Tottenham collect three points at Leicester; Stoke edge Everton
Christian Eriksen was Tottenham's savior as they survived a storm to edge past Leicester 2-1.
The midfielder curled in a free kick with 19 minutes left to leave the Foxes winless in their last 13 games. Former Leicester loanee Harry Kane scored inside the first minute for Spurs but the Foxes rallied and Leonardo Ulloa leveled in the second half.
The striker also hit the post and Hugo Lloris saved from Riyad Mahrez and Jeff Schlupp but Leicester could not lift themselves off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League. Ulloa and David Nugent were recalled to spearhead the hosts' attack with Jamie Vardy and Esteban Cambiasso dropped to the bench.
Tottenham, now just a point outside the top five, started Danny Rose and Benjamin Stambouli for Ben Davies and Ryan Mason with Kane, who spent four months on loan at the King Power Stadium in 2013, up front. And the striker made an immediate impact when he opened the scoring after just 57 seconds.
Tottenham hit Leicester on the break with Nabil Bentaleb and Nacer Chadli, and the winger crossed for Kane to skip round the falling Wes Morgan and find the corner from six yards. Kane's fourth goal in four games was devastating from Spurs but highlighted why the Foxes were bottom at Christmas.
The visitors were given an easy ride by the shell-shocked hosts with Kane shooting wide and Kyle Walker granted the freedom of the right flank. There was little threat from Leicester until the 18th minute when Lloris palmed over Ulloa's 20-yard volley after Schlupp's driving run.
Danny Drinkwater then dragged wide from distance before Bentaleb wasted a golden chance to make it 2-0 on 32 minutes. Eriksen played the Algeria international clean through but he had an awful touch as he reached the area which allowed Paul Konchesky to cover and clear.
It rallied the hosts and, after Ulloa had comically fallen over as he looked to shoot, Mahrez's driven effort was well saved by Lloris. Tottenham were rocked and Ulloa should have levelled six minutes before the break but he smashed a four-yard header against the inside of the post after Mahrez's searching cross.
The Foxes were dominant and their persistence paid off three minutes into the second half. Danny Simpson and Mahrez combined for the Algeria winger to cross low for Ulloa to turn in at the near post. It had been coming and Mahrez almost completed the comeback when his 20-yard free kick smacked against the bar minutes later.
The Foxes' efforts warranted more and Lloris again saved from Schlupp before disaster struck for the hosts on 71 minutes. Kane was fouled 25-yards out and Eriksen curled in an angled effort which bounced in off the post. It was the Dane's seventh goal of the season and he has now hit four winners for Spurs this season.
The goal initially killed Leicester's spark but they regained their composure and Ulloa flicked a header onto the roof of the net. Two half-hearted penalty appeals went unrewarded but Morgan should have leveled in the final minute. The excellent Mahrez again found space on the right and his cross reached the unmarked Morgan at the far post but the skipper failed to get a clean connection and Lloris gathered to seal the points.
Southampton leapfrogged West Ham into fourth place with an assured 3-1 victory over struggling Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Sadio Mane notched his first goal in eight Premier League games before laying on a second for Ryan Bertrand. James Ward-Prowse then teed up Toby Alderweireld to nod Southampton's third, the Belgium defender having hit the bar in the first half. Scott Dann headed a late goal but it was not enough to prevent Palace's dismal run extended to just one win in 12 in all competitions, with Neil Warnock's men slipping into the relegation zone as a result.
Hull claimed their first win in 11 Premier League games with a 3-1 comeback victory at Sunderland, to move out of the drop zone at Palace's expense.
Adam Johnson put Sunderland ahead after just 30 seconds, but Southampton loanee Gaston Ramirez struck his first Hull goal on his 12th appearance for the club to draw the teams level, before setting up James Chester to double his side's tally. Former Everton striker Nikica Jelavic then killed the contest by blasting Hull's third goal as the game edged to its conclusion.
Bojan Krkic's first-half penalty steered Stoke to a 1-0 win over Everton in a physical Boxing Day encounter at Goodison Park.
The visitors took the lead in the 38th minute of the Barclays Premier League contest when referee Lee Mason adjudged James McCarthy to have fouled Bojan and the Spanish forward slotted in the resulting spot-kick. Steven Naismith had a header cleared off the Potters' line, Kevin Mirallas passed up a decent-looking chance to equalize and Leighton Baines' drive was parried by Asmir Begovic, but Everton struggled overall to create much against a solid Stoke outfit.
In an inconsistent season, the Toffees have now lost three times at home in the league and won only one of their last six top-flight games. Roberto Martinez's men have slipped a place in the table to 12th, with Stoke - following only their second victory in seven matches - replacing them in 11th.
