Tottenham Hotspur find themselves sliding towards a relegation battle under Ange Postecoglou, and Sunday’s humiliating home defeat to Leicester City may well prove to be the Australian manager’s final match in charge.

The clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw two struggling sides—18th and 20th in the Premier League form table—face off. Leicester, having lost seven consecutive league matches, arrived on the brink of crisis with head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy reportedly on borrowed time. Meanwhile, Spurs were winless in six league outings, having managed just three league victories since November. Ironically, one of those was a stunning 4-0 win over Manchester City.

Leicester’s woeful campaign has not come as a shock, as all three promoted teams were widely expected to struggle. The Foxes sacked Steve Cooper in November, replacing him with Van Nistelrooy after his promising caretaker spell at Manchester United. However, chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” at the King Power Stadium and a string of dire performances have kept the Dutchman under scrutiny. Despite this, his team’s unexpected victory at Spurs may have bought him some much-needed time.

For Postecoglou, the result could be the final straw. While injuries to key players, including first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, several defenders, and record signing Dominic Solanke, have hindered his progress, patience among the Spurs faithful has worn thin. Daniel Levy may have been reluctant to act earlier due to Postecoglou’s early-season optimism, but this latest setback feels like a breaking point.

Sunday’s match followed a string of dismal results, including a heavy defeat to Everton, a narrow FA Cup win requiring extra time against non-league Tamworth, and gifting Ipswich Town their first win of the season. Even scraping past Hoffenheim in the Europa League midweek failed to inspire confidence.

The encounter against Leicester began evenly, with Spurs taking a slender lead into the break courtesy of Richarlison’s well-taken header, expertly set up by Pedro Porro’s inch-perfect cross. However, Van Nistelrooy’s half-time team talk transformed the Foxes. Within five minutes of the restart, Leicester were 2-1 up. Jamie Vardy scored a tap-in, celebrating with a mocking reference to his Premier League title win, before Bilal El Khannouss fired in a sensational strike to put the visitors ahead.

From that moment, Leicester never looked like relinquishing their lead. Despite dominating possession after falling behind, Spurs struggled to penetrate Leicester’s defensive low block—an all-too-familiar scenario this season. The decision to substitute Richarlison in the 53rd minute, likely due to fitness concerns, further frustrated the home crowd.

With this defeat, Spurs sit only six points above Leicester and a single point ahead of Everton, who have a game in hand against league leaders Liverpool. While Leicester deserved their victory and climbed out of the relegation zone, the focus remains firmly on Spurs’ decline. The boos that echoed around the stadium at full-time were deafening, and with Levy in attendance, Postecoglou’s dismissal now seems inevitable.

Thirteen league defeats in a season is unacceptable for a club of Tottenham’s stature. Their slender lead in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool offers little reassurance, given their vulnerability to heavy defeats against top sides. Looking ahead at their upcoming fixtures, it is difficult to see where the next win might come from.

The match had the unmistakable feel of a managerial showdown, and while Van Nistelrooy did enough to keep his job, Postecoglou’s failure to secure a victory could prove costly. If Levy does not act soon, Spurs risk being drawn into a full-blown relegation fight—a scenario that should have been unthinkable at the start of the season but now feels all too real.