Tottenham Hotspur stretched their impressive H2H record against Leeds United to six wins from the last seven meetings with a 2-1 Premier League (PL) victory at Elland Road.
Key stats
- Tottenham Hotspur have scored in six of their seven games, no team has done so more often in the Premier League this season
- Leeds have lost at home for the first time after a run of 24 games without defeat at Elland Road
- Richarlison made his 250th Premier League appearance
Highlights
Analysis
Mohammed Kudus has assisted four goals in the Premier League this season (one in this game), no player has more.
Tottenham withstood a heap of late pressure from Leeds to secure all three points at Elland Road.
Match report
With Storm Amy battering the UK this weekend, it was Leeds whipping up an early storm at home, almost blowing Spurs away in the opening 10 minutes.
The Whites’ offensive approach almost paid early dividends when Sean Longstaff’s free-kick seemingly got caught up in the wind and flew over the head of Guglielmo Vicario, but Joe Rodon spared the visiting stopper’s blushes when his header crashed back off the outside of the post.
For all their early legwork, Leeds were undone by a clinical Tottenham side.
Eyebrows were raised at Mathys Tel’s inclusion from the start, but critics of his selection were left eating their words midway through the first half when he drove forward and watched on as his effort deflected off Pascal Struijk and beyond a desperate Karl Darlow dive.
Spurs were almost caught cold minutes after nosing ahead when Rodrigo Bentancur had his pocket picked in his own area.
Fortunately for him, Dominic Calvert-Lewin could only skew an effort handsomely wide when he ought to have at least hit the target, and Thomas Frank’s men were left with a burning sense of what could’ve been when they went straight up the end and squandered a gilt-edged chance of their own through Mohammed Kudus.
Spurs were left to rue that miss soon after, as Leeds got themselves back on level terms. Brenden Aaronson’s deflected effort proved too hot to handle for Vicario, and he could only fumble his save into the path of the unmarked Noah Okafor, who tapped into an empty net from inside the six-yard box.
Tel came close to restoring Tottenham’s advantage on the stroke of HT when he headed Wilson Odobert’s delivery against the crossbar, and Leeds were equally as close to taking the lead for the first time of the afternoon when Calvert-Lewin’s fierce drive was repelled by the outstretched boot of Vicario within minutes of the restart.
Vicario’s save looked even bigger shortly before the hour mark when Spurs regained the lead, as some questionable Leeds defending was punished in brutal fashion by Kudus, whose fizzing drive from the edge of the area skidded off the slick turf and flew past a hapless Darlow.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke wasn’t shy in turning to his bench in a desperate attempt to find an equaliser, but despite finishing the game with three strikers on the field, a leveller proved to be elusive.
Spurs were relatively untroubled in seeing out their first PL win since early September, and they provisionally move up to second in the table before this afternoon’s fixtures as they bid for only a second top-four finish in the last seven seasons.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur)
Post-match comments
Tottenham goalscorer Mohammed Kudus to TNT Sports: "I've definitely been waiting. As an attacker it boosts your confidence when you score.
"I want to give my teammate (Tel) some credit. I am a big fan of how he trains and how he has kept on going.
"We now go to represent our country and come back with the same focus. This is a big step in the right direction."
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank to BBC Sport: "We needed a win. The last three games were without. That feeling to get over the line, to get three points, was big.
"But also the respect for Leeds and Eland Road. We knew very well the task ahead of us. We overcame that in a very good way. I thought we played overall a really good game. We should have got more out of the dangerous situations. I know they hit the post and the goal, and right at the end there was carnage, but for the rest of the game I thought we defended superbly.
"I think the character was the foundation, to go here and get through the spells where everything was not perfect and to keep the focus. I felt that was Xavi Simons' best game for us."