
The fixtures have not been kind as they have already played Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United and another tough test awaits as they visit unbeaten Tottenham.
Rodgers says he has the backing of the board, but with an international break looming, the Northern Irishman would not want to suffer another heavy defeat.
Brendan Rodgers seeks the ‘best possible version’ of Jamie Vardy at Leicester
Brendan Rodgers has refused to write off Jamie Vardy but believes the Leicester star must accept his new role.
The former England striker is yet to score this season and has completed 90 minutes just twice with the Foxes winless and bottom of the Premier League.
He was a second-half substitute in the 5-2 defeat at Brighton with boss Rodgers preferring Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho.
But ahead of Saturday’s trip to Tottenham, Vardy, who has 164 goals in 391 games for the Foxes, is still at the forefront of the manager’s mind.
Brendan Rodgers seeks the ‘best possible version’ of Jamie Vardy at Leicester
The former England striker has struggled for form this season
Tottenham vs Leicester prediction
Despite being unbeaten, Tottenham have been scratchy so far this season and the midweek defeat to Sporting was perhaps not unexpected.
They may still have enough quality to beat a Leicester side short of confidence which is why we have them coming out on top today.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-1 Leicester
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