Leeds United 3-1 Tottenham: 5 talking points as Spurs suffer harrowing defeat | Premier League 2020-21
A vibrant display from Leeds United saw them pick up a morale-boosting 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road in the Premier League on Saturday.
Both sides came into the game off the back of defeats, with the hosts having suffered a 2-0 loss away to Brighton and Hove Albion, while Spurs had lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the final of the League Cup.
Tottenham manager Ryan Mason was looking to become the first manager in the club's top-flight history to win their first three matches in charge in the league and made two changes to his side. Harry Kane and Dele Alli were handed starts at the expense of Lucas Moura and Tanguy N'dombele.
Marcelo Bielsa named an unchanged 11 from the side that lost 2-0 to the Sea Gulls.
The hosts started the game on the front foot and asked early questions of Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal. But the France international pulled off some sensational saves to keep his side in the game.
Leeds United got the opener their start deserved when Stuart Dallas converted from close range after Lloris had prevented Sergio Reguilon from scoring a comical own goal inside the area.
Bielsa's side were at their absolute best in contrast to their subdued performance last week as they pressed the Spurs players and sliced open their defense with ease.
Tottenham leveled scores against the run of play when Dele Alli's pristine through ball played Heung-Min Son in and the South Korea international made no mistake inside the box.
They then thought they had gone ahead through Harry Kane's smart dink but the goal was ruled out for the most marginal of offside decisions.
Leeds responded to the setback excellently to reclaim the lead. The impressive Stuart Dallas kickstarted the move when he dispossessed a lackluster Sergio Reguilon and a well-worked team move ended with an unmarked Patrick Bamford tapping into an empty net.
The goal was representative of everything brilliant about Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa, although questions must be asked about the statuesque defending by the Tottenham players.
The second half was as open and thrilling as the first, although it was the visitors who restarted the game stronger and Harry Kane had the ball in the back of the net once again but was pulled back for offside.
Ryan Mason made two changes midway through the second half, with Dele Alli and Gareth Bale both taken off for Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura, respectively.
Harry Kane hit the crossbar with a free-kick from 20 yards out, before Lamela forced Illan Meslier into a fine save from an acute angle.
It was, however, Leeds United who scored the crucial fourth goal of the match when the two substitutes combined to make sure of the win.
With time running out, Tottenham pushed forward for an equalizer and this left space behind that was fully exploited by the hosts. A brilliant counterattack ended with Raphinha sending an excellent cross into the box for Rodrigo to tap home from close range.
The victory means that Leeds United will end the campaign without a loss against the so-called 'Big Six' at home, having earlier drawn against the other five.
Up next for them will be a trip to Turf Moor to take on Burnley next week, while Tottenham will host Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Rampant Leeds United good value for their victory
Leeds United have been one of the most thrilling sides to watch in the Premier League this season and matches involving the West Yorkshire side have always been high-octane events.
They were uncharacteristically flat in their defeat to Brighton last week but the players issued a perfect response with what was a dominant display against one of the league's top sides.
The hosts showed their intent from the first whistle and Tottenham had their goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to thank for not being on the end of a more embarrassing defeat.
#4 Defensive issues remain an albatross for Tottenham
Tottenham have one of the most vibrant attacks in the league and the fact that they have two players who have hit double figures in goals and assists butresses this point.
However, the Lily Whites have often been undone by shambolic defending and this flaw was in full glare against Leeds United.
The first goal conceded saw Reguilon force Lloris into a save from point-blank range to prevent an own goal but Stuart Dallas put the rebound into the net.
While the build-up to Leeds United's second goal was brilliant, the non-existent defending of the visitors must be questioned as nobody tracked Bamford's run into the box.
They also failed to play to the whistle when Leeds countered for the third goal, with several Tottenham players raising their hands for offside rather than covering their tracks.