'Relentless' Leeds United deserve big victory over Tottenham

Knives were being sharpened with the Whites going into their latest game without a win in five and scoring only two goals in their previous seven-and-a-half hours of football.

While it is still early in the season with more than two thirds to go it did feel like a vital game – the difference between Leeds in the top half of the table or sliding towards the bottom six.

So there was clear relief when the final whistle signalled a 1-0 win for Leeds and a climb back up to eighth place after a first success in 19 attempts in Saturday 12.30 kick-offs.

And it was very much a triumph for Farke who made some big decisions and got them largely right.

His substitutions had come in for some stick from some supporters in recent weeks, but he got it bang right this time as Okafor scored with his first touch after being set up a clever flick from his fellow sub Harry Wilson, who was also making an immediate impact.

Farke also went the brave way by putting Melvin Bard on at the break for hamstring injury victim Gabriel Gudmundsson. He could have moved James Justin across to the left as cover, but Bard fully justified the manager's faith as he went on to have a fine home debut, contributing to a strong second half display from the hosts.

The Leeds boss played down his own contribution to the victory, but was pleased with Bard's contribution on the pitch in only his second game for the club.

He said: “I had a good feeling because Melvin had his best week in training since he was together with us.

“He could feel that he has momentum and I was not one moment concerned when I had to throw him in.

"Of course it's difficult to come in in such a game more less after not being involved for too much, but I would agree a very competitive performance, very concentrated, but it's also no coincidence.

"I'm a big believer in you play like you train and I had a really good feeling during this training week with him.

"Nevertheless, I hope that it's not too bad with Gabi and hope to have him back on the other side of the international break, but also credit for Melvin.

"I think he also played his part in our really, really good second half."

On the game, Farke believed his team were fully deserving of the three points.

He added: “There's no replacement for this winning feeling after such a game in the dressing room.

"All the credit and all my compliments go to the boys, a terrific performance against a really in-form Tottenham side.

"It was important to show our unity and commitment and be tactically spot on in order to avoid all their processes and all of their individual quality in order to score goals and reduce them to very, very little in the first half.

"We were missing a bit in our game and final third the quality of the cross and the finishing pass perhaps not there. But I think in the second half there was no doubt just one team pushing for this win.

"We missed sadly too many chances, but it felt like it's coming, we were relentless and we kept going and then also fully deserved to go into the lead.

"Of course in the last moments of the game, you have to dig in, and when they throw everything at you, and they can substitute quality players in and they take lots of risk you have to dig in and have to defend and show unity.

“We showed the steel again, another clean sheet, another terrific defensive behaviour, but overall, a very, very good team performance.”

Leeds tore into Spurs at the start and had a huge penalty shout turned down in the third minute. Mateus Fernandes struck his arm out as he went to block Gudmundsson's cross and it initially appeared he had handled it. But referee John Brooks was proved correct not to point to the spot as replays eventually showed it had struck the Tottenham player high up on the arm.

A minute later another dangerous attack ended with Ao Tanaka shooting wide then Ethan Ampadu was off target with a shot following a brilliant run and pull back by Gudmundsson.

But Spurs gradually got a foothold in the game and Omar Marmoush got on the end of a good break only to see his shot saved low down by James Trafford.

Keeper Trafford saved again to deny Mohammed Kudus and Marmoush sent a header wide at the back post to meet a corner.

A bigger scare for United came when Jayden Bogle's tackle on Mathys Tel led to a lengthy VAR check as to whether it was a red card offence. He certainly caught the Spurs winger on the back of his calf with one foot while he went for the ball with the other, but the challenge was deemed to be of low speed and accidental.

Amazingly Bogle was not even booked. To add to the visitors' frustrations Tel had to wait on the touchline for a minute after receiving treatment and while there Lukas Nmecha had the Whites' best chance of the half with a header that had to be saved by Antonin Kinsky.

If Leeds had a bit of a let-off here their opponents could also count themselves fortunate to keep 11 on the pitch in the second half when right-back Pedro Porro committed a foul that could have seen him carded – after he had already been booked.

Tottenham were mostly back pedalling in the second period as the hosts stepped up their efforts. Two dangerous crosses just evaded strikers in the opening two minutes before Dominic Calvert-Lewin saw a header from a Sean Longstaff corner blocked near the line by Dominic Solanke and Nico Elvedi then sent a glancing header wide from close range.

A great move starting with a fine tackle by Tanaka saw Longstaff play Calvert-Lewin through. The striker checked back and found Tanaka in space in the box, but the midfielder's efforts in getting up to support the attack proved fruitless as he shot over.

Nmecha took too long to get a shot away on another promising attack and Ampadu saw a shot deflected wide from the edge of the box.

It showed the way the game was going that Spurs put on three subs and one of them, Conor Gallagher, came close with a strike from outside the box that was not far wide.

It was only a brief respite for the visitors as they were soon back defending again. Calvert-Lewin sent a shot over from the edge of the area and several efforts were blocked from a corner soon afterwards – awarded for time wasting by keeper Kinsky with a goalkick.

Kinsky came to his team's rescue with a superb save, tipping over a volley from Longstaff and it seemed United were in for another frustrating goalless afternoon.

But enter the match winning substitutes to combine for what turned out to be the winning goal and Elland Road erupted.

Leeds were forced to defend in the closing stages as they backed off a bit too much, but the only real alarm came when Jan Paul van Hecke's header from a controversially awarded free-kick was superbly saved by Trafford in the 90th minute.

Leeds United 1

(Okafor 79)

Tottenham Hotspur 0

Saturday, November 7, 2026

Premier League

Attendance: 36,921

Leeds: Trafford 8; Justin 7, Elvedi 7, Muharemovic 7; Bogle 7 (Rodon 90+2), Ampadu 7, Tanaka 9 (Wilson 77, 7), Longstaff 6 (Gruev 90+2), Gudmundsson 7 (Bard 45, 7); Nmecha 6 (Okafor 77, 7), Calvert-Lewin 8.

Spurs: Kinsky 8; Porro 6 (Bentancur 65, 6), van Hecke 7, Van de Ven 7, Robertson 6; Tonali 6, Fernandes 6 (Gallagher 65, 6); Kudus 6 (Williams-Barnett 83), Gray 6, Tel 6 (Solanke 43, 5); Marmoush 6 (Kulusevski 65, 5).

Referee: John Brooks 5