Mohammed Kudus scored one and assisted another as Tottenham inflicted a first league defeat on Leeds United at Elland Road for more than a year.
Daniel Farke’s side had not tasted home defeat since early September 2024 against Burnley in the Championship.
But Kudus proved to be a bright spark on a wet afternoon in Leeds and Spurs held on to their lead to return to winning ways after two draws in four days.
Mathys Tel had scored his first goal of the season, running on to Kudus’ through ball then unleashing a brilliant strike from 20 yards that dipped into the back of the net, a deflection off Pascal Struijk catching goalkeeper Karl Darlow out.
Leeds cancelled that out when Dominic Calvert-Lewin held off two defenders to touch the ball down for Brenden Aaronson, who saw his shot parried away by Guglielmo Vicario but straight into the path of Noah Okafor, who slotted in the rebound.
But, as the rain started to lash down in Leeds, Kudus restored Spurs’ lead when he drifted across the top of the box before striking into the bottom corner.
Tottenham are now second in the league, one point below Liverpool before the rest of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.
Leeds analysis: Unbeaten year comes to an end
Elland Road had so far been a fortress this year with Leeds earning one win and two draws there since returning to the Premier League.
Farke stuck with the same line-up as the previous four matches and the hosts made a positive start with Joe Rodon heading off the post.
But Leeds’ results in recent weeks have led many to question where the goals will come from this season.
Okafor is their only player to have registered more than one league goal for the Whites this campaign while summer-signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin has not managed to build on the one goal he scored at Wolves two weeks ago.
Sean Longstaff has proved to be an astute signing but could not get his powerful strike on target.
Farke threw on two extra forwards with 10 minutes to go in an attempt to restore parity and substitute Joel Piroe almost found the equaliser in added time with a brilliant effort from close range but for a big save from Guglielmo Vicario. Farke was left with his head in his hands and then watched on as Struijk headed over from a corner.
But their attacking mindset and a belief they can get something from the game are traits that will help Leeds this season as they aim to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Tottenham analysis: Celebrations show importance of win
For Spurs fans, the opening 10 minutes at Elland Road were a tough watch.
Following a difficult trip to the Arctic Circle on Tuesday where Frank’s side had to come back to scrape a 2-2 draw against Bodo/Glimt, they struggled to get into the game and were relieved to see Rodon’s header hit the post.
Injuries to playmakers James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have left Spurs lacking creativity but Kudus is proving to be a superb addition for Frank.
The midfielder’s assist for Tel took his tally for the season to four, the joint-most in the top flight so far this season, while his maiden goal came after he had blazed over the bar for 2-0 in the first half.
He also contested (19) and won (10) more duels than any other player in the game and completed all six of his dribbles – the best 100% rate by a Tottenham player in a Premier League game since Tanguy Ndombele against Aston Villa in March 2021 (also 6/6).
It was also a positive afternoon for French forward Tel, who has been left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad and therefore must take his chances when they come elsewhere.
He took his goal superbly but perhaps should have done better with his header just before the break, hitting the bar and missing the chance to restore Spurs’ lead.
Leeds dug in at the end and it made for a nervy finale but the full-time celebrations told the tale of how important Spurs felt this win was.
What’s next for these teams?
Both sides are now finished until after the international break.
Leeds will travel to fellow promoted side Burnley on Saturday 18 October in the Premier League while Tottenham host Aston Villa on Sunday 19 October. the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
