Jamie Vardy still knows how to score in the Premier League.
The 37-year-old striker saved a point for Leicester in their return to the Premier League on Monday by scoring a second-half equalizer with a header in a 1-1 draw against Tottenham, who had mostly controlled the first half.
Tottenham had many chances to increase their lead, but new signing Dominic Solanke missed some opportunities.
It was Spanish defender Pedro Porro who put Tottenham ahead after 29 minutes, heading James Maddison’s cross into the net at the far post while getting between two Leicester defenders.
However, Vardy, who was crucial to Leicester’s Premier League title win in 2016 and has stayed with the club since, was left unmarked and scored the equalizer with a header.
A corner count of 9-0 showed Tottenham’s dominance in the first half, but Vardy’s goal changed the game.
Steve Cooper’s team suddenly became more energetic, and both teams had chances to win in a busy last half hour.
“Tottenham are a really good team but we gave them too much respect, and we started getting after them and it changed the momentum,” Vardy told Sky Sports.
Vardy missed a good chance in the 70th minute when he ran clear on goal but his low shot was saved by Guglielmo Vicario. At the other end, Richarlison sent a header wide in injury time, missing the last chance of the match.
“It is a disappointing night for us,” Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said. “We need to be more ruthless in front of goal. We were that dominant, we should have been well away from the opposition. To be that wasteful tonight when we had so much of the ball and territory, it is disappointing.”
