A pulsating match played with bundles of intensity saw Tottenham fall 3-1 to Leeds United, all but ending their top four aspirations.
Tottenham struggled to cope with Leeds’ furious pace of play. You can see why everyone is raving about the way Marcelo Bielsa is managing this Leeds side. They never take a moment’s respite and are incessantly in your face, never allowing the opposition to settle.
Leeds play the way Tottenham want to, with verve, pace, tenacity and guile. There were some promising performances from the away side, but overall, especially after Leicester’s loss to Newcastle, it was a bitterly disappointing pill to swallow.
Defence
Hugo Lloris 7/10
Hugo made a couple of great saves in the first half, one of which from a Harrison screamer. He made one slightly erratic punch when he should have collected. Hugo had no chance on Leeds’ third. I’m sure he’s extremely frustrated by the lack of support he received from his teammates.
Serge Aurier 2/10
Aurier’s first half was highlighted by an ability to stop crosses and erratic piece of defending from a teasing Dallas cross. He had a nightmare trying to silence Harrison, who caused the Ivorian fits. He almost scored on a deflected missile in the second half. Seconds after that promising bit of play, Aurier coughed up possession needlessly from a poor header.
Eric Dier 4/10
The Englishman is way too immobile for a match of that nature. Leeds play with pace and intensity that Dier cannot match. His poor clearing header on Leeds’ second goal — a cushioned header to nobody — allowed the home side to pounce. He followed that initial error by statuesque defending, letting Bamford sneak in for the easiest of finishes.
Toby Alderweireld 5/10
A stable and reliable force in Spurs’ rearguard. He was easily the best of Tottenham’s backline. He did vacate his area on Leeds’ second. In his defence, he moved towards a deeper threat. Dier failed to cover his Belgian colleague.
Sergio Reguilon 3/10
Struggled to get his body positioning right on Leeds’ opener, almost scoring an own goal on the play. Hugo reacted well but was unable to stop Dallas’ rebound. Reguilon was too reactive in the half, often chasing shadows. Like Aurier, Reguilon had fits trying to mark Dallas, who delivered a number of threatening crosses. The Spaniard was also slow to react on Dier’s poor headed clearance on Leeds’ second goal.
Midfield
Giovanni Lo Celso 5/10
Giovanni played in a deeper midfield role and had trouble coping defensively with Leeds dynamic, lightning-quick interchanges. He didn’t do enough to take command in the centre of the park. Leeds dominated the middle of the pitch, one of the key reasons Spurs lost the match.
Pierre Hojberg 4/10
Pierre didn’t have a great outing. He was overran in midfield and didn’t react quickly enough to Dier’s poor defensive header on Leeds’ second. By now we expect more from the Dane.
Son Heung-min 6/10
Son was lethal with his first and only attempt on goal in the first half. The South Korean had a golden opportunity to score early in the second half but hit the side netting with a fierce left-footed shot. Probably should have done better from that promising position.
Gareth Bale 3/10
Gareth had no space to navigate and endured an incredibly quiet day. The Welshman had just one cross and no attempts on goal.
Forwards and Subs
Harry Kane 6/10
Other than a nifty finish on a disallowed goal, Harry Kane, like Bale, endured a tough day at the office. Kane set up Erik Lamela whose resulting shot was saved smartly by Illan Meslier. He also hit the bar from a set piece. Was unlucky not to score.
Dele Alli 6/10
Made the most of his time on the ball, playing numerous incisive, dangerous passes. Dele assisted Son’s goal with a telling pass and would have had a second helper had Kane not been ruled out for the most marginal of offside calls.
Lucas Moura 5/10
Lucas and Erik both contributed to the match what they could, but neither did enough to impact significantly proceedings. Both substitutes did little to effect ongoings, an outcome Ryan Mason will not be happy with.