Leicester City held on to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the King Power Stadium and inflict a third away loss in a row on their opponents.
First-half goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, both impressive in their own way, gave the Foxes a healthy lead at the midway point.
After knocking on the door Spurs had a route back into the game when Harry Kane found the net 11 minutes from time, but they could not find a leveller.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium. The Lilywhites have slipped off the title pace over the last month after losing two and drawing one of their last four, but 24 points after 13 games matches their tally from the same stage in each of the last two seasons when they went on to challenge for the title.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has as good as admitted that any hope his side of challenging for top spot this time around can be forgotten about unless they return to winning ways this evening, at a ground that they tend to perform well at. Leicester are floating around in the bottom half of the division, meanwhile, sitting four points above the relegation zone and two adrift of the top half.
LEICESTER CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell; Albrighton, Ndidi, Iborra, Mahrez; Okazaki; Vardy
SUBS: Hamer, Amartey, Dragovic, King, Choudhury, Gray, Slimani
Starting with a look at the home team, manager Claude Puel has made two changes on the back of the 1-1 draw away to West Ham United on Friday night. Ben Chilwell and Shinji Okazaki have both been recalled to the starting lineup, coming in for Christian Fuchs and Demarai Gray. Puel was expected to go with the same XI that we saw at the London Stadium four days ago, but the Frenchman clearly feels that some tinkering was required.
Fuchs's absence from the side can actually be explained by his wife giving birth, so he it otherwise occupied right now! Chilwell has been frustrated by his lack of outings in recent times, but he now has a chance to impress at left-back on just his third Premier League start of the campaign. Alongside him is Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan, the latter of whom is making his 250th appearance for the home side, while Danny Simpson is at right-back.
Puel appears to have stuck with the 4-1-4-1 formation used against West Ham, with Jamie Vardy - six goals in 13 this term - starting just off the returning Shinji Okazaki. Riyad Mahrez was frustrated after being withdrawn 20 minutes from time in that last outing, but he retains his spot out on the right this evening, aiming to build on a Premier League tally of two goals and four assists in 2017-18.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Sissoko, Eriksen, Alli; Kane
SUBS: Vorm, Davies, Foyth, Trippier, Lamela, Son, Llorente
In terms of the visitors, Pochettino has made four changes from the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon. Danny Rose, who looks more and more likely to be on his way out of North London by the week, is among those to return to the starting lineup, while Serge Aurier is also used on the opposite flank as Pochettino continues his full-back rotation policy.
Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies are the two players to make way for the visitors in the full-back department, meaning that the back four is as it was in Dortmund a week ago. Further forward Harry Winks and Heung-Min Son also make way, with Mousa Dembele and Moussa Sissoko handed starts at the King Power Stadium. The loss of central midfielder Winks is illness related - he misses out on squad selection entirely.
Arguably the biggest news of all regards a man not involved from the off - Erik Lamela, out for the past 13 months after undergoing surgery on both hips, is back in the matchday squad tonight. The Belgium international will likely play some part from the bench, although all eyes are on Harry Kane from the off, as he has netted more goals against Leicester than any other side - 10 in nine games, including one during his time on loan at Millwall.
Erik Lamela is included in Tottenham Hotspur's squad for the first time since an EFL Cup tie against Liverpool in October 2016. The Belgium international's comeback has been delayed and delayed, but he is finally on the brink of a return to first-team action. Four changes made by Mauricio Pochettino in all, while home boss Claude Puel makes two.
Leicester head into this game sitting 12th in the Premier League table, two points adrift of the top half - their target for the campaign. It has been a largely disappointing campaign on the whole for them so far, especially when you compare it to the fairytale adventure of 2015-16 that is still fresh in the memory, as they have won three, drawn five and lost five of their opening 13 fixtures.
Those two wins arrived in quick succession, coming against strugglers Swansea City and Everton at the end of last month to propel them up the division. The latter of those two games was Puel's first in charge, following up the three points in South Wales with two more from a possible 9. That sounds pretty disappointing on the face of it, but the only defeat came at the hands of a formidable Manchester City side, and the draws were away at Stoke City and West Ham United.
Leicester have certainly struggled for momentum ever since former boss Craig Shakespeare put together a strong run of form with a few months of last season to go, most recently going three matches without a win to remain in the middle of the table. A fourth match without defeat tonight will give the sides below City a chance to pull them back down towards the relegation zone, though a fight for survival is surely not on the cards this time around.
