Leeds United 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs put a smile back on Antonio Conte’s face after registering a second spectacular win in seven days.
A 4-0 victory away to Leeds was equally impressive, in a different way, to Tottenham’s 3-2 win over league leaders Manchester City last week, but in mid week Conte was anything but happy. A 1-0 defeat to Burnley at a rainy Turf Moor led to the Italian head coach giving an extraordinary post match interview in which he seemed to be inviting the club’s owners to sack him after four defeats in five games.
But four days is a long time in football and goals from Matt Doherty, Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son put everything right again for Spurs, while consigning Leeds to a second drubbing in four days after losing 6-0 to Liverpool on Wednesday.
Premier League: Leeds vs Spurs brought together two teams experiencing difficult times, but by the end of a thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes things look a little rosier for Conte’s Tottenham.
Highlights of the game
Leeds fans had hoped for a solid start after their midweek troubles but Tottenham had their hosts on the ropes in the first quarter of an hour with a double strike which set the tone for the match. The Leeds defence was breached with just ten minutes gone as left winger Ryan Sessignon fired in a cross which Doherty smashed home… and Conte celebrated. And five minutes later you could see the head coach’s smile widen as January recruit Kulusevski doubled the lead. The former Juventus star was a bright light on a gloomy night in Burnley and he shone again with a self made goal. The Swede drove into the penalty area leaving two Leeds defenders in his wake before firing past keeper Illan Meslier at his near post.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds attack in any circumstance, but they needed to get on the front foot right now and Robin Koch was inches away when his shot hit the upright and bounced to safety; and then Spurs stopper Hugo Lloris did well to save an angled effort from Raphinha. At 2-0 the next goal is crucial and for all Leeds’ efforts it was Kane who took the game away when he latched on to a through ball from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and finished superbly. There was brief hope for the home fans when VAR checked for offside but the England man was in the clear and the goal stood.
The first half Leeds vs Spurs highlightstold a story of shared possession and chances, but the Londoners had the killer touch.
At 3-0 it was a case of damage limitation for Leeds and as Spurs pushed for a fourth Meslier saved well from Doherty and Koch put in a block to deny Son. Stuart Dallas had a glorious chance to get a goal for Leeds when he was clean through but the normally calm midfield man fluffed his lines. And Leeds’ bad day at the office was complete when Kane teed up Son for the fourth.
Key statistics
The Leeds vs Spurs betting oddsbacked an away win but not by a four goal margin and the match stats showed how positive the Yorkshire side was, sharing possession and winning the shot count by 19 to 15. But the quality simply wasn’t there and the shots on target figure of 11 to three in Tottenham’s favour tell the story.
Spurs strike duo of Kane and Son set a new Premier League record for goal combinations, reaching 37 and overtaking Chelsea legends Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
Leeds have had a wretched two weeks, starting with a game they expected to win against Everton but lost 3-0 and following that up with a 4-2 defeat to Manchester United. And the Yorkshire side has broken an unwelcome record as the first club in Premier League history to concede 20 goals in a calendar month.
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has the trust of the owners and the fans; he now needs his players to become hard to beat and fight their way away from trouble.
What’s next?
The tension is rising at both ends of the table and SBOTOP footballfans can look forward to plenty of twists and turns to come. Leeds have won just one point from the last five league games and now find themselves back in the relegation mire, just three points above the drop zone. Next up they have a trip to play Leicester City at the KingPower Stadium before Aston Villa are the visitors to Elland Road.
On Tuesday Spurs have an FA Cup tie away to Middlesbrough and Conte will be well aware that the Championship beat Manchester United in the fourth round. And then Tottenham’s top four challenge is back on the agenda when struggling Everton make the trip to North London.
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