The referee taking the Michael Mauricio Pochettino is a funny one. The Spurs boss is normally calm as anything after a defeat and gets himself all worked up after a win, which perhaps shows he really means what he's saying and this match was no different
The Argentine is far less reluctant to criticise referees than his counterparts across the league, but when it came to another decision from Michael Oliver that upset him, he just had to let loose
Son Heung-min certainly made the most of a challenge from Harry Maguire early on, but to decide it was a dive and book the South Korean star was a stretch, "unbelievable" in Pochettino's eyes
What was most telling, and presumably missed or ignored by Oliver, was that Maguire pointed outside the box in the immediate aftermath of Son hitting the deck, trying to tell the referee it should be a free-kick not a penalty
He then changed his stance to claim that the Spurs man was diving after Oliver pointed the other way
That Leicester were then handed a penalty at the other end for what looked to be minimal contact when Jan Vertonghen and James Maddison came together sent Pochettino over the edge, and he brought up another big Wembley gaffe from Oliver from earlier in the season
"Today do you think that Sonny deserved to be booked? Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable
When you compare the situation with the penalty against us, unbelievable," he said
"The problem is I told Michael Oliver, the situation of Liverpool in the last minute that should be a penalty [when Son was brought down by Mane], to maybe be 2-2, maybe 2-1, but it was a clear penalty
"It was the same referee but now I don't know how he has measured the situation
It is so difficult. I am a person that always accepts the mistake but I think it was so strange the situation today
" He added: "It was so clear the position today with Sonny, the action, but it wasn't clear the position of Maddison when he was on the floor
I think it is unbelievable. "I am more relaxed because we won the game, three important points we got, but so disappointed with the situation because everyone wants to talk about different clubs or players but do you think we are a team that is trying to cheat the referee? Come on, we are the most innocent people on the pitch
" It was a tough day for Spurs with Oliver. They did not earn a single free-kick until the 52nd minute of the match
When it came it was accompanied by a big cheer from the Wembley crowd. Pochettino, known in his day as a defender who was more than happy to employ the dark arts of football, has often complained that his team is too nice on the pitch
The referees, Michael Oliver in particular, seem to disagree. Lloris comes up trumps Hugo Lloris' role as a sweeper keeper means he will make mistakes from time to time
Perhaps those errors mean he's never truly recognised for what he's achieved and capable of in the game
"For me Hugo is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He showed it of course in the World Cup as he lifted the trophy and in five, six years here with Tottenham," said Pochettino
"He was key today. When you need this type of performance from your top player, for him it's a fantastic feeling and he is going to feel amazing now because he helped the team to three points
" Not normally known for penalty saves, Lloris stepped up when he was needed at Wembley to guess correctly and push away Jamie Vardy's kick which would have levelled the game
He then came up trumps when it mattered again around five minutes later as Harvey Barnes found himself free and unmarked in the Tottenham box
The Frenchman thrust out his foot to stop the young Foxes midfielder's shot from crossing the line, David De Gea-style
In a season when Paulo Gazzaniga's performances, mostly in the cup competitions, have ramped up the pressure on Tottenham's number one some fans have called for a change between the sticks
However, it would require a real run of horror show performances from Lloris for Pochettino to even start to think about taking his captain out of the team
There is an enormous amount of mutual respect between the World Cup winner and the Tottenham manager
Lloris has had opportunities to leave the club over the years but has stuck with Pochettino's project, believing in the end game
There are far more important saves from the Frenchman than there are kicking gaffes or mistimed runs out of his box
"I think he's showing his value and in decisive moments," said Pochettino. "His quality is there and we cannot doubt that
" Fixture madness This has been the season of circumstances. It's Pochettino favourite word and Tottenham have had more thrown at them than any other team and we won't list all of the problems here yet again
However, where the club could have been helped somewhat is in kinder fixture scheduling, whether that's because of the broadcasting companies involved or the Premier League's aversion to saying no to changes to the set list
Premier League managers coming from other leagues often say that in their previous countries of work, every effort was made to give their teams more rest ahead of European competition
In England, it seems to be the opposite. English teams going far in the Champions League is a great advert for the Premier League, but that doesn't seem to be taken into consideration
Pochettino went on a lengthy rant about how he couldn't understand why after a week's break, Spurs' fixture just had to be on a Sunday with the Champions League last 16 clash against Borussia Dortmund on the Wednesday
Here is every word of Pochettino's thoughts on the subject. "I was telling your colleague before about how upset I am
I feel so embarrassed because I can accept to play today if Dortmund play today and then we play Wednesday, but I cannot understand why we're playing with a massive disadvantage," he said
"Twenty-four hours in this type of competition, the last 16, is a massive disadvantage
It doesn't mean that we're not going to compete. For me, I'm going to stop describing the real situation, but I think there is no sense
