Tottenham lose to Leicester: Jeffrey Schlupp and Leonardo Ulloa goals complete unlikely comeback
The Foxes lie bottom of the table and those six points would make all the difference. That cannot happen, of course, but what it does is give them real cause for optimism that they can survive the drop.
They might have been given a helping hand here by Michel Vorm’s late howler, but manager Nigel Pearson knows what results like this can do, even if their focus remains elsewhere.
“I’m not going to change my view on it now — our priority is always going to be the Premier League this season,” said Pearson.
“But when you have been out of form in terms of results, wins like this become important. “We’ve got to take days like this into the league programme.
“Our next game is Man United so that is not exactly a straightforward one. But we have shown at places like Liverpool and Tottenham here that we can be a threat.”
This might not register as a shock of seismic proportions, but few at White Hart Lane saw this finale coming.
Andros Townsend was spot on for a second successive game with his 19th minute penalty, after Roberto Soldado was hauled down by Liam Moore.
Soon after, Vorm must have thought it was his lucky day. Referee Robert Madley should have sent the goalkeeper packing and awarded a penalty after Leicester new boy Andrej Kramaric was clearly tripped in the box.
Instead, the Croatian was booked for diving to add insult to injury. But Leicester refused to sulk and were rewarded when Tottenham’s second-string allowed Ulloa too much time to fire home in the 83rd minute before Schlupp saw his weak volley spilled over the line.
Spurs now turn their attentions to League One opponents Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg, and regular cup keeper Vorm hopes he won’t pay the price for his error.
“I hope they still give me the chance to play on Wednesday,” Vorm said afterwards.
“Of course I said sorry to the boys but they were: ‘don’t be silly, you did very well’. But you feel a responsibility.
“If that (mistake) happens earlier in the game, maybe you can turn it around, but at the end makes it even worse.
“When the ball goes in, it is horrible, but that is football.
“I’m 31 years old and I have dealt with worse. That is part of the life. The good thing is there is another game coming up so you need to forget about it as soon as possible.”
Vorm believes the weekend of FA giant-killings will focus minds for Bramall Lane.
Spurs hold a 1-0 advantage heading to Yorkshire, and Vorm said: “As everybody can see with the results, there are no easy games in England.
“If we don’t understand the importance of the game for the club and fans, even for Sheffield United, then we don’t deserve it. But we will. I am 100% sure we will.”
TOTTENHAM (4-5-1): Vorm 6, Chiriches 6, Fazio 5, Kaboul 6, Rose 6, Townsend 7 (Eriksen 64, 6), Capoue 7, Dembele 6 (Kane 87), Paulinho 6, Lamela 7, Soldado 6 (Adebayor 70)
LEICESTER (4-4-2): Schwarzer 6, Simpson 6, Morgan 6, Moore 5 (Wasilewski 26, 6), De Laet 6, Vardy 6 (Nugent 73), King 7, Drinkwater 6, Schlupp 8, Ulloa 7, Kramaric 6 (Albrighton 73)
Referee: Robert Madley.
