Leeds United 1-0 Tottenham: Big Six? Big Deal.

Leeds United 1 – 0 Tottenham: No Room For Racism. Apparently.

I’ve never truly had an issue with Spurs as an institution, largely because I’ve always considered them fairly inoffensive. For much of my life, they were a middling Premier League club who somehow found themselves elevated into Sky Sports’ exclusive little club as the Big Two became the Big Four, then Five, and eventually Six.

Admittedly, they had an exciting young side under Pochettino, with Kane and Son leading the charge, but despite all the hype, they never actually won anything together. They did, however, turn their newfound status into enormous revenues and a shiny new stadium. Fair play to them, I suppose. But I’ve always wondered what actually makes Tottenham a big club beyond Sky Sports telling us they are.

Still, I never particularly disliked them. Until yesterday, that is. Just weeks after the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign, Jayden Bogle was subjected to such abuse following Saturday’s game that he had to disable comments on Instagram. Whatever your opinion of his challenge on Mathys Tel, that sort of behaviour is indefensible.

So, fuck Spurs.

Anyway, onto the football.

Big Six? Big Deal.

The first half of yesterday’s game felt like more of the same, with Leeds coming out of the blocks and immediately putting Spurs under pressure, but without ever really threatening their goal. An early penalty appeal followed when Matheus Fernandes appeared to handle the ball inside the box, only for VAR to uphold John Brooks’ decision, explaining that the ball had struck the top of his arm. Now, forgive me if I’m wrong, but by the letter of the law, isn’t that a penalty? Just to demonstrate how utterly pathetic VAR has become, they also managed to attribute the incident to Leeds royalty Archie Gray, despite the fact it was quite clearly Fernandes involved.

Fucking hell.

A couple of efforts from the edge of the box from Tanaka and Ampadu was about the most we could muster in the first-half. Neither effort coming close to troubling Kinsky. And as half-time approached, I was genuinely struggling to see where the goals were going to come from.

The biggest talking point of the half came when Bogle challenged Mathys Tel, leaving the Spurs player on the turf and clearly in some discomfort. When Sky showed the replay, I immediately assumed Bogle would be given a straight red. Not because I believe the challenge was malicious or that there was an intent to endanger his opponent, but simply because you see them given all the time. As Bogle went to plant his left leg, so that he would be able to spring forward and shift his weight to his right to make the challenge on Tel, he has unfortunately caught the back of Tel’s ankle. Slowed down, and watched repeatedly by VAR and the television viewing audience, it looks bad. But there is clearly no intent from Bogle who is simply planting his foot. Following a lengthy wait, VAR concluded that the challenge did not warrant a red card, and Elland Road breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Thankfully, the second half saw Leeds take the game to Spurs, and on another day, we could have scored a bagful. Whatever Farke said to his players at half-time clearly worked, because we emerged looking like a completely different side. The passing was sharper, the movement was better, and suddenly we were finding space in areas of the pitch where we’d struggled to make any meaningful impression during the opening 45 minutes.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was played through on two occasions and was unselfish with both opportunities, looking to create chances for his teammates rather than going for goal himself. Unfortunately, Ao Tanaka couldn’t provide the finishing touch. DCL himself almost scored from a corner, only for Solanke to block his effort, while Longstaff stung the palms of Kinsky, who produced a miraculous save to deny him a goal on his 200th Premier League appearance.

But it was Noah Okafor who would ultimately take the plaudits, finishing off a wonderful move that began with a Leeds throw-in. Calvert-Lewin flicked the ball on, Wilson followed suit, and the Swiss international was there to apply the finish. It was a goal that perfectly encapsulated our second-half performance. Quick thinking, intelligent movement, and the sort of attacking football that we’ve been crying out to see more consistently.

Shirt off. Limbs. Chaos. The touch paper was lit.

And perhaps just as pleasing as the goal itself was what happened afterwards. Or, more accurately, what didn’t happen. Spurs never really looked like finding a way back into the game. For a side with their resources, they created remarkably little, and Leeds saw out the game with a level of composure that hasn’t always been associated with us in the Premier League. Another clean sheet, another three points, and another performance that suggests we’re beginning to find our feet at this level.

For Leeds, it’s another three points to build on what has been a steady opening to the season. In only our second season back, we’re sitting on three wins, five draws and two defeats after ten games. It’s November, and things are looking alright.

Crisis? What crisis?

Leeds United vs Tottenham: Player Ratings

James Trafford – 8

Calm and composed on the ball, came for crosses, swept up defensively, and made an excellent save late in the game to deny Spurs an equaliser.

Jayden Bogle – 6

Very lucky not to have been shown a red. Showed the same attacking impetus we’ve come to expect from Bogle, whose energy is remarkable. However, some of his crosses today were poor.

James Justin – 6

Solid game from the right centre-back/right-back/right-winger. Provided plenty of support for Bogle down the right-hand side, although his crosses were also poor.

Nico Elvedi – 8

Didn’t always look comfortable under the high ball, but another strong showing. His reading of the game was fantastic, allowing him to make multiple interceptions. Was my MOTM until the final ten minutes changed things.

Tarik Muharemović – 8

Was having a solid game until the final ten minutes, when it looked like he’d decided that keeping a clean sheet was the most important thing in the world to him. His celebrations at the end showed just how much it meant. An incredible player.

Gabi Gudmundsson – 6

Got forward well and skinned Porro on a couple of occasions. Wasn’t particularly troubled defensively before going off injured at half-time.

Ethan Ampadu – 8

Marshalled the midfield throughout the contest and outfought Spurs in the process. Spurs paid £225m for their midfield trio today, more than the entire Leeds side on the pitch, but it was the Leeds captain who dominated.

Ao Tanaka – 8

Much more like the player we’ve come to expect today. Fought for everything and was relentless as he snapped into challenges over and over again. Exactly what Elland Road loves to see.

Sean Longstaff – 8

A proud moment for Longstaff as he made his 200th Premier League appearance. Helped Leeds control the midfield while adding some attacking quality, particularly in the second half. Almost marked the occasion with a lovely goal.

Lukas Nmecha – 6

Given the opportunity to start but wasn’t able to make the impact he would have liked. Drifted out wide in the first half to get more involved, although his crosses were poor.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 6

Good hold-up play throughout the game and another tireless display. Should perhaps have been a little more selfish with the opportunities that came his way.

Melvin Bard – 8

Came on for Gudmundsson at half-time and immediately made an impression on the Elland Road crowd. Steamed into challenges, played some lovely balls forward and delivered some beautiful early crosses. Comes away from this game with his stock considerably higher.

Special Mention: Noah Okafor – 8

Has endured a difficult spell recently with injuries, but came on and scored just 97 seconds later. The best thing I can say is that as soon as he picked the ball up, you could tell it was going in. He made no mistake, and you could see exactly what it meant to him.

Let’s have him fully rested and back in form on the other side of the break. Please.

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Tarik Muharemović

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