Van Nistelrooy sure relegation battle will go to the wire as Leicester win at Spurs

Ruud van Nistelrooy is convinced Leicester City's battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League will hang in the balance after they ended a seven-match losing streak by beating Tottenham.

Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss scored in the first five minutes of the second half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Leicester fought back for a memorable 2-1 win.

Another defeat, which seemed looming when Richarlison opened the scoring in the first half, would have allowed Leicester to equal the league's longest ever losing season, having suffered eight consecutive Premier League defeats in 2001.

Instead, Leicester climbed out of the relegation zone to finish 17th, one point ahead of fellow strugglers Ipswich Town and Wolves.

Van Nistelrooy, who became only the fourth Premier League manager to suffer seven consecutive defeats in his first 10 games for a club, praised the Foxes' mentality after the win.

“In the end it was a dramatic 10 minutes of survival, with players putting their heads in to block shots and winning tackles,” he told BBC Match of the Day.

“The winning feeling we shared in the dressing room, the football we tried to play, the goals we scored…

“They wanted this, we needed it and they made it happen today. This team has stuck together and is doing everything they can to succeed.”

Before Sunday's win, the Opta supercomputer gave Leicester an 81.8% chance of relegation, making them second favorites behind Southampton (99.9%).

“There is obviously relief and celebration in the dressing room,” said Van Nistelrooy.

“We were really looking for this moment and it took a long time, so now we can enjoy this for a day or two, then it's back to business.

“As I said upon my arrival, this will last until the end.”

Van Nistelrooy also revealed that Leicester are working to further strengthen their squad in the January transfer window after signing full-back Woyo Coulibaly from Parma last week.

“We are looking to strengthen the team within the club's capabilities. The focus is on this team,” said the former Manchester United striker.