Leeds United 1 Tottenham 2: Long run ends as Spurs punish wasteful Whites with class act difference — YEP 4/10/25
By Lee Sobot
Leeds United took on Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road in
their final Premier League before the international break.
An impressive Leeds United run was finally ended as
finishing and a class act winger proved the difference in Saturday’s 2-1 win
for Tottenham Hotspur which finished with Whites fury aimed at an official.
Leeds went into Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off having not
lost at Elland Road in a year but goals from Mathys Tel and difference maker
Mohammed Kudus either side of a Noah Okafor equaliser sealed three more Premier
League points for Thomas Frank’s side.
United, though, had more than enough chances to bag at least
a share of the spoils and the contest ended with boos and chants aimed at
referee Thomas Bramall whose decisions angered the Elland Road crowd.
Leeds were denied a seventh-minute opener by the frame of
the goal as new set piece menaces Sean Longstaff and Joe Rodon combined again.
One week on from providing the corner for Rodon's headed
goal against Bournemouth, Longstaff sent in a beautiful free-kick to which
Rodon arrived at the far post before smashing a header on to the post.
Both teams then exchanged further chances but it was Spurs
who took the lead with 23 minutes on the clock through a deflected strike from
Tel after a Kudus assist.
Leeds lost the ball as they looked to build an attack in
centre midfield and lost it to the wrong man in Kudus who bagged yet another
assist in sliding in Tel whose thumping shot deflected off Pascal Struijk
before whizzing past Karl Darlow into the back of the net.
Leeds suddenly looked up against it but the Whites should
have equalised four minutes later through Dominic Calvert-Lewin who seized upon
a loose ball in the box but the striker could only slice a wayward finish well
wide after cutting inside.
Within a minute, Spurs should then have been 2-0 up, a
square ball across the Whites area picking out Kudus who also got his finish
all wrong as the ball flew into the Kop.
Kudus looked like creating every time he got the ball yet
Leeds drew level nine minutes before the break as a superb cross from Jayden
Bogle caused mayhem in the Spurs box.
After running off an earlier knock, Calvert-Lewin got to the
ball and created a shooting opportunity for Brenden Aaronson whose firm low
drive was well saved by Guglielmo Vicario.
The Spurs keeper, though, parried the ball back into the
area with his save and Okafor arrived like a flash to convert from close range.
The goal further increased the Elland Road noise levels and
Leeds pushed hard for a second goal but Spurs went mightily close to going back
ahead in stoppage time as a header from Tel was kept out by a combination of
the crossbar and a fine Karl Darlow save.
Tottenham were quick into their stride after the break and
Darlow had to be alert to beat away a cross-cum-shot from Pedro Porro.
Leeds, though, quickly hit back by twice going agonisngly
close themselves, Okaor firstly picking out Calvert-Lewin whose firm low shot
was kept out by Vicario’s legs before a fantastic low cross from Anton Stach
flew through the box, narrowly missing both Bogle and Calvert-Lewin.
There were then nervy moments at the other end as Ethan
Ampadu caught Pedro Porro on the edge of the box with a late challenge, for
which he was booked.
Kudus stepped up to take the free-kick but wasted it as he
fired his shot straight at Darlow.
Kudus, though, made no mistake a couple of minutes later,
the winger beating Gudmundsson to a loose ball and cutting in from the right
before unleashing a firm low drive back across goal which wrongfooted Darlow
and flew into the bottom right corner after a slight deflection from Struijk.
Within minutes, Spurs almost went 3-1 ahead, as a cross from
the opposite side of the box flew through the area and ultimately away to
safety.
Back came Leeds, a cross from Okaor flying through the box
and Rodon then sending a header over the bar from a Longstaff free-kick.
Longstaff was then a whisker away from drawing Leeds level
himself, the midfielder receiving a pass from substitute Ao Tanaka on the edge
of the box and turning neatly before smashing a low shot inches wide of the
post.
With 11 minutes left, Farke threw on two more forwards in
Joel Piroe and Lukas Nmecha as Gudmundsson and Okafor were taken off but Spurs
packed men behind the ball whilst still offering a threat on the counter.
From one such counter, substitute Richarlison flashed a
deflected shot across goal but only a superb save from Spurs keeper Vicario
denied Leeds substitute Piroe an added time equaliser after a Calvert-Lewin
knockdown.
