Jamie Vardy’s assurances to Steve Cooper he was fit paid dividends as the veteran striker’s goal against the run of play earned Leicester a 1-1 draw with Tottenham.
Vardy, who did not play in a minute of the Foxes’ pre-season, had also been expected to miss their Premier League opener but promised manager Cooper he was able to play after the club was left with no other senior striker following an injury to Patson Daka.
“We didn’t have a striker,” Cooper told Sky Sports ahead of the game. “He said he feels good, he was a little bit uncomfortable that we didn’t have a fit striker and he made himself available.
“You have to trust his judgement.”
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Jamie Vardy scored a second-half equaliser for Leicester against Tottenham
That judgement proved sound at the King Power, as the 37-year-old rose to nod home an equaliser from the hosts’ first real chance of note 12 minutes after half-time from a fine Abdul Fatawu cross.
Until that point, Tottenham had been in full control, racking up more than 70 per cent of possession in the first half, conceding only one shot and taking a deserved lead through Pedro Porro’s smart finish from an equally inviting James Maddison cross.
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Pedro Porro had earlier given Spurs the lead at Leicester
But without a second goal as the cushion they needed after £65m summer arrival Dominic Solanke spurned a number of chances, they were punished by Vardy and could have been again had Guglielmo Vicario not denied him a second with a sprawling stop.
Spurs’ evening went from bad to worse as Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off following an eight-minute stoppage, as they saw out the final minutes of an unwanted draw wondering how their first-half dominance had evaporated.
More to follow.
