Ferocious boos rang around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after goals from Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss and Jamie Vardy consigned Spurs to a fourth Premier League defeat in a row on Sunday.
Jeers and chants of “we want Levy out” were aimed at Spurs chairman Daniel Levy from home fans in the 61,295 crowd throughout the 2-1 loss, which lifted Leicester out of the relegation places for the first time this year.
Both Leicester goals came at the start of the second half as they came from behind after Richarlison had put the home side ahead after 33 minutes.
“Yeah, it hurts. It hurts a lot,” admitted Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou afterwards. “The players gave everything again.
“We created some good opportunities and unfortunately things just didn't drop for us but not because the players weren't trying and that's the main thing.
“I know it will turn. We'll get some players back, we were short again today but in the next couple of weeks there's some really important players coming back that I know will help this group.
“We've not hit a ceiling. We've been going like this for two months. They put in an enormous performance on Thursday to make sure we're OK in Europe and they had to back it up today but there were probably at least two or three players that weren't at 100 per cent.
“I'm a football manager and I get judged on results, that is the way of the world.”
The season has turned into a disaster for both clubs. Postecoglou's side are 15th in the table, eight points above the relegation zone, after losing six of their last seven league games.
At least Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men managed to end a catastrophic run of seven losses in a row – an eighth would have equalled their worst ever losing streak – and pull themselves one point and one place outside the bottom three
There was little surprise then that a nervous encounter in front of an unconvinced crowd developed in the swirling North London rain.
With 10 Spurs players on their injury list and James Maddison the latest to be unavailable, the home crowd were quiet – except when they voiced their frustration.
Leicester stayed narrow and settled better, with Jordan Ayew, one of three Leicester forwards aged 30 plus, wasting a clear chance on nine minutes.
The home side began to find some rhythm and Son Heung-min cut across the Leicester defence to shoot low towards the corner, but Jakub Stolarczyk pushed it wide.
Spurs play with risk, pressing high and Leicester took advantage, breaking several times to threaten. A more clinical side would have scored.
The home side finally stuttered into action and took the lead on 33 minutes, with Richarlison heading a home fabulous delivery from Pedro Porro from close range.
Leicester responded when Moroccan international El Khannouss’ 37th-minute shot deflected upwards and almost past home keeper Antonin Kinsky, while Porro shot into the side netting from a difficult angle at the other end before the break.
Foxes manager Ruud van Nistelrooy stood on the edge of his area throughout, except when his side equalised at the start of the second half, Vardy bundling the ball in from a yard out after the referee played the advantage.
The 3,000 away fans were left ecstatic four minutes later when El Khannouss found the bottom corner from the edge of the box. The response from the home fans was immediate – more calls for Levy to go. Spurs were flat, the visitors buoyant.
Boubakary Soumare could have made it three not long after but could only blast over the bar, while Vardy saw a volley blocked. Spurs could not get out of their own halfm with coach Postecoglou left with a permanent look of fury on the sidelines.
The game felt like a cup tie, wide open and end to end. Porro hit the crossbar with a deflected 61st minute free-kick, the Spaniard then bear two players before driving a right-footed shot into the near netting leaving teammates in the middle waiting for a cross fuming.
The mood was awful in the stands, part calm before a storm of protest, part tension and part hoping their team would rescue the game as the minutes ticked down.
Leicester defended well, narrow, tight and defiant. They did enough for the most significant win of Van Nistelrooy’s time so far.
Spurs have impressed in the cups. They’re still in the FA Cup, the semi-finals of the League Cup and are back in Europa League action on Thursday against Swedish side Elfsborg, hoping to confirm their place in the knockout stage.
Leicester’s interest in cups is limited to the FA Cup – and an away tie at Manchester United on February 7 – but their priority is staying up. They gave themselves a far better chance of that with a valuable, hard-fought victory.
After the match, Leicester striker Vardy said: “It is a big win, hopefully it stops the rot we have been in. We have been playing some decent football for probably half a game and it has let us down a bit.
“The lads there battled through for 90 minutes and it is credit too to the manager what he’s been doing on the training pitch.
“At times you want to be the team playing the nice football but at times during a game it is not on. We have all stuck together as a team. We knuckled down, stayed together and got the big win.
“We all know what is at stake. We want to play nice football but that was three points in the right direction and hopefully the start of a run.”