The Foxes have one of the worst home records in the Premier League, picking up just seven points from their first seven matches here - only West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City have managed fewer. Leicester needs to improve on that record, especially with both fixtures over the next four days being played here; Burnley next to visit the East Midlands following this tricky test against Tottenham.
Puel then prepared his side for trips to opposite ends of the country in quick succession, following up a meeting against Newcastle United with a journey south to face Southampton at St Mary's Stadium. Leicester have proved tricky to beat of late, with five draws in their last nine, but they will feel that three points were there for the taking in their two most recent away matches.
Twice they led at the bet365 Stadium, before coming away with a 2-2 draw; once they led at the London Stadium, with Marc Albrighton's opener proving to be too little in the end as the Hammers hit back. This home match against Tottenham will be a very difficult test for City, however, having lost 10 of their 11 games in 2017 against teams who finished in the top six last season - a category Spurs very much fall into.
The exception to that was the memorable 3-1 win over Liverpool here in Shakespeare's first game at the helm after taking over - temporarily at that point, we were told - from popular boss Claudio Ranieri. The new manager bounce worked so well that Leicester stuck with their former assistant heading into this season, though a fairly underwhelming start would cost him his job. It is now down to Puel to lead the charge into the top half.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Leicester City lost this fixture 6-1 in May - their heaviest home defeat in the Premier League - and are without a win in four top-flight meetings against Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium, lost three of those. The Foxes' last league win came in 2002, in fact, when prevailing 2-1 in the final match to be staged at their old Filbert Street home.
Tottenham Hotspur ran riot here when these two sides met towards the tail end of last season, as they kept up the pressure on eventual champions Chelsea. Striker Harry Kane certainly tends to enjoy himself in this fixture, netting eight goals in five league games against Leicester City, while also finding the net during his time at Millwall.
Tottenham know that three points are a must in the East Midlands if they are to keep their outside title hopes alive as, although they have the same number of points as they did at this stage in the last two campaigns, Manchester City are proving to be a different beast and are on course to rack up a record number of points. Not since 1990 has a side started so well, meaning that a race for a top-four spot may well be as exciting as things get at the top end.
Pochettino's men have stuttered over the last month, losing away to Man United and Arsenal, while also being held by West Brom last time out. Their only league win in the last four came at home to London rivals Crystal Palace, was scraping a 1-0 victory through a Son Heung-min goal. Spurs are still not quite over their Wembley hoodoo, it seems, as West Brom joined Burnley and Swansea City - as well as Chelsea - in leaving there with a result.
That 1-1 draw against West Brom means that Arsenal have made up six points on Spurs since the end of the international break - enough to lift them above their North London foes into fourth. The first target for the Lilywhites, then, is to haul back the one-point deficit and ensure that they occupy a top-four spot, before then hoping for a major slip-up from Man City in the remaining months of the campaign - stranger things have happened!
Spurs are looking over their shoulder at the chasing pack, which contains Liverpool, Burnley and Watford, each of whom are well within touching distance. Pochettino has as good as confessed that the title is now out of reach, but the Lilywhites know how to put a positive run of form together during the festive period - in fact, no other side can match them in that regard over the past couple of years.
The Champions League does now appear to be Pochettino's best route to winning a major honour, unless he changes his stance when it comes to the FA Cup. The former Espanyol boss reiterated earlier this month that the two domestic cup competitions do not appeal to him, as winning them is not enough to 'change the history' of Tottenham. Pochettino may have a point, but another campaign without seriously challenging for any sort of silverware and fans may begin to grow a tad frustrated.
Spurs have been on fire in Europe, taking four points from six against Real Madrid and then making it two wins from two against Borussia Dortmund. The Lilywhites have sailed through what was the trickiest of groups in top spot with a game to spare, meaning that they can now focus on domestic matters while also looking forward to a last-16 tie in February. If the gap on City grows before the first week of 2018, maybe the FA Cup will climb up the list of priorities.
Next up for Spurs after this match is a trip to Watford at the weekend, before welcoming Stoke City and Brighton & Hove Albion to Wembley Stadium in fixtures that no longer appear to be home bankers. There is then a trip to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on December 16 - their toughest remaining assignment until taking on Man United on January 31, when the picture may look a little clearer at the top of the Premier League.