"It is so difficult to understand why, when we had one week clear to play this game and to schedule it on a different day, and only I am explaining my feelings and how difficult it is to prepare a game when you only have today and then you're going to need to play
"We came from a very tough period. In England it's a busy period at Christmas. It's January when clubs in Germany, Spain or Italy enjoy some holidays and rest
That is why if you can be in a similar level, you need to play with the same situation
That is why I feel so disappointed. I don't use it as an excuse. "I'm not going to explain any more
I think today is going to be the last time I complain and I hope that you describe and send the right message, not 'Pochettino is crying'
Only describe the situation. "I think you understand very well my feelings and the feelings of the staff and players too
But you know that doesn't mean we are going to play in a different way. We believe that we can win and beat them
We believe that we are going to give our best and be competitive and arrive in our best form
But of course I need to describe the situation, if not who backs us? "During this season we are fighting a lot of circumstances and that is one more
Remember when we played Manchester City on a Monday and played West Ham at the London Stadium in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday
We played Monday evening and Wednesday evening! "People talk about this squad but my players are heroes
What happens happens at the end of the season, they are going to be remembered, if we win some title, in the history but if not, in the history too because all of the circumstances against how we are fighting and showing character is amazing
" Pochettino has previously described how he's created a bubble at Spurs to try to keep all the circumstances outside and the squad's energy and fight inside
It's a them and us scenario but one that's very different to the kind Jose Mourinho employs
Right now, with Spurs just five points off the top, it seems to be doing the trick nicely
Magnificent Moussa The Moussa Sissoko transformation continues at pace. The Spurs fans were singing his name in the final minutes as he embarked on a string of lung-busting runs past challenge after challenge to release the pressure valve on Leicester's attacks and get the ball up the other end of the pitch
Sissoko sealed an energetic, selfless display with the curling ball into Son's path that evaded the Foxes' defence and sent the South Korean attacker on his way to score Tottenham's third
The Frenchman is now among the first names on the teamsheet. Even those fans who once seized upon Sissoko's every mistake are now struggling to hide away from throwing compliments his way
The midfielder has found his place in Pochettino's side, he knows his job to the letter and in the same way as N'Golo Kante covers for everyone at Chelsea, as he did at Leicester, Sissoko's name on the team sheet is like having an 11th and 12th man out there, a complete contrasts to the days when he used to be considered a passenger
While Harry Winks was tiring in the game's final stages after another industrious performance, Sissoko appeared to be getting stronger, surging past opponents as if they were flies to be swatted away
It is fitting that in a campaign when Tottenham have had to battle against everything thrown at them, Sissoko has emerged as arguably their star of the season
He's taken everything that's come his way - the criticism, the abuse on social media, the drop in confidence, being left out of France's World Cup-winning squad - and he's come out the other end stronger for it
Pochettino loves the professionalism of the midfielder and he's a popular player among the tight-knit Tottenham squad
If you'd have told anyone 18 months ago that Moussa Sissoko would be the key man in Tottenham's midfield you'd have been laughed at
He's not only that now but he's in with a real shot of being named the club's player of the year at the end of it all if his last three months are as good as the rest
Contrasting fortunes When Tottenham and Dortmund meet on Wednesday night it will be a very different scenario that faces Pochettino's men to the doom and gloom predicted some weeks ago
When the draw for the Champions League last 16 was made on December 17, there was a sharp intake of breath from many
Dortmund were the runaway Bundesliga leaders and Tottenham had a massive challenge on their hands
Yet since that day the club's fortunes have been somewhat contrasting. Due to the German winter break, Dortmund have played just seven times, winning only three of those matches, losing two and drawing two
Tottenham have taken part in exactly double that amount of games, having played 14 times since the draw as made
Despite losing Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son during that time they've won 10 of those matches, losing two league games and two cup ties
Also noticeable has been the amount of goals, despite the key absences, as they've hit the back of the net 34 times in those 14 games since the last 16 draw was made
Son is back and has scored in each of the three games since his return from the Asian Cup, making it 10 goals for him in his last 10 matches for Spurs
He also knows very well what it takes to play Bundesliga sides after his years at Bayer Leverkusen and before that joining Hamburg's academy as a 16-year-old
There are also whispers that a certain Harry Kane might yet make an appearance on the bench
Pochettino had indicated that the Burnley match on February 23 might be a more realistic return date, but the presence of Kane on the bench would send a powerful message to their opponents - a machine coming back a month earlier than expected
With or without him, Spurs are in a good way right now. They've won four on the trot in the Premier League and all of them featuring late goals born through a real fighting spirit within the camp
Dortmund will present a tough test, but this Pochettino side fears nobody. Keep up to date with the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and exclusives from football
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