Leicester City 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

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Son Heung-min scored a stunning goal and set up another as Tottenham booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of Leicester.

With both sides flying high in the Premier League, it promised to be a closely fought replay after the sides drew the first match.

But Spurs were barely troubled and took the lead in the 39th minute when Son's 18-yard strike beat Kasper Schmeichel.

Nacer Chadli made it 2-0 when he converted Son's precise through ball.

The north London side travel to League One strugglers Colchester United in the fourth round.

Son shines for Spurs

It was probably the best 83 minutes of Son's Tottenham career so far.

The £22m summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen was the one bright spark in attack on a night when both sides lacked bite up front.

Image source, Opta
Image caption,

Son was effervescent in attack for Tottenham - and was extremely effective on the fringes of the Foxes area

With Tottenham pairing Harry Kane and Dele Alli and the Foxes' Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez starting on the bench, it was up to the 'cup players' to prove they were also worthy of a place in their Premier League starting XIs.

For Tottenham, who made eight changes, Son's claim was the strongest. He did what his team-mates struggled to do for almost 40 minutes - penetrate the Leicester backline when he shifted past defender Ben Chilwell before scoring with a ferocious dipping strike.

And his assist for the second was also a thing of beauty. After collecting substitute Kane's pass from the left, Son nutmegged Yohan Benalouane with his ball for Chadli, who fired beyond Schmeichel.

Leicester's blunt attack

'Tinkerman' Claudio Ranieri repeated much of what he had done before the first match by making nine changes from the previous league match.

As in the first game, his side were content to let Tottenham dominate possession seemingly in the hope of catching them on the break.

However, the plan failed. The Spurs midfield quelled the threat of wingers Demarai Gray and Nathan Dyer, and in doing so cut off the supply line for lone striker Leonardo Ulloa.

Shinji Okazaki and Marc Albrighton were brought on after the break, as in the match at White Hart Lane, and improved matters. Albrighton had the Foxes best chance of the match when he forced a good low save from the otherwise redundant Michel Vorm.

In defence, Chilwell should perhaps have closed down Son for the opener, but he was Leicester's best player. The youngster was exceptional as an attacking full-back - the highlight a mazy first-half run that won his side a free-kick.

But it is now only one win in seven games for the Foxes in all competitions - is this more than a blip?

Man of the match

Image source, PA
Image caption,

Son Heung-min - the South Korea forward is gradually gaining cult status and is perhaps worthy of a run in Spurs' Premier League starting XI

What they said

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "We have also the Premier League and Europa League and I think it is very important to keep the squad fit and working hard, and the FA Cup is very important for this. We are having a fantastic season, we are at a fantastic level.

"It is difficult to be fair to players but there is fantastic spirit in the changing room and in the training ground.

"I don't like to speak about change. For me, when you have 24 or 25 players they all work very hard and some players deserve to play and can't - you can only pick 11 and seven on the bench."

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri: "Tonight, Tottenham deserved to win. Our priority is the Premier League.

"The FA Cup, I wanted to see all my players and they played at their maximum. I'm very, very pleased with their performance."

The stats you need to know

  • In 13 meetings in the FA Cup (including two replays), Spurs have eight wins to Leicester's three.

  • Spurs have not lost away from home in domestic competitions since the opening day of the season (W5, D5), when they were beaten at Old Trafford.

  • Spurs have scored first in eight of their past nine meetings with Leicester.

What next?

Leicester are back in league action at home to Stoke on Saturday, and Tottenham are at Crystal Palace.

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