Tottenham manager Thomas Frank praised his team’s resilience after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road, with Mohammed Kudus netting his first goal for the club to seal the win and lift Spurs to second place in the Premier League.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Mathys Tel opening the scoring for Spurs before Noah Okafor equalized for Leeds in an end-to-end first half. But as Storm Amy’s fierce wind and rain swept across Elland Road, Tottenham showed greater composure, clinching the winner through Kudus’ deflected strike, handing Leeds their first home league defeat in over a year.
“I think the character was the foundation,” said Frank after the match. “To go here and get through the spells where everything was not perfect and to keep the focus. We needed a win… That feeling to get over the line, to get three points, was big.”
The result moves Spurs within one point of leaders Liverpool, while Arsenal have a chance to reclaim the top spot later on Saturday when they host West Ham.
Tottenham had recently relied on late comebacks to avoid defeat against Wolves and Bodo/Glimt, but Frank’s six changes from the midweek Champions League lineup brought renewed energy and control.
Leeds, meanwhile, will regret their missed opportunities, as they suffered their first league loss at Elland Road since September 2024.
“You can accept the defeat if it is against a top side like Tottenham,” said Leeds manager Daniel Farke. “I am still happy with the performance. If we deliver performances like this, we will be fine in the end.”
Early on, Joe Rodon struck the post from a Sean Longstaff free-kick before Tel, who was left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad, put Spurs ahead with a deflected strike past Karl Darlow.
Leeds responded as Brenden Aaronson’s effort was parried by Guglielmo Vicario, allowing Okafor to tap in for the equalizer. Tel nearly restored Tottenham’s lead before halftime with a looping header that hit the crossbar.
The second half remained wide open, with Vicario denying Dominic Calvert-Lewin before Kudus’ powerful shot, deflected off Gabriel Gudmundsson, gave Spurs the decisive goal.
Frank’s side, who dropped more points from winning positions than any other team last season, now boast a perfect record after taking the lead this campaign.
Leeds came close to snatching a late equalizer, but Vicario produced a fine stoppage-time save from Joel Piroe to secure all three points.
The loss leaves Leeds 12th in the table with eight points from seven games.
What you should know
Thomas Frank’s Tottenham have emerged as genuine Premier League contenders this season.
Their ability to hold on to leads, once their biggest weakness, has become their greatest strength, with new signing Mohammed Kudus proving an instant impact player in Spurs’ revival.