DID YOU KNOW? Tottenham Hotspur have lost back-to-back away matches and are now aiming to avoid three in a row for the first time since March 2014 under Tim Sherwood. The Lilywhites still boast the fourth-best record in the Premier League on their travels, though, having won four in a row before this sticky patch of form - coming against Newcastle United, Everton, West Ham United and Huddersfield Town.
With kickoff at the King Power Stadium now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Claude Puel: "It's important to look for evolution in the style of our play. It's beneficial when the players can find different opportunities in attack. We must try to play our own game and it will be good to see our progress under pressure against a good opponent. It's a good challenge for us."
Mauricio Pochettino: "Manchester City have improved a lot from last season. The gap is massive but we will see what happens. We need to believe and try to win games. If we don't win [against Leicester] - it is difficult to be a contender."
Puel expecting a "good challenge" this evening, then, as Leicester aim to pick up the rarest of wins against one of the division's elite clubs. Spurs, without a win on their top-flight travels in exactly two months since prevailing at the John Smith's Stadium, are looking to get back on track following a disappointing run of Premier League form. Fingers crossed for an entertaining evening of football!
KICKOFF! Leicester City get us under way at the King Power Stadium. A reminder that the hosts have made a couple of changes to their starting lineup this evening, while Tottenham Hotspur show four alterations from their last outing.
Hugo Lloris, the ultimate sweeper keeper, races high up the field to get to the ball ahead of Vardy. A fast start made by the Foxes, with Okazaki and Vardy looking bright inside the opening few minutes in the East Midlands.
Rose attempts to bend the ball around the back for Eriksen, but Morgan ushered it to safety. Ndidi and Iborra looking for Vardy with balls over the top at the opposite end of the field, in what has been a lively start to say the least.
Really good pressure from Puel's men, who look well up for this one. Spurs, on the face of it, have more to play for, but Leicester have ambitions of their own and are also desperate for all three points on home soil this evening.
OFF THE LINE! This one may have been creeping inches wide, but credit to Rose regardless for blocking Wes Morgan's headed attempt. Up the other end, Morgan produced a big block of his own to cut out Rose's attempted cross.
Really is end-to-end stuff at the King Power Stadium so far. Leicester with the best chance through that Morgan header, which replays show was indeed on target - it would have gone in if not for Danny Rose's perfect positioning.
GOAL! LEICESTER CITY 1-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (JAMIE VARDY)
Superb finish from Vardy, who sticks a leg out to loft Albrighton's cross over the head of Lloris. Leicester have been brilliant in the opening 14 minutes of the game, with Ndidi also being denied shortly before that breakthrough.
Spurs have been rattled by this fast Leicester start, with their final ball often lacking quality. Chilwell and Morgan have both produced good blocks to prevent the cross from coming in from either flank, with the onus now on Spurs to find a goal.
SAVE! Good response from Spurs, who were so nearly level within four minutes of going behind. Kane did well to spot the onrushing Moussa Sissoko, who could not beat Schmeichel when left one-on-one. The ball was still looping towards the back of the net, though, with Vicente Iborra clearing off the line.
Almost a case of deja vu, as Vardy is again spotted with a ball over the top. The England international could not make contact on this occasion, unlike earlier in the half when volleying it over the reach of Spurs keeper Lloris.
YELLOW CARD! The first yellow card of the evening is shown to Tottenham centre-back Jan Vertonghen, who went in late on Riyad Mahrez. Right call from referee Anthony Taylor, leaving Vertonghen in a difficult position for the remaining 70 minutes.
SHOT! Pretty much Harry Kane's first sight of goal, which he is unable to make the most of. After latching on to a Rose pass, the Englishman cut back inside and then curled over the crossbar, when he perhaps would have been better off shooting a little earlier.
Vardy's superb lofted finish 13 minutes into the match is proving to be the difference between the two sides at the moment. The Englishman has netted once before against Spurs and ended up on the losing side on that occasion.
Wilfred Ndidi with a strike that ends well wide of the opposition goal. Leicester are not playing like a side currently marooned in the bottom half of the division at the moment - they have been superb right from the first whistle.
Rose apologises to his teammates after taking the wrong choice when he had teammates well-positioned inside the box. Spurs have yet to really get going this evening, but that is more down to Leicester's high-tempo play more than anything.
