Foxes hot on Spurs heels
Written By: Robert Halter
Leicester City put their relegation plight behind them to focus on a fourth round tie at White Hart Lane. The Foxes were the quickest out of the traps, when from Jeff Schlupp’s low deflected cross, new signing Andrej Kramaric was the fox in the box and it took an instinctive save by the Lilywhites Michel Vorm, to cast aside Kramaric’s close range effort. But in the thirteenth minute, after Leicester City debutant keeper, Mark Schwarzer could only half clear an Andros Townsend corner, the ball fell to Paulinho, who blasted his shot on top of the outside netting. But on sixteen minutes, as Schlupp danced his way through the Spurs defence, Vorm had the casting vote, when he brushed aside Schlupp’s strong shot with his outstretched arm. But on nineteen minutes the tide turned, when Liam Moore brought down Roberto Soldado in the area, and just as he had done in the Capital One Cup semi final with Sheffield United, Andros Townsend gave Tottenham the lead in the F.A. Cup by striking his spot kick into the centre of the net. Moore only lasted twenty five minutes, as injury prevailed and he left the field after being booked for another foul on Soldado, with Marcin Wasilewski replacing him. In just under the half hour mark, a low left sided cross by Danny Rose was miss timed by Townsend, when in sight of the target, as Spurs lost out on the chance to score. In the thirty second minute, Paulinho sent the ball across to Soldado, who was unable to find a clean strike as Schwarzer, had his body in the way to collect comfortably. Within a couple of minutes, Erik Lamela prized an opening in the Foxes defence, but Paulinho could not get his shot away. The Lilywhites escaped a penalty claim on forty minutes, as Kramaric was booked for diving, after falling over from Vorm’s outstretched leg, after a ball through from Danny Drinkwater. Straight from kick off, Spurs were on the ascendancy, when Soldado produced a shot out the blue that landed in the side netting, outside the left post. On fifty three minutes, Lamela tried to weave some magic but he ran out of tricks and could not produce a rabbit out the hat, after fizzing the ball over. On just under the hour, Schlupp teed up a shot for Kramaric, but he fired the ball over. Spurs made the first change as Christian Eriksen took the place of spot king, Townsend. On sixty six minutes, the Foxes’ Andy King could not convert a header, after a well placed delivery by Drinkwater. Two minutes later, the Lilywhites should have put the tie to bed, when Lamela laid the ball off to Paulinho, but he steered his strike past the right post. Spurs then took off Soldado and brought on Emmanuel Adebayor, to a mixed reception from the Lilywhites faithful. In the seventy second minute, from a Schlupp cross, Leonardo Ulloa sent a header sailing over, before the Foxes changed Jamie Vardy with David Nugent and Kramaric with Marc Albrighton. On seventy five minutes, Eriksen gave space to Lamela but his low drive was easily picked up by Schwarzer. But three minutes later, Lamela let rip with a soaring shot from the right side that required Schwarzer to flip over like a trap ease artist, after Adebayor had orchestrated the move down the middle. On eighty one minutes, Adebayor set off down the right flank, but Paulinho’s cushioned header was unable to threaten. But against the run of play, Leicester found a route back into the game in the eighty third minute, when from an Albrighton corner, Schlupp’s half hit shot fell into the path of Ulloa, who with deadly precision, drilled the ball into the bottom right corner. In a final Spurs change, Harry Kane was brought on for Mousa Dembele. It was still level pegging, as Lamela blasted a free kick over, following a foul on Paulinho by the Foxes captain, Wes Morgan. But in the second minute of stoppage time, incredibly the Foxes sealed the tie with a last gasp winner when from an Albrighton pass, Danny Simpson’s delivery in the heart of the Tottenham defence was met on the half volley by Schlupp and as Vorm fumbled the ball into the net, Spurs went out the Cup.