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A great deal was said about Spurs’ propensity to capitulate last season, leading to their poorest top-flight performance and the sacking of Ange Postecoglou. However this encounter offered additional evidence of a new chapter being patiently crafted by the new boss.

Facing a Leeds side lifted by an encouraging beginning to the campaign and a characteristically loud home crowd, Tottenham could have folded in such an encounter last term. In terrible conditions, they held firm to continue their upward trajectory.

Extremely un-Spursy. The North London club are evolving just nicely this season and demonstrated their quality with goals from Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus before and after a first-half leveler from the Leeds winger Noah Okafor.

The home team lacked nothing in spirit, but Spurs displayed their quality – and no little toughness – and could certainly not be described as unworthy winners. This was Leeds’s fourth defeat in fifty domestic matches at home since Daniel Farke assumed control in the summer of 2023. Admittedly, the past two seasons were spent in the second tier, but there is a unique quality about the febrile atmosphere generated at this historic ground.

An initial heavy rain gave way to glorious sunshine when the sides emerged and the Leeds song Marching on Together was belted out with gusto by the local supporters, featuring icon the former star in the director’s box. The man, known in this area as ‘Mr Leeds United’, was, though, denied the chance of the Gray brothers, his great-nephews, facing each other.

Archie, 19, rose to prominence after first appearing in last year before making a lucrative transfer to Spurs at the close of the campaign. His sibling Harry, sixteen, debuted for Leeds in the Championship last term and has been among the substitutes currently without making an appearance, and a muscle problem prevented him participation in the game. Archie, whose dad, Andy, and granddad Frank Gray also played for the club, was one of the away team’s substitutes, but remained unused.

Match Summary

The hosts made a vibrant start. They went painfully close in the 7th minute when a midfielder delivered a deep set-piece and the former Spurs defender the Welshman got there to head against the outer side of a upright.

Spurs, with Mathys Tel selected to begin instead of Richarlison, were at first sluggish, but slowly settled down and the midfielder sent a fizzing 20-yard shot above the crossbar.

The visitors then began to probe intricately and forced Karl Darlow into making a save in the 15th minute when the playmaker’s clever pass found Destiny Udogie moving forward inside the flank. His delivery was parried by the keeper and the away side kept to suggest they were able to move through the gears when the opportunities arose – and so it proved in the 23rd minute.

Rodrigo Bentacur regained the ball on the halfway line and found the attacker, whose neat pass inside the wing allowed the striker to drive at the defence. He hit a powerful shot that got a touch off Pascal Struijk and went past Darlow.

Leeds almost fashioned a swift riposte, but the forward shot wildly above the crossbar from inside the box. They were back on terms, however, in the 34th minute when the midfielder’s shot was parried by the keeper into the path of Okafor, who scored from under six meters.

Opportunities kept to proliferate at the opposite side for Spurs, who were always lively on the break, and on the stroke of half-time the winger’s delivery was greeted by Tel, whose header struck the bar.

That was a lucky escape for the hosts, who were the same lineup for a fourth successive match, but they edged the ball during the opening period and nearly led shortly after the break. The striker’s driven shot was kept out by the goalkeeper before Stach’s whipped cross along the front of goal failed to find a team-mate.

Having failed to take their opportunities, the home team were punished when Kudus pilfered possession from Gabriel Gudmundsson and moved infield before hitting a low, left-foot that again deflected off the unfortunate the defender and found the keeper flat-footed.

Tottenham remained dangerous on the break, but the opposition were prevented a dramatic leveler in the fourth of 6 added minutes when substitute Joel Piroe’s effort was brilliantly tipped around a post by Vicario and the defender went close later with a headed attempt.