SAVE! Spurs up the pressure a little on the edge of the opposition box, but the move comes to little. Leicester then counter and win themselves a corner kick, which is cleared. Incredibly, it is then Tottenham's turn to counter, with Alli being denied by Schmeichel down low.
Vardy is looking back to his best tonight, charging to the byline to keep the ball in play and almost picking out a teammate. Rose, despite slipping, did well to help the ball behind for a corner kick. Cannot take your eyes off this one!
As good as Leicester have looked in this first half, Schmeichel has had to produce to big saves to keep out Sissoko and Alli. Leicester win another free kick, which Morgan this time heads a fair bit wide of the Tottenham goal.
Rose brings down the ball brilliantly inside the box, only to then volley over the target. The referee actually blew for handball - a bizarre call, because it was not even close to touching the wing-back's hand. Good run, regardless!
Rose and Aurier pushing high up the pitch now in an attempt to put Leicester under a bit of pressure, which they are succeeding in doing. Eriksen not seen a great deal of the ball so far - that needs to change if the Lilywhites are to respond.
Tottenham have had the better of the last five minutes, but they have been unable to test Schmeichel since the Alli chance. Be interesting to see if Leicester can step things up again in the second half, though they have a few minutes to hold on before then.
Definitely a sense of momentum swinging at the King Power Stadium - Leicester now want that half-time whistle. Spurs have had a couple of really good chances to find the net in the first half, but the hosts will feel that they are good value for this lead.
Plenty for Pochettino to ponder as we approach the half-time interval, then, with his side trailing to a brilliant Vardy strike. Tottenham have created a couple of good chances of their own, both of which Schmeichel was equal to.
GOAL! LEICESTER CITY 2-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (RIYAD MAHREZ)
The first one was good... this one is arguably even better! Leicester hit their opponents on the break and, after cutting in from the right, Mahrez curled the ball out of Lloris's reach from 20 yards out - a truly stunning finish.
HALF TIME: LEICESTER CITY 2-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Leicester City take a two-goal lead into the break thanks to goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. The Foxes looked every inch the side that won the title two seasons ago in the opening 45 minutes, although Tottenham Hotspur did have their moments and probably should have levelled up at 1-1.
The Foxes would have been ahead inside the opening seven minutes had Danny Rose not positioned himself on the line to hook away Wes Morgan's goalbound header. Wilfred Ndidi also had a shot kept out by Hugo Lloris as Leicester, looking every inch the title-winning side of two seasons ago, harried their opponents all over the field. The breakthrough did arrive 13 minutes in, with Jamie Vardy hooking Marc Abrighton's cross over the head of Lloris on the volley for his seventh goal of the campaign.
Spurs responded well to the early setback, creating a couple of big chances for Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli, which Kasper Schmeichel was equal to down low on both occasions. Sissoko was played in by Harry Kane for his opportunity, but could not get the better of Schmeichel and then Vicente Iborra on the line, while Alli's attempt on the break also lacked conviction.
There was also half a chance for Kane, who cut back inside and curled the ball over the bar from inside the box, but the second goal of the match would fall the hosts' way in first-half stoppage time. Riyad Mahrez, a key player in that memorable 2015-16 Premier League campaign, was given the chance to cut inside from the right and curl the ball out of Lloris's reach from 20 yards.
BENCH WATCH!
LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Hamer, Amartey, Dragovic, King, Choudhury, Gray, Slimani
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Davies, Foyth, Trippier, Lamela, Son, Llorente
RESTART! We are back up and running at the King Power Stadium, where Tottenham boss Pochettino has decided against making any changes at the break. Kane with an early shot, which Schmeichel was happy to watch sail wide.
Leicester defender Danny Simpson, who was late coming back out for the second half, has just gone down clutching his hamstring. The physio is on, but it seems unlikely that he will be able to see through the remainder of the contest.
A couple of Leicester players have been sent out to warm-up, but Simpson is back on the field for now. Perhaps an area for Tottenham's flying wing-backs to target, as they seek some sort of route back into this contest in the East Midlands.
Tottenham seeing more of the ball since the restart but, a wayward Kane shot aside, they have not done a great deal with it. Man United have opened up a commanding lead in their meeting with Watford, incidentally, so a bad night all round for Spurs.
