Tottenham Hotspur‘s three-game winning run in the Premier League has come crashing to a halt. Leeds United won at Elland Road, a sobering reminder that Roberto De Zerbi‘s team are far from the finished product.
Substitute Noah Okafor did the damage, combining with Harry Wilson to strike past Antonin Kinsky. It was a fine move, but preventable, surely, had the defending been tighter.
VAR took their sweet time in deciding not to send Jayden Bogle off for a high-footed challenge on Mathys Tel which forced the French forward off the field. Spurs may be aggrieved, but the fact of the matter is they lacked punch in an attack which could now be weakened after Bogle’s contentious challenge.
Why Spurs may feel hard done by at Elland Road
Bogle is a lucky man. The Leeds defender may have done Tel some significant damage, and for VAR to have ruled his challenge not even worthy of a booking, having stamped on Tel’s achilles heel.
Not to fan the flames of injustice, but it’s worth drawing attention to Xavi Simons’ red card against Liverpool last season for a so-called stamp on Virgil van Dijk. The referee for that one was also John Brooks, which is frustrating for the Lilywhites persuasion.
Dominic Solanke stepped in to replace the young attacker, but he struggled to impose himself against a stern Whites backline. Tottenham created only 0.56 xG after the interval, with Leeds continuing to pressure their opponents, pouncing on chances to double their lead.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
The bottom line is that Tottenham’s forwards are not pulling their weight. They haven’t been for some time, with Omar Marmoush also flattering to deceive in his advanced role.
Why had James Maddison not been unleashed from the start? Why, too, was Luca Williams-Barnett not given more air time. Young he may be, but the exciting attacker has the potential to be a superstar in north London, perhaps ready to displace one of Spurs’ struggling senior stars.
Spurs flop was their worst player vs Leeds
Tottenham don’t exactly have an abundance of quality in attack, but they do have their share of talented players. With that in mind, De Zerbi might want to make one or two tweaks after the international break.
One of which could be to remove Mohammed Kudus from the starting line-up after another game in which he left too much to be desired, offering little for a frontline struggling to click into gear.
Kudus, 26, saw his debut campaign with Tottenham ruined by injury last season. He was eased back into the running this term, but has yet to break his duck and probably isn’t offering enough, creating 1.1 chances per game, albeit a livewire in the duel.
All in all, it was a limp display from the Ghanaian winger, who lost ten of his 13 attempted duels and completed only one of seven crosses into the box. He only managed to create one chance before being hooked for Williams-Barnett late on, and despite that, still lost the ball at a rate of 2.7 touches.
It will leave De Zerbi with food for thought as his team are kept away from European contention, only ten goals scored across ten Premier League games in 2026/27.
|
Tottenham Player Ratings vs Leeds |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
# |
|
(GK) Antonin Kinsky |
5/10 |
|
(RB) Pedro Porro |
5/10 |
|
(CB) Jean Paul van Hecke |
6/10 |
|
(CB) Micky van de Ven |
7/10 |
|
(LB) Andy Robertson |
6/10 |
|
(CM) Archie Gray |
6/10 |
|
(CM) Sandro Tonali |
6/10 |
|
(RW) Mohammed Kudus |
3/10 |
|
(AM) Mateus Fernandes |
7/10 |
|
(LW) Mathys Tel |
5/10 |
|
(CF) Omar Marmoush |
4/10 |
He took 47 touches, so was in the thick of the action, but that’s still fewer than Antonin Kinsky’s 55 touches between the sticks. Perhaps that stands as the perfect illustration of the pressure that Daniel Farke’s side inflicted on their opponents. Spurs needs to establish more control in attacking phases.
Savio wasn’t quite fit enough to make the matchday squad, but the Brazilian winger from Manchester City is on the cusp of a comeback. Moreover, Dejan Kulusevski and Williams-Barnett too would argue that they deserve starting berths in the Ghana winger’s place.
Kudus is one of Tottenham’s most talented attackers, and he will have a part to play over the course of the campaign. However, he is certainly not a shoo-in on the right wing, and perhaps dropping him in favour of one of his hungry teammates would bear dividends for a Spurs side who need to offer a lot more in attack.
