Tottenham Hotspur vs. Leicester City: Winners and Losers from FA Cup
Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City fought out a 2-2 draw in their third-round FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane.
Harry Kane came off the bench to convert a late penalty after referee Robert Madley deemed Leicester City's Nathan Dyer had handled the ball inside his own area.
Tottenham had taken an early lead in the all-Premier League clash, Christian Eriksen breaking the deadlock with a low drive after nine minutes.
However, the Foxes hit back through Marcin Wasilewski, the defender flicking a header into the net after getting on the end of a corner from Leicester City debutant Demarai Gray.
The visitors then took the lead three minutes after the half-time interval.
Substitute Shinji Okazaki made an instant impact on proceedings, beating two Tottenham defenders before scoring on the second attempt.
Leicester City looked set to hold on as the game moved into the closing minutes, only for official Madley to rule Dyer had deliberately knocked the ball away out of Danny Rose's path.
Bleacher Report has picked out the winners and losers from what was a pulsating cup game.
Winner: Claudio Ranieri
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Claudio Ranieri used to be nicknamed "The Tinkerman" during his time in charge of Chelsea—he liked to shuffle the deck more often than a blackjack dealer.
The Italian has been much more consistent with his team selection since taking over as manager of Leicester City in the summer, but decided to make eight changes for the FA Cup game at Tottenham Hotspur.
However, his most telling alteration came at half-time.
Although the score was 1-1 at the break, Ranieri recognised his side had struggled to get a grip on proceedings. Per Tottenham's official Twitter feed, the hosts had 76 per cent of possession in the first half.
He sent on Okazaki, meaning a switch to 4-4-2. The substitution paid off immediately, as the Japan international scored less than three minutes after play resumed.
Okazaki's introduction offered much-needed support to fellow forward Leonardo Ulloa, while the change in shape also helped limit the attacking threat posed by Tottenham's full-backs.
Losers: The Fixture Lists for Both Clubs
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Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City faced each other in the FA Cup ahead of a midweek Premier League meeting between the teams at White Hart Lane.
The third-round tie, coming off the back of a hectic festive period, saw both managers make changes to their teams to freshen things up.
However, they will now have to face each other for a third time in the month of January after the 2-2 draw in London.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was still pleased to be in the draw for the fourth round, even if it means another game to add to their schedule.
He told BBC Sport: "I am happy because it was a draw and this is an important competition for us. A defeat would not have been fair, a draw is a bit more fair but if you analyse the full 90 minutes then we deserved more."
Winner: Demarai Gray
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If Gray's debut is anything to go by, Leicester City may have just picked up a bargain in the January sales.
The winger—signed from Championship side Birmingham City for £2.8 million, per Transfermarkt—enjoyed an excellent start to his career with the Foxes, including setting up their first goal.
It was Gray's corner from the right that new team-mate Wasilewski headed home to make it 1-1 after 19 minutes.
Gray also combined well with left-back Ben Chilwell, who was equally impressive after being handed his debut in the FA Cup following a spell on loan at Huddersfield Town in the Championship.
Loser: Nacer Chadli
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While some seized their chance to impress in the FA Cup, Nacer Chadli did not quite make the most of his opportunity for Tottenham Hotspur.
The forward was handed his first start by manager Pochettino since the 0-0 Premier League draw at home to Liverpool on Oct. 17.
Chadli did have a hand in the home side's opening goal, albeit that his poorly struck shot with his left foot was palmed helpfully by Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel towards Eriksen.
However, the Belgium international failed to see out the match. He was replaced by Dele Alli after 73 minutes as the hosts pushed for an equaliser.
Winner: Harry Kane
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After being left out of the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI, Harry Kane spared his side from an early FA Cup exit.
The England international had to wait until the 68th minute to be introduced from the bench. In truth, he did not have a great impact in open play during the time he was actually on the field.
However, Kane kept a cool head when Dyer's handball provided him with the chance to level the scores.
He fired his spot kick past Schmeichel to not only score his first goal in the cup but also bring up his half-century for Tottenham in all competitions, per Squawka Football on Twitter.
Loser: Robert Madley
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After an excellent FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane, it is a shame that one of the major talking points from the match is a referee's decision.
Official Madley pointed to the spot after deeming Leicester City's Dyer had deliberately handled the ball inside his own penalty area.
The winger was tracking back in an attempt to stick with Tottenham Hotspurs' Danny Rose. There was no doubting his arm made contact with the ball, but the intent was questionable.
Leicester City's players complained about the decision, with goalkeeper Schmeichel booked for his protestations, but the penalty was awarded.
Former England international Alan Shearer certainly felt the Foxes had been hard done by.
Covering the game for BBC television, Shearer said after the final whistle (h/t Dan Ripley of MailOnline): "I think that's a very poor decision. I don't think that's a penalty at all. He doesn't even know where the ball is, he's got his back to the referee and to the ball. No way is that a penalty. It's very harsh."
