Spoils shared in season opener at Leicester

A dominant performance only yielded a point at the King Power Stadium on Monday night as Leicester City fought back to hold us to a 1-1 draw in our 2024/25 season opener.

Despite a first half which was virtually all one-way traffic in our favour, we only had the single goal to show for our endeavours thanks to a Pedro Porro header and paid the price for not being more clinical in front of goal when Jamie Vardy nodded in a close-range header after the break.

Vardy then had a golden opportunity to put the Foxes ahead but was denied by Guglielmo Vicario, while substitute Richarlison headed off-target in the final seconds of stoppage time to leave us disappointed on our journey back to north London.

Ange Postecoglou’s first team selection of the league season saw a start up front for new signing Dominic Solanke – who earned Legacy Number 884 in the process – with James Maddison back on familiar territory against his former club, while former Spur Harry Winks was in the Leicester midfield.

Keen to make a strong start, we created three great early chances, Rodrigo Bentancur’s glancing header superbly cleared off the line by Wilfred Ndidi with Mads Hermansen then making a fine stop to keep out Brennan Johnson’s volley before saving Solanke’s diving back-post header – all within the opening seven minutes.

We were totally dominant early on, Cristian Romero heading wide and Solanke meeting Porro’s cross with a header straight at Hermansen, so it was no surprise when we went in front in the 29th minute. Maddison had time to deliver a cross into the box which was met by a glancing header from Porro for our first goal of the campaign.

It was nearly 2-0 soon after, Maddison’s free-kick to the far post volleyed back across goal by Johnson but no-one was on hand to touch the ball home. We didn’t add to our tally in the first period but the match stats at the break told the story – 73 per cent possession, 10 shots with five on target and nine corners.

While not quite as on top at the start of the second half, we had the first chance of the period when a lovely move ended with Solanke firing off a shot which Hermansen parried away, who then denied Bentancur. But for all our superiority, the home side levelled up the contest on 57 minutes with their first effort on target, Abdul Fatawu clipping over a cross for Vardy to nod in unmarked at the far post.

The goal changed the entire complexion of the game with the home side right back in the contest and they went close again but Ndidi lashed a shot into the side-netting before Vardy was in again, played in by Facundo Buonanotte only for Vicario to make a vital save.

There was a lengthy break in the 71st minute after Bentancur sustained an injury following a clash of heads and was eventually taken off on a stretcher, at which point we changed things up with four substitutions, including Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray on for their Spurs debuts. They take Legacy Numbers 885 and 886 respectively.

Both sides went in search of the winner in the closing stages as we started to get control of the game again but Leicester always carried a threat with Kasey McAteer’s looping header just clearing Vicario’s crossbar in the 86th minute, while Ndidi headed a good chance just wide a few minutes later. Then, in the last seconds of the nine minutes added on, Bergvall whipped in a free-kick which Richarlison met well at the near post but he was off-target with his header.

Match data

Goals: Leicester – Vardy 57; Spurs – Pedro Porro 29.

Yellow cards: Leicester – Faes; Spurs – Bentancur.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh.

Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester.

Weather: Light rain, moderate breeze, 15 degrees.

Attendance: 31,977.