The China Mail - Kudus fires Spurs into second with win at Leeds

Noah Okafor cancelled out Mathys Tel's opener for the visitors in a first half that raged from end to end.

Kudus grabbed the winner just before the hour mark and Tottenham had to show their newfound defensive resolve under Thomas Frank to inflict Leeds' first league defeat at Elland Road for 24 games.

Spurs close to within one point of leaders Liverpool, but Arsenal can go top later on Saturday when they host West Ham.

Tottenham needed late fightbacks to avoid defeat against bottom-of-the-table Wolves and Champions League debutants Bodo/Glimt over the past week.

Frank made six changes to the side that started in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday and was rewarded with a far more purposeful performance from the visitors.

But Leeds will rue their missed chances to avoid a first league defeat at Elland Road since losing to Burnley in September 2024.

Joe Rodon should have put the home side in front when he headed Sean Longstaff's free-kick off the post on seven minutes.

Tel was left out of Spurs' Champions League squad after struggling to make an impression since making his move from Bayern Munich a permanent one in the transfer window.

The Frenchman was handed a rare chance to start in the middle of a front three and made it count with his first goal of the season.

Tel was played in by Kudus and his powerful shot deflected off Pascal Struijk to leave Karl Darlow helpless.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin blazed a glorious chance to level wide before Kudus did the same at the other end as a slick Spurs counter-attack cut Leeds open.

However, Daniel Farke's men were well worthy of being at least level at the break.

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario should have done better as he could only parry Brenden Aaronson's shot back into the path of Okafor, who tapped in to an empty net for his second Leeds goal.

Tel came close to his second with a looping header that hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.

The second half started in a similar end-to-end fashion as Vicario denied Calvert-Lewin with his feet.

Kudus then produced the match-winning moment with a surging run infield before unleashing another powerful shot that deceived Darlow via a deflection off Gabriel Gudmundsson.

Last season, Tottenham lost more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League on their way to finishing just above the relegation zone in 17th.

Frank has so far stamped out that habit as Spurs are yet to drop points after taking the lead in a match.

The visitors had to survive a scare deep into stoppage time when Vicario redeemed himself with a fine save low to his left from Joel Piroe.

Defeat leaves Leeds in 12th with eight points from their first seven games.

G.Fung--ThChM