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As Jamie Vardy left the pitch in the 79th minute he pointed to the Premier League badge on his arm and lifted one finger to the Tottenham fans, a reminder to them as to how many titles he has and coincidentally how many goals he scored last night; the 37-year-old is back in the top flight and back with a bang.
His 57th-minute equaliser was enough to earn Steve Cooper’s Leicester City side a point that at half time, against a dominant Spurs side, looked extremely unlikely. But in an evening that transpired to be the tale of two strikers it was the veteran in blue that came out on top against Dominic Solanke, Tottenham’s record signing.
“He did what he does,” Cooper said. “Three days ago we were without an experienced striker. He showed so much desire in wanting to play. If it was Saturday, he probably wouldn’t have played. He’s the main man here and we want him to continue to be that man.”
After 45 minutes the home supporters who had been waiting for this moment since their promotion was confirmed back in April would have been fearing the worst. Underdogs by Kasabian had rung out around the King Power shortly before the two teams entered the pitch and it could not be a more apt theme tune for this campaign for Leicester.
From kick-off Leicester were camped in their own half as they tried to combat swathe after swathe of Tottenham attacks. James Maddison, booed on his return to the King Power, was so often the orchestrator as he delivered dangerous balls into the box looking for their new No 9.
The spotlight will be on Solanke this season and Postecoglou will be looking for more from his new talisman. He should have done better in the 12th minute to finish off a fluid move started by Pape Sarr involving Son Hueng-min and Maddison but his header was weak.
The positive was that he was making the right runs and getting into the right areas but was just lacking that clinical final touch.
Solanke tried to spin away from Jannik Vestergaard after Brennan Johnson and Maddison had combined well down the right but fell over and attempted to appeal for a penalty.
These are early days for him in a Tottenham shirt and those finishing touches will no doubt come.
The only surprise when Pedro Porro gave the visitors the lead in the 29th minute was that it had taken so long. Maddison, who had been a threat to his former side all evening, delivered the inswinging ball and the defender was there to open Spurs’ campaign for the season with a glancing header.
Vardy, who has seen it all in his career, stood on the halfway line with his hand on his hips staring ahead — a penny for the thoughts of the 37-year-old who signed a contract extension in the summer. Maybe, with all the experience he has in his locker, he was plotting how he would get his team back into the tie.
Leicester in the first half compared with Leicester in the second half was like Jekyll and Hyde. They had gone from passive to aggressive and made an attempt from the restart to rectify the mistakes made in the first half as they ventured beyond the halfway line for the first time in the game.
In the first half they looked overawed by the occasion but in the second they competed like they deserved to be back.
Vardy found Bobby Decordova-Reid as he ran in behind but the offside flag was up before the new signing could get a shot away. The signs were more positive for Cooper’s side.
Tottenham tried in vain to double their lead as Solanke cut inside and fired an effort at Mads Hermansen before Rodrigo Bentancur looked to finish off another fine attacking move only to curl his effort straight at the Dane.
And then came the equaliser, and who else but Vardy? Abdul Fatawu clipped a ball to the far post and the veteran striker headed into the bottom corner.
His celebration was one that showed that he is back. Back in the top flight where he now has 137 goals and a reminder not to write him off even at the age of 37.
“I see it as just a number [age]. As long as my legs still feel great, then I’ll carry on,” Vardy said.
Cooper is going to need him, and probably another couple of faces, if they are to avoid relegation this season; they certainly can’t afford more first-half displays like last night.
While Postecoglou was left scratching his head as to why his team did not turn their dominance into three points the real concern for the Tottenham boss was Bentancur, who had to be taken off on a stretcher and given oxygen after a nasty head collision in the 70th minute.
“It’s a head injury and we have to be careful,” Postecoglou said. “The good news is he was up and talking.”
The midfielder’s condition will have been at the front of Postecoglou’s mind as he left the King Power but as they move on from this game he will have to ensure, if Tottenham are to improve on last season, that they take the positives from the first half as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.
Jamie Vardy promised to carry on “as long as his legs will let him” after marking Leicester City’s Premier League return with a point-earning goal.
Vardy turns 38 in January and had not been thought fit enough to make even the bench for the 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Steve Cooper, the City manager, revealed that the veteran was prepared to take a gamble on his own fitness because the only other experienced forward, Patson Daka, was unavailable.
“If the game had been on Sunday or Saturday, he wouldn’t have played,” he said. “There were no mind games or lying. I have done that before but not this time.
“It just wasn’t sitting right for him that we’d go into this game without an experienced striker.“He came to see me a couple of days ago and said, ‘I’ll be fit, I’ll play and am available’, so we played him.”
Vardy, whose 57th-minute header cancelled out Pedro Porro’s first-half opener, said: “I was as fit as a fiddle until I got to about 65 minutes, if I’m honest.”
Referring to his age, he added: “I see it as just a number. As long as I keep looking after myself and my legs keep feeling great, then I will carry on for as long as is physically possible.
“I wouldn’t say I am doing anything differently playing-wise. Probably adapted a bit by dropping in but I think the main thing is I am looking after myself recovery-wise to the maximum.”
Cooper added: “If we get enough good service around an opponent’s box we have the guy to find space get on the end of the right chances. He’s not going to learn that from me, he’s been doing it for decades. It’s about keeping him as fresh as we can.” Tottenham had been dominant in the first half but wasted a number of opportunities before and after Porro’s goal, with the new signing Dominic Solanke seeing two early headers saved.
“We just had a little chat at half-time,” Vardy said. “Tottenham are a really good team but we gave them too much respect. We started getting after them and it changed the momentum. We’ll take the point and move on now.”
The Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was taken off on a stretcher with concussion after a collision in the Leicester box late on.
“I don’t have a lot of information but I do know he is up and he’s communicating,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said. “So he is fine from that point of view but obviously with a head injury the key thing is that he is definitely conscious and communicating.”
Leicester: (4-2-3-1) M Hermansen 7 – J Justin 7, W Faes 7, J Vestergaard 7, V Kristiansen 6 – W Ndidi 7, H Winks 6 – A Fatawu 6, F Bounanotte 7 (B Soumare 79), B De Cordova-Reid 6 (K McAteer 86) – J Vardy 8 (S Mavididi 79). Booked: Faes
Tottenham: (4-3-3 ) G Vicario 7 — P Porro 7 (D Spence 92), C Romero 6, M Van de Ven 7, D Udogie 7 — J Maddison 8 (D Kulusevski 79), P Sarr 7 (L Bergvall 78), R Bentancur 7 (A Gray 78) — B Johnson 7 (T Werner 78), D Solanke 6, H-M Son 7 (Richarlison 90+2). Booked: Bentancur
Ref: Chris Kavanagh Attendance: 31, 977
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