Tottenham Benefit from Some Early Good Fortune vs Leeds

While Tottenham Hotspur got an emphatic win in the end against Leeds if a few moments in the first 15 minutes went differently the day might have too.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Leeds United Saturday afternoon in an open match that produced several chances for both sides. Spurs had both the better chances and better fortune on the afternoon and ended up cruising to a victory that could have finished any number of ways on a different day. Ultimately, Tottenham benefited from some early good fortune defensively, which propelled them to victory.

Spurs a Bit Fortunate Early

By the time Alioski fouled Steven Bergwijn Tottenham were in the game and the penalty did not seem against the flow of the play. However, if the penalty had occurred 10 minutes earlier it may have felt quite different as Leeds started strong.

There were different points in the game where the Tottenham defense was scrambling to keep Leeds out of the net. However, one of the strongest periods for Leeds was the first 15 minutes of the match. Tottenham were probably a bit fortunate during those first 15 minutes as Leeds had four half chances that could have turned out quite differently.

The first half-decent chance came about four minutes when Ezgjan Alioski did a nice overlap and got the ball driving in toward Hugo Lloris on the left side of the box. Alioski went for power and fortunately for Spurs his shot was outside, not inside of the post as the net bulged from the blast. While Alioski is a fullback, as we have seen from Spurs fullbacks, scoring goals is not out of the question.

The second opportunity came around eight minutes where Jack Harrison was able to get some space, again on the left, and again after an Alioski overlap. That movement pulled Doherty a bit and Harrison got off a nice left footed cross between the Irishman and Harry Winks. Raphina was just a bit off the ball as he tried to meet it and Bamford had position at the back post, but the ball was a bit too quick. Both attackers had position and the ball was well placed, just a bit heavy.

Only a minute or so after missing the cross the Peacocks were in again on the left and Doherty again slid in to block the ball, which led to a bouncing ball in the box. It was Leed’s midfielder Mateusz Klich who was first to the ball, but his volley was ineffective and Lloris easily gathered the ball. Leeds got one more half chance, with a break around 13 minutes that led to a tame shot from Bamford at the top of the box.

Half-Chances and an Empty Hand

That was four half chances in the first quarter hour where they were decently defended but ultimately Leeds failed to make the play. Had any of these efforts connected the game might have been quite different. However, around 15 minutes the game started to change, and Spurs got going as turnovers made the difference and Tottenham began to punch back.

Leeds got more half chances on the day but nothing clear cut. Those four opportunities, a shot off target, a missed cross, a blocked shot, and a weak effort right at Lloris encapsulated Leeds on the day. The Peacocks got 18 total shots over the 90 minutes, but only 5 on goal, with a further 4 blocked. The other nine efforts were off target, just like the 20 of the 24 crosses for Leeds on the day according to whoscored.com.

In the end, Tottenham kept the clean sheet and gave as good as they got regardless of possession, as Spurs outshot Leeds 20 to 18, with seven on target. The win was good, but not without some good fortune, which is not always there. That good fortune sometimes going the other way is why Spurs attacking back and scoring – more than once – is so critical. Wins like the one Saturday give fans reason for hope that Tottenham have learned a thing or two in the first half of the season. Let us hope those lessons and the good fortune continue.