Leicester Miss Out On Top-Four Finish After Loss To Spurs

By Daily Sports on May 23, 2021

Leicester City suffered a horrible case of deja vu as their Champions League dream was shattered on the final day of the season for the second straight year after they twice squandered the lead to lose 4-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Jamie Vardy converted two penalties to give Leicester 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the crunch Premier League clash and, with Chelsea losing 2-1 at Aston Villa, that would have been enough for Leicester to claim fourth spot.

But a 76th-minute own goal by keeper Kasper Schmeichel gifted Spurs an equaliser and Gareth Bale, possibly in his last game for Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid, rubbed salt into Leicester's wounds with two well-taken late strikes.

England striker Harry Kane, who could have also been playing his last game for the London club amid transfer speculation, struck Tottenham's first equaliser to take his league tally to 23 this season and win the Golden Boot award.

Just like last term when a Champions League qualifying spot looked to be theirs for the taking, this season's FA Cup winners Leicester finished in fifth place and will have to be content with a Europa League campaign.

Victory left manager-less Tottenham in seventh spot and the minor consolation of a place in the inaugural Europa Conference League -- UEFA's third-tier club competition.

Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time last weekend, but just missing out on a top-four spot, having occupied it for most of the year, was a hammer blow. The Foxes are on 66 points while fourth-placed Chelsea finished with 67 from 38 games.

COOL PENALTY

Vardy opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a calmly taken penalty after VAR correctly awarded the hosts a spot kick after Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld needlessly stuck out a trailing leg to trip the Leicester striker.

Kane levelled in the 41st when he swivelled to volley the ball past Schmeichel from close range.

Vardy restored Leicester's lead from the spot after tangling with Davinson Sanchez as he burst into the area and referee Anthony Taylor gave the penalty.

Again Vardy easily beat Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris and, with news of Chelsea losing at Villa, the 8,000 fans inside the King Power Stadium were in a celebratory mood.

But then everything went wrong.

Schmeichel tried to punch away an inswinging cross in the 76th minute but only managed to divert the ball into his goal.

Ten minutes later Kane was played through and rounded Schemeichel but after the angle became too tight he looked up to pick out the unmarked Bale, on as a substitute, who stroked home with his left foot.

The stuffing was knocked out of Leicester and Bale produced a moment of quality to waltz through the defence before flicking a shot against the post and converting the rebound, taking his total to 14 goals in all competitions for Spurs this season.

It was tough on Leicester who, until losing to Chelsea in midweek, had been in the top four since the start of the year. (Reuters)

PHOTO: Leicester conceding one of their four goals against Spurs

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 23, 2021


 

You may also like...
NPFL clubs endorse LMC sponsorship negotiations with Nigeria...

Iwobi Credits Benitez For Impressive New Season

Somtochukwu gets top-flight attention

Why I Invited Enyimba Defender Valentine Ozornwafor To...

Lobi Stars, Rangers, six other NPFL sides fail...

AFCON 2024: Jose Peseiro And His Super Eagles,...

 

Latest News Federation Cup: Insurance to face Wikki in round of 32 Iheanacho rejects Leicester’s £65k weekly offer World Relays: Team Nigeria begin quest for Olympics spots Coach Mayowa discharged, thanks good samaritans Robbery in the ring: Nigerian pro-boxer reclaims title after controversial decision in Ghana Young Nigerian basketballer bags US scholarships after street encounter with Calabar lawyer Osho set for 170th league game JOF U-13 football tournament ends May 12 Fredrick: Who is Brentford’s new man? ‘Players’ self-belief secret of Rangers success’ How Enyimba, fans celebrated Finidi’s Eagles appointment Boniface, Tella strike fear in De Rossi

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (53,745 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (44,744 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (42,891 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (42,564 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (42,343 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (42,223 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (42,114 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (41,591 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (40,616 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (39,614 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (37,982 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (37,549 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media