Leicester 0-2 Tottenham: Heung-Min Son settles FA Cup third-round replay By Jack Wilkinson
Last Updated: 20/01/16 10:59pm
Heung-Min Son scored one and set up another as Tottenham booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round with an impressive 2-0 win over Leicester City. A first half which lacked real attacking quality was brought to a stunning end when Son broke the deadlock with a thunderous 39th-minute strike.
Leicester stars Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy started on the bench as Claudio Ranieri's side struggled to replicate the vivid displays synonymous with their season. And a dominant Spurs put the tie beyond the Foxes on 66 minutes when South Korea international Son slipped Nacer Chadli through on goal for the visitors' second. Mauricio Pochettino's side will now travel to Sky Bet League One Colchester United for their fourth-round tie on January 30.
Ahead of a third meeting between these two sides in just 10 days, both managers rang the changes, with Ranieri and Pochettino making eight and nine alterations to their line-up respectively. Crucially, the decision not to start Mahrez, Vardy, Harry Kane and Dele Alli ensured the game, particularly the first half, would not live up to the action-packed first cup match between the sides. The visitors controlled large swathes of the opening period but Leicester centre-backs Marcin Wasilewski and Yohan Benalouane produced an impressive defensive display to keep the Spurs attack at bay.
Erik Lamela spurned Tottenham's first opening on 35 minutes, heading Ben Davies' cross over the bar, but the visitors were not to be denied much longer as Son struck shortly after.
Tom Carroll's cute reverse pass put Son one-on-one with young Foxes full-back Ben Chilwell. He hesitated momentarily, allowing the South Korean the space to rifle home a fierce drive beyond Kasper Schmeichel at his near post.
Ranieri brought on Shinji Okazaki at half time hoping he could replicate the instant impact he had at White Hart Lane, where he scored immediately after entering the fray.
The Japan international certainly invigorated the Leicester attack, with Michel Vorm drawn into a fine save to deny Demarai Gray's curling effort on 53 minutes.
Pochettino responded by bringing on Kane, and the England striker would have made an instant impact had it not been for Schmeichel's save shortly after the hour mark.
But Spurs were not to be denied much longer as Son split the Leicester defence with an inch-perfect ball which Chadli dispatched for only his second goal of an injury-hit season.
Kane missed the chance to put the tie to bed as Schmeichel again got down well to thwart another low effort. And, boosted by the addition of Vardy from the substitutes' bench, Leicester mounted a late rally.
Vardy, however, failed to make the most of Leonardo Ulloa's through ball as Eric Dier covered well at the back three minutes from time.
And by the time Ulloa and substitute Marc Albrighton had efforts saved by Vorm, Spurs had already turned their thoughts to the next round of the cup
http://www.skysports.com/football/leicester-vs-tottenham/report/353736
