Late Bergwijn Double Gives Tottenham Dramatic Win Over Leicester
Antonio Conte was set to suffer his first Premier League defeat in charge of Tottenham at the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City with only minutes left on the clock, but substitute Steven Bergwijn turned it around with a late double to win 3-2.
The Dutchman came on in the 79th minute, and then scored an injury time brace, sparking wild celebrations among Tottenham fans and players alike.
Spurs will feel that the result was a deserved one given the quality of their chances throughout, starting both the first and second halves as the stronger team.
In a thrilling fixture with plenty of chances for both teams, it was the Foxes who opened the scoring completely against the run of play.
Patson Daka applied the finishing touch after a rapid counter-attack down the left flank following a spell of possession from Tottenham.
Spurs did pull back level shortly after, with Harry Kane showing impressive technique to round the defence following a smart first touch to then beat Kasper Schmeichel with an effort going in off the post.
In the second half, Conte’s side came out of the blocks quickly but it was Leicester who had the more dangerous chances.
Neither side could convert their chances, though, at least not until Harvey Barnes was brought on and he held the ball up and played in James Maddison to fire his shot goalwards, with a deflection sending it past Hugo Lloris.
Spurs kept up the pressure, but left it late to make an impact with a fortunate bounce allowing Bergwijn to appear in the right place at the right time to convert and equaliser.
Less than a minute later, Leicester lost possession almost direct from kick off, allowing the visitors to counter, with Kane feeding in Bergwijn to round Schmeichel and convert a late winner.
The result puts Tottenham above rivals Arsenal in the table, maintaining their unbeaten run in the Premier League dating back to October.