Leicester City punished a lacklustre Tottenham Hotspur to move above them in the Premier League table and into second on Sunday afternoon.

Jamie Vardy's 11th goal of the season from the penalty spot gave Brendan Rodgers' men the lead just before the half-time whistle.

An own goal from Toby Alderweireld shortly before the hour mark then gave Leicester extra breathing room as they dominated at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from start to finish.

Story of the Match

First half of few chances

It took 12 minutes for the game to spring into life, with the first opportunity coming Leicester's way.

James Maddison's floating ball into the box found the head of Harvey Barnes, whose cushioned found the feet of Wesley Fofana, but instead of shooting, chose to lay back to Vardy, but his shot was deflected and then cleared away. 

Harry Kane came closest for the home side in the first 45 with a close-range header from Son Heung-Min's corner, but it could only flash over Kasper Schmeichel's bar.

VAR drama puts Foxes in front

With the two sides looking certain to be heading into the interval level, VAR came calling in Leicester's favour right on the verge of the half-time whistle.

Referee Craig Pawson was advised to check his on-screen monitor after being alerted to a challenge made by Serge Aurier on Foxes defender Fofana, blatantly pushing into the back of the 20-year-old.

Pawson made no hesitation to point to the spot and Vardy stepped up to thunder the ball down the middle of the goal and give the East Midlanders a well-deserved lead.

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Foxes denied early double

Leicester thought they had found an early second through Maddison, but VAR denied the Foxes by the finest of margins after the 24-year-old was adjudged to have been offside.

A long hopeful punt up the pitch from James Justin evaded the entirety of the Tottenham defence, allowing Maddison to run through clean on goal and neatly tuck the ball into the far left-hand corner.

After a look from VAR official Paul Tierney however, the Foxes had their second chalked off. 

Alderweireld own goal doubles Leicester advantage

10 minutes after initially thinking they had found a second, the away side doubled their lead once more after Alderweireld's attempt to block a Vardy header ended up diverting into his own net.

Patient play from Maddison saw him release the ball into the path of Marc Albrighton who was able to cut inside and whip the ball into the path of Vardy whose cushioned header looked to be heading away from goal.

Belgian defender Alderweireld tried his best to block the ball but instead of clearing, the ball deflected off him, wrong-footing Lloris to put the Foxes two goals to the good. 

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Schmeichel Stops Son with Important Save

Tottenham looked to try and find a way back into the game and on the 70-minute mark almost reduced deficit to one but Leicester captain Schmeichel was alert and on hand to deny Son.

An in-swinging corner found the head of the South Korean, who's point-blank header was well met by the Denmark keeper with quick-fire reactions.

Spurs struggled to create any more significant chances throughout the game and were left frustrated as Leicester returned to the East Midlands with yet another impressive win on the road under their belt.

Key Takeaways

Rodgers tactics pay off

Before kick off, Tottenham hadn't conceded in their last four home games, but Brendan Rodgers' tactics paid off in North London as he guided his team to an impressive victory.

Jose Mourinho allowed Rodgers' side to control the possession throughout and by doing so, the Northern Irishman took advantage. Using his three centre-backs nullified the threats of Kane and Son, whilst the attacking forces of Vardy and Barnes, as well as the defensive shield in Wilfred Ndidi grabbed the game by the scruff of it's neck and punish Spurs.

Leicester were classy throughout, using a patient and methodical build-up approach and it duly paid off as they delivered their best performance of the season.

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Foxes Away Form Continues

One of the biggest factors behind Leicester's strong start is their impressive away form.

Whilst much has been said about disappointing displays at the King Power Stadium, the Foxes have lost just once on the road this season away at Liverpool and that run continued with a great win and they now look ahead to a tricky Boxing Day fixture against an inconsistent Manchester United.

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