CHANCE! The first real chance of the second half falls Leicester's way, with Okazaki getting too much on his header after being spotted by Albrighton. Great delivery once again from out wide, and the forward should have done better.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Pochettino makes his first change of the evening, bringing on Son Heung-min for Moussa Sissoko. The departing Frenchman had a glorious chance to level up the match at 1-0, which he failed to take.
This is turning into a frustrating evening for Spurs, as they struggle to create any clear-cut openings. Pochettino surprisingly waited until close to the hour mark to make his first change, and time is now fast ticking down.
It goes without saying that a Tottenham goal around about now will make things very interesting. The visitors are continuing to probe away, but a third away defeat in succession is starting to look almost inevitable at this point.
More than an hour of the match played and Leicester starting to look fairly comfortable now. Puel on course for a massive victory here - just his second since taking over from Craig Shakespeare, which would lift his side into the top half.
Kane with a shot that is blocked behind for a corner. The England international, famously on corner kick duty at Euro 2016, looked like he was going to take this one but then left it for a teammate. In the end it mattered little - cleared away.
Spurs heading for a third-successive away loss for the first time since March 2014, when Tim Sherwood was in charge. Pochettino has another ace up his sleeve, as Lamela is being readied to come on for the remaining 25 minutes.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Eriksen has not been at the races tonight - never a good sign for Spurs. The Dane's ball over the top, intended for Kane, is easily collected by Schmeichel. Llorente has been brought on for Dembele in Tottenham's second change.
Pochettino has now withdrawn a couple of central midfielders for a couple of attackers. Lamela will surely be the third and final alteration, but the Spurs boss clearly does not want to throw him on at this point in the match.
Spurs continuing to probe away high up the field, but Schmeichel has still had very little to do since Leicester bagged a second. All of a sudden, the Lilywhites now have just 18 minutes left - plus added time - to find a couple of goals.
A real shocker from Son Heung-min, who was in possession of the ball on the edge of the box. Did he go for goal or pick out a teammate? Neither - his pass through for Aurier was well overhit and went behind for a goal kick.
CHANCE! A truly incredible miss from Eriksen, who has just summed up Tottenham's evening. Son's cross was knocked down by Llorente, and the Dane somehow blazed the ball wide from seven yards out - had half the goal to aim for!
SUBS! Riyad Mahrez makes way for Demarai Gray, while Lamela is back on the field for the first time in 13 months, taking over from Christian Eriksen. Still not quite sure how the Dane missed the big chance a few minutes ago!
GOAL! LEICESTER CITY 2-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (HARRY KANE)
Harry Kane at his absolute best, peeling off his man and rifling the ball into the roof of the net - goal number 11 in 10 appearances against former club Leicester. The Lilywhites are now right back in this match, with 10 minutes to go!
CHANCE! Another glorious chance comes and goes for the visitors! Serge Aurier with a peach of a cross to the back post, where sub Llorente somehow fired the ball wide. A rival for that Eriksen miss seven minutes or so ago.
LEICESTER CITY SUB! Leicester desperately holding on now, with Spurs knocking down the door. Hamza Choudhury comes on for Okazaki to provide some added midfield steel, but will that be enough to take back control of the match?
Pochettino will wonder how his side are not level at the King Power Stadium, having wasted two unbelievable opportunities. Still three minutes, plus around four minutes of added time, left to play here in this entertaining contest.
You can sense the nerves in the Leicester players, as confusion at the back - not helped by Schmeichel - almost let the visitors in. Home fans now urging their side on, having been second best throughout this second period.
YELLOW CARD! Lamela is shown a yellow card after catching his opponents, with the referee rightly opting not to go into his back pocket despite calls from the home fans to do so. Slimani is now on for Vardy in the game's last change.
PENALTY APPEAL! Rose goes down inside the box. The referee waved play on and Leicester should have wrapped it up, but Slimani's pass was disappointing and Spurs were able to recover. Still 60 seconds to play in the East Midlands!
FULL TIME: LEICESTER CITY 2-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Referee Anthony Taylor blows for full time, meaning that Leicester City hold on for a rare win over a top-six club - just their second in 12 attempts this calendar year! Harry Kane's goal 11 minutes from time set up a tight conclusion, but Tottenham Hotspur could not find a leveller.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the King Power Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and the other Premier League games taking place tonight can be found elsewhere on the site shortly. Thanks for joining!
