Substitute Noah Okafor scored less than two minutes after coming on as Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday to earn their first Premier League win since September and end Spurs' three-match winning run.
Match facts
- Result: Leeds United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (half-time 0-0)
- Competition: Premier League, Matchweek 10
- Venue: Elland Road, Leeds
- Scorers: Leeds United - Okafor 79'
- Red cards: None
- Attendance: 36,924
- Next: Chelsea v Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur v Ipswich Town, Saturday 21 November
How the match unfolded
Leeds had the first sights of goal in the 12:30 UK kick-off, with Ao Tanaka shooting wide in the fifth minute and Ethan Ampadu firing high from distance four minutes later. Micky van de Ven was booked in the 15th minute and Sean Longstaff followed him into the referee's notebook in the 22nd.
Tottenham then had their best spell of the half. James Trafford saved from Omar Marmoush in the 25th minute and from Mohammed Kudus two minutes later, before Marmoush headed a corner wide in the 33rd minute.
The flashpoint of the half came moments later, when a late challenge from Jayden Bogle left Mathys Tel needing treatment. VAR Tony Harrington did not recommend an on-field review, and BBC Sport's Phil McNulty wrote that Bogle could consider himself "very fortunate not to get a red card". Tel was unable to continue and was replaced by Dominic Solanke in the 43rd minute. The first half ran to seven minutes of stoppage time and ended goalless.
Daniel Farke sent on Melvin Bard for Gabriel Gudmundsson at the break, and Leeds took control. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nico Elvedi both missed from close range after a 50th-minute corner, Pedro Porro was booked a minute later, and in the 53rd minute Tanaka blazed over from the centre of the box after a quick break.
Roberto De Zerbi made a triple change in the 65th minute, sending on Conor Gallagher, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur for Porro, Marmoush and Mateus Fernandes. Gallagher went close from outside the box three minutes later, but Leeds kept pressing.
Farke's own changes decided the game. Harry Wilson replaced Tanaka and Okafor replaced Lukas Nmecha in the 77th minute, and two minutes later Okafor, who combined with Wilson according to BBC Sport, drilled a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner after Spurs failed to deal with a throw-in. He was booked for his celebration a minute later.
Sandro Tonali was cautioned in the 88th minute. Spurs pushed late on, but Trafford dived to keep out Jan Paul van Hecke's header in the first minute of stoppage time, and Bentancur could not convert a close-range chance in the closing seconds.
What does the result mean for Leeds and Tottenham?
The win was Leeds' third of the league season and ended a five-match winless run. It takes Farke's side to 14 points. Their previous home league game was a 1-1 draw with Manchester United, covered in our Leeds 1-1 Man Utd report.
"Leeds deserve the three points," former Leeds and Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "Big, big result for Leeds United."
Tottenham's run of three straight league wins, which included the 2-0 victory at Chelsea, is over. De Zerbi's side stay on 12 points.
What happens next?
The Premier League now pauses for the international break. Leeds go to Chelsea on Saturday 21 November (15:00 UK), and Tottenham host Ipswich Town at the same time. Fixtures and reports from the round are collected in our Premier League section.
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