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Match Analysis: Leicester City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Sports Mole analyses the Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City suffered a sixth consecutive defeat in the Premier League as they were beaten 2-1 by Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.

Harry Kane gave Spurs the lead in the first minute when he slotted home Nacer Chadli's cross, before Leonardo Ulloa equalised for the Foxes shortly after the break.

A free kick from Christian Eriksen saw the visitors regain their lead and they held on to claim their third successive league victory.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the King Power Stadium.

Match Statistics:

LEICESTER CITY:
Shots 22
On Target 6
Possession 49%
Corners 11
Fouls 10

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR:
Shots 8
On Target 3
Possession 51%
Corners 1
Fouls 14

Was the result fair?

This is a game from which Leicester really should have picked up at least a point. The Foxes may have started the afternoon badly by conceding inside the first minute, but they gradually improved and looked the better side. However, they lacked a cutting edge in the final third and their defensive frailties cost them dearly. As for Spurs, it was a fourth successive away win in the Premier League and although they were far from their best, they showed enough quality to grind out a three precious points.

Leicester City's performance

Those who did not watch today's match will just see it as a sixth defeat in a row for the Foxes, but in reality they were far better than the scoreline suggests. They are bottom of the table for a reason though and the manner in which they conceded the first goal was poor, but they fought back from that disastrous start to dominate their opponents. Riyad Mahrez and Jeffrey Schlupp were looking dangerous in the midfield and the only thing missing in the first half was a goal.

They did manage to find the net just minutes after the break thanks to Ulloa's near-post strike, and they very nearly went ahead moments later as Mahrez curled a stunning free kick against the bar. The Foxes continued to look the better of the two sides, but their problems at the back reared their ugly head again as Ben Hamer allowed Eriksen's free kick to squeeze past him at his near post. They pushed hard for a goal late on and had a decent shout for a penalty, but in the end the damage had already been done.

Tottenham Hotspur's performance

Spurs are in their best form of the season and they will be delighted to have claimed the points today, despite a patchy display. Things started well for them and they grabbed an early goal through Kane. They looked dangerous every time they came forward and if they had continued in that form then the match could have been over within the first 20 minutes. However, they allowed Leicester to gain a foothold and they started to get pushed back deeper inside their own half.

Having narrowly escaped with a lead at half time, they were pegged back three minutes into the second half after allowing the Foxes to get in behind them far too easily. Their defence came under increasing pressure and they were having a hard time getting out of their own half. When they did score for the second time it came as a surprise, as Eriksen's set piece should have been saved. It proved to be enough for them to win the match and they are now up to sixth in the table, just two points behind Southampton in the final Champions League spot.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Riyad Mahrez: The Algerian has been one of Leicester's best players this afternoon and he did not deserve to be on the losing side. He set up Ulloa's goal with a fantastic run and cross down the right, before bending a wonderful free kick onto the bar just moments later. He was the Foxes main threat and there will be plenty of teams after him if his side fail to beat the drop at the end of the season.

Biggest gaffe

It is tough to blame a goalkeeper who has been thrown into action due to the injury of the regular number one, but Hamer was clearly at fault today. The 27-year-old should never have let in Eriksen's free kick and it ended up costing his team a priceless point in their battle against the drop.

Referee's performance

Neil Swarbrick will not be a popular man in Leicester after today's performance. The match official denied them two decent shouts for a penalty in the final minutes. The first was when Jamie Vardy appeared to be caught by Jan Vertonghen, but he gave a corner instead. Just moments later Ulloa was tugged back, but once again Swarbrick was unmoved.

What next?

Leicester City: The Foxes face a trip to fellow strugglers Hull City on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs will welcome Manchester United to White Hart Lane on Sunday.

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Harry Kane of Spurs celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at The King Power Stadium on December 26, 2014
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