Tottenham Hotspur sealed a 2-1 win against Leeds United on Saturday, with Mohammed Kudus’s first goal for the club ending Daniel Farke’s side’s 23-game unbeaten league run at Elland Road.
Kudus picked out the bottom-right corner with a brilliant finish in the 57th minute, capping a fine individual display after assisting the game’s opening goal.
Spurs had taken the lead in the 23rd minute through Mathys Tel’s deflected shot, but were pegged back before the break thanks to Noah Okafor’s effort from close range.
The deciding moment came just before the hour, with Kudus getting the better of Gabriel Gudmundsson on the right before flashing a fierce shot past Karl Darlow.
The result lifts Spurs to second in the league, one point behind leaders Liverpool, while Leeds remain 12th after their third defeat of the Premier League season.
How the match unfolded
Having seen former Spurs defender Joe Rodon head against a post early on, Leeds found themselves behind when Sean Longstaff was dispossessed by Rodrigo Bentancur, with the ball finding its way to Tel, who beat Darlow with the aid of a deflection from Pascal Struijk.
However, the hosts hauled themselves level 11 minutes before half-time through Okafor, who tucked home from close range after Guglielmo Vicario had parried Brenden Aaronson’s initial shot into his path following neat build-up play from Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Tel came close to doubling his and Spurs' tally in first-half stoppage time, but his brilliant header from Wilson Odobert’s cross into the box cannoned off the crossbar.
After weathering a spell of pressure, Gudmundsson was unable to deal with Pedro Porro’s ball down the line, allowing Kudus to pick up the pieces and seal the win with a fine finish. But, Spurs needed a brilliant save from Vicario to deny Joel Piroe in second-half stoppage time.
Elland Road run comes to an end
Leeds have been unbeaten at home in over a year, with a win over Coventry City in September 2024 marking the start of that run, having also beaten Everton and drawn with AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United in the Premier League.
But, they fell short here despite making a strong start in a tale of squandered opportunities.
Longstaff’s inviting free-kick in the seventh minute saw Vicario misjudge the flight of the ball, but Rodon could only head against the post, and they were made to pay soon after when Tel beat Darlow at his near post, with that moment allowing Spurs to settle.
Joao Palhinha fired over after Ethan Ampadu failed to deal with a cross into the box, before Darlow was on hand to repel Destiny Udogie’s strike from a tight angle, but Leeds had their moments at the other end.
Calvert-Lewin could have done better after Bentancur was dispossessed by Okafor, though the Switzerland international made no mistake when restoring parity with his effort in the 34th minute, despite an inflatable ball making its way on to the pitch, much to the annoyance of Vicario.
Leeds continued to threaten in the second half as Calvert-Lewin’s shot on the swivel was blocked by the feet of Vicario before Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka fired wide, with Piroe’s late attempt brilliantly saved by the Spurs goalkeeper.
They will look to pick themselves up after the October international break, with a trip to Turf Moor to take on fellow promoted team Burnley in their next Premier League outing.
Spurs weather late storm to get back to winning ways
Spurs left it late to secure a 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, and that display appeared to exert all of their energy in the opening exchanges, though their sluggish start went unpunished as Tel fired them into the lead.
It was Tel’s first Premier League goal since scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers in April, repaying the faith shown in him by Thomas Frank, as Spurs found a way to score without an established focal point at the top end of the pitch, with Richarlison on the bench and Dominic Solanke out injured.
Though they were susceptible to Leeds on the break, with Calvert-Lewin firing two warning shots either side of the break, Tel rattled the crossbar with a brilliant header in first-half stoppage time at the other end.
Spurs could have entered the break with a more comfortable advantage after Kudus had blazed over following Udogie’s unchallenged run, but the winger signed from West Ham United more than made up for that miss by striking the winning goal.
Frank introduced Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr to shore things up at the back late on, but Leeds piled on the pressure and came close to an equaliser, only for Vicario to save Piroe’s close-range strike before Struijk's header was deflected wide late on.
It marks another excellent result in Frank’s early Spurs tenure, and he will be looking to build on that when they welcome Aston Villa to north London after the international break.
Club reports
What the managers said
Daniel Farke: "[We needed] to score more goals from our big chances. We had two big mistakes. Football is sometimes like this. That's the way it goes in the first half. Second half our player slipped and that was an invitation to Kudus.
"We had more than enough chances to win this game. Performance-wise I can just compliment the lads, we won every metric. We are disappointed but the lads should be pleased with their performance."
Thomas Frank: "We needed a win. The last three games were without [one]. That feeling to get over the line, to get three points, was big.
"But also the respect for Leeds and Elland Road. We knew very well the task ahead of us. We overcame that in a very good way. I thought we played overall a really good game. We should have got more out of the dangerous situations. I know they hit the post and the goal, and right at the end there was carnage, but for the rest of the game I thought we defended superbly."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Spurs have won three of their opening four away Premier League games this season (one draw), as many as in their final 13 away league games of last season under Ange Postecoglou (three wins, one draw, nine losses).
Leeds have lost eight of their last 10 Premier League games in which they’ve conceded first (one win, one draw), including three of their five so far in 2025/26.
Spurs have recorded their first Premier League win after a game in major European competition since February last season against Brentford (2-0), ending a run of eight matches without a victory (three draws, five losses).
Kudus completed all six of his dribbles, the best 100 per cent rate by a Spurs player in a Premier League game since Tanguy Ndombele against Villa in March 2021 (also six out of six).