Men's

Round 3

White Hart Lane

Sun 10 Jan 2016 | 16:00

Tottenham Hotspur Badge

2

-

2

  • Wasilewski
    19'
  • Okazaki
    48'

Match Report

Harry Kane's controversial late penalty kept Tottenham in the FA Cup as the striker's equaliser earned a third-round replay against Leicester.

Kane scored from the spot after Nathan Dyer had been penalised for handball, to the visitors' anger.

Christian Eriksen had put Spurs ahead, with a low drive after keeper Kasper Schmeichel parried Nacer Chadli's shot.

Marcin Wasilewski's header levelled before substitute Shinji Okazaki weaved into the box and fired Leicester ahead.

Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was booked in the aftermath of referee Bobby Madley awarding Tottenham a penalty in the 89th minute.

The ball struck Nathan Dyer's hand as he turned to attempt to tackle Danny Rose in the penalty area.

Former Wigan midfielder Kevin Kilbane told BBC One: "It is harsh but it was hand to ball - Nathan Dyer has flicked his hand out at the ball going past him."

But ex-England striker Alan Shearer and Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill both disagreed.

"I think that's a very poor decision - it's not a penalty at all, Nathan Dyer doesn't even know where the ball is. It's very harsh," said Shearer.

O'Neill added: "I agree with Alan, it's a very harsh penalty - Nathan Dyer has just turned round and doesn't know where the ball is. Doesn't it have to be deliberate?"

Some would argue Wednesday's Premier League meeting between the sides is a lot more important than an FA Cup third round tie, with both still in contention for the top-flight title.

The managers appeared to agree with Leicester making eight changes and Spurs seven from their last league outings, but there was no lack of desire from the players involved.

FA Cup: Christian Eriksen opens the scoring for Tottenham Despite Spurs missing the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli initially, and Leicester being without Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy entirely - the two sides produced an enthralling contest.

Tottenham's intent was clear as they brought on top scorer Kane with 24 minutes left and Alli followed soon after, while Leicester's anger at the final whistle was again evidence of how much it meant.

Spurs had 74% possession but, despite having 24 shots to Leicester's 10, they rarely threatened Schmeichel's goal.

Leicester went into the match having failed to score in their last three matches - after netting in each of their previous 21 games in all competitions - and with just two points from their last three league games.

With top scorer Vardy injured and playmaker Mahrez rested, the visiting fans must have feared the worst, especially when Eriksen put Spurs ahead early on.

But, perhaps fortunate to be level at the break through Wasilewski with lone striker Leonardo Ulloa isolated, the Foxes were rewarded for a more adventurous second-half approach.

Debutant Demarai Gray, a £3.7m signing from Birmingham, created Okazaki's equaliser and almost scored with a wicked 20-yard shot, and his 64-minute display showed glimpses of the pace that will cause Premier League defences problems.

It was the half-time introduction of Okazaki that added more attacking threat, although for the majority of the game Leicester were content to soak up pressure and hit Tottenham on the break.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "I am happy because it was a draw and this is an important competition for us. A defeat would not have been fair, a draw is a bit more fair but if you analyse the full 90 minutes then we deserved more.

"I'm happy with the performance and we made a great effort."

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri: "I didn't see the penalty, there were two players in front of me, but the more important thing is that the referee gave the penalty so it is a penalty.

"I'm very pleased with our performance. We had eight players who had not been playing for some time, but now they played and they deserved a positive result - 2-2 is a positive result."