Leicester came from two goals behind to secure a sensational 3-2 victory over
Tottenham in the third round of the FA Cup.
Premiership Spurs had taken the lead through Jermaine Jenas before Paul
Stalteri added a spectacular second.
But Elvis Hammond pulled one back for the Championship strugglers moments
before half-time, Stephen Hughes hauled the Foxes level with an assured
second-half strike and Mark de Vries bagged the stoppage-time winner.
It was the visitors who were on the offensive first as centre-half Michael
Dawson released Aaron Lennon along the Spurs right.
His crossed from the byline but Rasiak was beaten to the ball at the back post
by Leicester captain Paddy McCarthy.
The home side's response came in the seventh minute when De Vries saw his
glancing header fly wide of target after Richard Stearman centred from the right
wing.
Leicester threatened again soon after when a venomous De Vries shot was
deflected wide off Michael Carrick's boot for an ultimately fruitless corner.
And the Dutchman should then have done better than miscue his shot into the
stands after after rounding goalkeeper Paul Robinson.
Spurs opened the scoring in the 20th minute when a Carrick free-kick from the
right drifted into the City box.
Keane headed to the far post and Jermaine Jenas prodded the ball home from six
yards out.
De Vries muscled his way past Anthony Gardner but was denied by emergency
defending from Dawson.
And the former Hearts frontman was wide with a header from the resultant
corner, taken by Ryan Smith.
Then, with a little less than 10 minutes until the break, Keane burst clear of
the Leicester defence once more only to be denied by Douglas's save with the
Republic of Ireland international then shooting wide after a ricochet from the
goalkeeper's body.
The Leicester goal was under siege now and, ahead of the break, Keane fired
over the bar and Michael Brown's low drive also went close.
Spurs' inevitable second goal came was blasted home by Stalteri who advanced
along the right wing and powered a rising drive through the hands of Rab Douglas
at his near post.
However, City pulled one back against the run of play when Hammond tapped home
Stearman's supply with just two minutes remaining before the break.
Into the second half and both teams ran out unchanged with Spurs forced into
some desperate defending within moments of kick-off as De Vries fed Hughes, whose low drive was blocked.
The Scotsman was quickly after the rebound and his persistence paid off when
he hooked back into the danger area a ball which was apparently destined to
bounce out of play with De Vries and then Smith also having efforts blocked.
With De Vries out to prove a point to his manager - who has made no secret of
his dissatisfaction at the lack of goals at Leicester this season - the frontman
brushed aside a challenge from Gardner but could only blaze high over Robinson's
crossbar.
And, after all their pressure, Leicester had poor finishing from Stephen Kelly
to thank after Spurs hit back on the break with Keane spraying a pitch-wide pass
from left to right only for his team-mate to fluff his chance when faced with
only Douglas to beat.
The Londoners were made to rue the miss as the home side drew level in the
57th minute with Spurs having failed to clear their lines following a Smith
corner taken from the left.
And, after De Vries had flicked the ball on, Hughes, lurking on the edge of
the penalty area, fired a sweet half-volley effort through a crowded penalty
area and past unsighted England keeper Robinson.
The end-to-end pattern of this third-round encounter remained unchanged though
as Spurs bounced back with Rasiak sending Keane clear only for Douglas to lash
the ball into the stand.
And then Rasiak, a £2million signing from Derby during August, headed over
after central defender Gardner had cut back from the Leicester byline.
England striker Jermain Defoe, on as a 70th-minute replacement for Brown, went
close to scoring within just two minutes of his introduction as his quick feet
created space in the Foxes' penalty area, only for his chipped effort to waft
inches over the crossbar.
But then, in the first of three minutes' stoppage time, De Vries latched on to
Joey Gudjonsson's pass and slotted a sensational winner from close range.
Teams
Leicester Douglas, Stearman, Maybury, Johansson, McCarthy,
Hamill (Hammond 35), Smith (Kisnorbo 90), Gudjonsson, Williams,
Hughes, de Vries.
Subs Not Used: Henderson, Hume, Dublin.
Booked: Maybury.
Goals: Hammond 44, Hughes 57, de Vries 90.
Tottenham Robinson, Stalteri, Kelly, Gardner, Dawson,
Lennon (Tainio 87), Brown (Defoe 70), Carrick, Jenas, Keane,
Rasiak.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Pamarot, Routledge.
Booked: Rasiak.
Goals: Jenas 20, Stalteri 41.
Att: 19,844
Ref: S Bennett (Kent).
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