Son’s rapid treble lifts Tottenham and exposes Leicester’s fragility | premier league

As ways to end a goal drought go, this takes some topping. With Tottenham already having come from behind to lead a pulsating clash 3-2, substitute Son Heung-min curled to finish past a flailing Danny Ward.

It was only the start. A left-foot strike of similar quality quickly followed and then, with the offside flag having been raised initially, came the icing on a 13 minute hat-trick. Praise be for VAR.

The victory, temporarily at least, took Tottenham above north London rivals Arsenal and level with Manchester City at the Premier League summit. For Leicester the rot continues. Without a league win, they prop up the table. Six straight defeats and Brendan Rodgers is perhaps hanging on by a thread, their inability to hold on to a lead will be particularly galling. This season alone they have dropped 11 points from winning positions.

Following midweek European misadventure, Antonio Conte made four changes. Amongst them was Son’s demotion. Dejan Kulusevski could only loiter patiently for so long.

Rodgers made a trio of alterations from the side dismantled at Brighton. Wout Faes, the club’s only outfield summer signing, – a point Rodgers has hammered home – was handed his debut.

Pre-match Ledley King and Emile Heskey laid wreaths on the pitch, but sadly the minute’s silence that followed was not quite impeccably observed. Then came a rousing rendition of God Save the King, and after that a frenetic opening period.

The tone was set when Davinson Sánchez – alongside Clement Lenglet freshly reinstalled to flank Eric Dier – fluffed an initial clearance. The recycled ball saw James Justin skip down the Tottenham left and as he reached the penalty area, Sánchez clipped him. The challenge was equal parts needless and mindless.

Youri Tielemans’ initial penalty was reached by Hugo Lloris, but VAR checked the Frenchman’s footwork; he had moved early. Tielemans and Lloris both went the same way again, but this time the strike was elevated and Leicester led.

It was, though, short-lived. A training ground corner routine saw Kulusevski and Ivan Perisic exchange passes before the former stood the ball up at the back post. There it was met by Harry Kane for his 18th in 15 league games against Leicester.

Soon Tottenham had reversed the scoreline. Again, it came from a corner; this time Perisic’s inswinger was glanced from front post to back by Dier. Family failings for Leicester; just like at the Amex a fortnight back they squandered an early advantage to trail within quarter of an hour.

Tottenham were denied a third corner success when Sánchez nudged goalkeeper Danny Ward, but their openness meant their lead never felt secure.

And indeed, the visitors had drawn level by the break. Two of Rodgers’ returnees Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Timothy Castagne combined, with the former’s cross-field pass won by the latter. Ryan Sessegnon was, frankly, weak, and Castagne retrieved his own header to cross for James Maddison. His hooked finish was sublime.

Almost immediately, Ward tipped Sánchez’s header onto the bar, before Lloris denied Maddison from an acute angle. Pulsating.

Any dressing room words of calm half-time calm failed to reach the pitch. Wilfred Ndidi has spent recent weeks as a makeshift centre-back, with Rodgers unwilling to call upon some of those perhaps better placed.

But Faes’ inclusion allowed Ndidi to return to his preferred spot at the base of midfield here. And it was from there he dallied, allowing Rodrigo Bentancur to nip in and regain possession in Leicester’s.

Now Bentancur rarely strays forward, but he drove to the edge of the area and placed his finish past Ward. It was his first for Tottenham.

Ndidi’s hands covered his face, with a sub-optimal minute then ending in a booking for preventing a potential similar scenario unfolding.

Leicester are nothing if not adventurous though, and Patson Daka brought the best out of Lloris, who produced a leaping save to deny a towering header. Daka then comically saw yellow for a ‘Hand of God’ attempt.

Enter stage left Son, with his own script to write. There was to be no nerve finish.