From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Tottenham left it late to come from behind and beat Leeds 4-3 on Saturday.
Spurs were poor for extended stretches at the back but Antonio Conte’s side dug in deep to end this portion of the season on a high.
Leeds were almost gifted with a sight of goal in the first five minutes. Eric Dier’s bouncing back pass just reached Hugo Lloris with Rodrigo chasing the loose ball.
Dier should have done better with a cross at the other end after a Spurs fast break where Harry Kane and Richarlison were waiting in the box.
And Leeds took the lead in the tenth minute after Crysencio Summerville managed to weave between Dier and Emerson Royal before firing under Lloris at his near post.
Dejan Kulusevski’s cut-back was headed home by Emerson Royal, but Illan Meslier was level as the home side looked to quickly level.
Spurs continued to move through the cogs and created a wonderful opening when Ben Davies danced his way into the box and pulled it back for Emerson to shoot horribly wide.
Summerville almost doubled their tally for the afternoon on the counter, although this time Lloris was able to come out and smother it while Rodrigo Bentancur prevented Brenden Aaronson from scoring on the rebound with a slide. Rodrigo hit the post for the visitors shortly after but the flag was raised for late offside.
Tottenham grabbed an equalizer from a scrum corner when Kane struck home – a goal that stood even though Meslier appeared to have been fouled by Clement Lenglet.
An open affair almost saw Spurs score immediately when Kulusevski slipped through, but Meslier came out to deny him in similar fashion to Lloris at Summerville.
Leeds went back in front after Tottenham failed to deal with a corner and it ended for Rasmus Kristensen to head over the protracted back line to finish off Rodrigo.
Spurs hit back almost immediately when Emerson’s cross was blocked by Robin Koch, but it was collected by Richarlison whose deflected effort was cleared off the line.
Conte’s men came out of the blocks after half-time and found an equalizer through Ben Davies after Kane’s initial effort was cleared off the line.
Kulusevski, so influential on his first start since September, came close to putting Spurs in front after Richarlison sent him away, but his strike from the outside of the boot went wide.
For the third time, Leeds went in front after Rodrigo headed in at the far post, with Spurs furious that a foul on Rodrigo Bentancur was not called in the set-piece.
And for the third time, Tottenham quickly found an answer after Bentancur himself smashed home after the visitors could only half clear Davinson Sanchez’s cross.
Within minutes, Spurs took the lead for the first time, with Kulusevski easing his way to the touchline and cutting back Bentancuro to latch onto.
Tyler Adams, who commanded the midfield battle for most of the afternoon, was booked for a cynical foul on Yves Bissouma.
Spurs drove four minutes into stoppage time to end a run of two successive defeats, while Leeds’ recent fine form came to a halt.
1. Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-3)
GK: Hugo Lloris – 5/10 – Didn’t cover himself in glory with his kicking but this was overshadowed by Meslier’s deficiencies.
CB: Eric Dier – 3/10 – Another haphazard and error-stricken display from a defender who could well be starting for England at the World Cup. Yikes.
CB: Clement Lenglet – 5/10 – Found it difficult living with Leeds’ press but wasn’t the worst offender.
CB: Ben Davies – 6/10 – Scored a crucial goal in the contest but was similarly a bit so-so at the back.
RM: Emerson Royal – 3/10 – Killed nearly every Spurs attack one way or another. Fans got on his back and his substitution was met with cheers.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – 9/10 – Swept up well and compounded a great display with two well-taken goals.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 5/10 – Way off the pace of a blood-and-thunder encounter, misplacing passes and harried into errors.
LM: Ivan Perisic – 6/10 – Looked leggy from the off but at least that’s understandable given his added workload recently.
RF: Dejan Kulusevski – 9/10 – The creator of almost every Spurs attack. Deserved more from wasteful teammates most of the afternoon but at least Bentancur delivered in the end.
LF: Richarlison – 6/10 – Provided plenty of energy on his return. Didn’t get too many sights of goal.
CF: Harry Kane – 8/10 – Took his goal extremely well and linked play expertly when the going got tough.
SUB: Matt Doherty (57′ for Emerson) – 6/10
SUB: Davinson Sanchez (57′ for Lenglet) – 6/10
SUB: Yves Bissouma (68′ for Richarlison) – 6/10
Manager: Antonio Conte – 6/10 – His changes were crucial, but it’s also his fault that Spurs were in such a predicament. Swings and roundabouts.
2. Leeds United (4-2-3-1)
GK: Illan Meslier – 3/10 – Made a number of errors which ultimately cost Leeds a famous win.
RB: Rasmus Kristensen – 6/10 – The only Leeds defender who wasn’t ran ragged. Used his physical advantages well.
CB: Robin Koch – 4/10 – A few strange decisions and passes didn’t cover him in glory.
CB: Liam Cooper – 3/10 – Spun inside-out by Kulusevski time after time.
LB: Pascal Struijk – 4/10 – Tried to double up on Kulusevski but to little avail.
CM: Tyler Adams – 6/10 – Had an impressive afternoon in the midfield battle until Bentancur scored twice and he was sent off.
CM: Marc Roca – 7/10 – Was hooked before it got sour for Leeds. His technical qualities were standout.
RM: Wilfried Gnonto – 5/10 – Battered from pillar to post and was taken off through injury. Looked lively, at least.
AM: Brenden Aaronson – 6/10 – Dropped deep to help the midfield while also pushing on as an attacker.
LM: Crysencio Summerville – 7/10 – Relished going up against Emerson and Dier and with good reason.
CF: Rodrigo – 8/10 – Two excellent finishes for a man who will feel aggrieved to have been on the losing side.
SUB: Sam Greenwood (46′ for Gnonto) – 5/10
SUB: Luke Ayling (79′ for Roca) – 4/10
SUB: Joseph (89′ for Kristensen) – N/A
SUB: Joe Gelhardt (89′ for Rodrigo) – N/A
Manager: Jesse Marsch – 6/10 – Got his game plan mostly spot on but was let down by mistakes.
