The evergreen Jamie Vardy marked his return to the Premier League with a goal as promoted Leicester held Tottenham to a draw at King Power Stadium.
Vardy, 37, scored with the hosts first shot on target, nodding in Abdul Fatawu’s cross from close range just before the hour mark.
The goal cancelled out Pedro Porro’s first-half opener for a Spurs side who had been utterly dominant in the opening 45 minutes and should have been comfortably clear before Vardy struck.
Summer signing Dominic Solanke, who moved to Tottenham for a fee that could rise to £65m, missed a number of early opportunities to score on his debut, twice directing tame headers at Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
Instead, Vardy’s equaliser brought Leicester to life and they could have taken all three points as Tottenham struggled to deal with their energy and enthusiasm.
The former England striker could have secured the win himself as he was sent through on goal but his low strike was kept out by Guglielmo Vicario.
Neither side could find a winner and, while Leicester gained an important point as they strive to prove wrong those tipping them for relegation, Spurs were frustrated after their first-half dominance.
Meanwhile, Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was substituted in the second half after he was injured in a nasty collision.
The 27-year-old received oxygen as he was carried off on a stretcher following a five-minute delay for treatment, but boss Ange Postecoglou said after the game he was “conscious and communicating”.
A goalscoring return to top flight
Leicester have experienced plenty over the past few years – from winning the Premier League and playing in the Champions League to relegation to the Championship.
But the constant throughout all that has been the presence of Vardy.
He scored 136 goals in 307 appearances during his first spell in the Premier League but stayed with them on their return to the second tier to help them bounce back immediately.
The striker agreed a new one-year deal in the summer to enjoy what presumably will be one final hurrah in the top flight but belied his advancing years to earn Leicester a deserved point.
It had initially been expected that he would not be fit enough to play in this game but he stepped up for Steve Cooper’s injury-hit side and made the most of his surprise appearance with his goal.
The signs of rustiness were there when he was unable to grab the winner, placing a strike he normally tucks into the far corner too close to Vicario.
But he nevertheless showed he will more than play a part in Leicester’s bid to stay up this season, particularly with a possible points deduction looming for an alleged profit and sustainability breach.
Frustration for Spurs and Solanke
Tottenham have hopes of kicking on this season after seeing their top-four challenge fall away last term, but this was far from the ideal start.
For 45 minutes, they looked a class above their opponents, dominating possession and creating chances, but a lack of cutting edge ultimately proved costly – as it did several times in the previous campaign.
Spurs will look to new signing Solanke to provide that clinical touch in front of goal this season, but he too was guilty of failing to put away opportunities on his debut, and should have at least tested Hermansen more with his two early headers.
Richarlison then directed a header wide from a free-kick in the final few seconds as Postecoglou looked at the ground in frustration. It is very early days, but this performance will give the Tottenham boss plenty of think about.
