'Joke' Tottenham thrashed at Leicester as Antonio Conte endures miserable return

11 February 2023 , 16:57

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Harry Kane and Tottenham were well beaten (Image: PA)

Tottenham were thrashed by Leicester as Antonio Conte endured a miserable return to the dugout.

Having missed last weekend's 1-0 win over Manchester City as he recovered from surgery, the Italian was back in the dugout at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and he saw Rodrigo Bentancur give Spurs a 14th-minute lead when he finished from close range after Foxes defender Victor Kristiansen made a mess of clearing a corner.

However, Leicester roared back and the game changed on a stunning equaliser from Nampalys Mendy, who levelled nine minutes after Bentancur's goal when he smashed in from the edge of the area after a corner wasn't cleared..

James Maddison then made it 2-1 to the Foxes when he latched onto Kelechi Iheanacho’s pass and finished well, and Iheanacho made it 3-1 to Leicester on the stroke of half-time with a fine finish from the edge of the area.

Speaking on BBC Sport, pundit Martin Keown pointed a finger at Eric Dier for the third, saying: "For me, I rate Eric Dier as a player. He played predominantly as a midfield player and it cost him in this situation.

Antonio Conte to undergo surgery after Spurs boss became unwell with severe pain

"Dier should be coming right up to the ball and deal with it. He stands off it too much and in the end he gets punished."

James Maddison was one of Leicester's scorers (PA)

Leicester grabbed a fourth through Harvey Barnes, with the winger finding the net shortly after he'd had a goal disallowed for offside.

BT Sport pundit Jermaine Beckford slammed Tottenham, saying: "Spurs defensively have been a joke, Antonio Conte is not happy at all.

"Spurs are all over the place. Not the type of game we expect to see from them.

"Conte is going to let them have it in the changing room."

Mark Jones