One of the most treacherous away assignments awaits Roberto De Zerbi and his Spurs side this weekend as they make the journey north to Leeds. Elland Road represents a stern test, often irrespective of the quality of the Leeds side. But Spurs will face a team that has improved considerably under Daniel Farke this term and will provide a genuine challenge to their recent resurgence.
With positivity in the air at Spurs, we revisited a dramatic comeback from this week in 2022 – albeit one that took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
12 November 2022 | Tottenham Hotspur 4–3 Leeds United
Matches are remembered either for the quality of the football or for the sheer drama. Tottenham’s meeting with Leeds United in November 2022 had plenty of both, producing seven goals, a series of momentum swings and a remarkable late comeback from Spurs.
Jesse Marsch’s Leeds arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with plenty of energy and attacking intent, and they made an immediate impact. Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring after just 10 minutes, getting behind the Spurs defence before finishing past Hugo Lloris. Tottenham responded through Harry Kane, who brought the sides level midway through the first half with a fine finish after Illan Meslier had punched clear a corner.
Leeds continued to cause problems, however, and restored their lead just before half-time. Rodrigo volleyed home after Rasmus Kristensen flicked the ball into his path from a corner, giving the visitors a deserved 2–1 advantage at the break.
Spurs needed a response and found one shortly after the restart. Kane’s effort was blocked, but the ball fell to Ben Davies on the edge of the area, and the Welshman drove it into the net to make it 2–2. For a spell, Tottenham looked the more likely side to take control, with the returning Dejan Kulusevski (maybe this is an omen for Saturday) providing some much-needed creativity and attacking impetus.
But Leeds refused to go away. With 14 minutes remaining, Rodrigo struck again, taking advantage of space behind the Spurs defence to fire past Lloris and put the visitors ahead for a third time. Tottenham were staring at another frustrating home defeat, but there was still time for one final twist.
Enter Rodrigo Bentancur.
The Uruguayan midfielder struck twice in the space of three minutes. His first goal, a shot from the edge of the area, took a deflection on its way past Meslier to draw Spurs level. Almost immediately, Tottenham were on the attack again. Kulusevski produced a superb run down the right before reaching the byline and cutting the ball back for Bentancur, who finished from close range to complete the turnaround.
The drama was not quite over. Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams was sent off for a second booking in the closing stages, leaving the visitors with little chance of mounting another response. Spurs held on to secure a thrilling 4–3 victory and move into third place in the Premier League table ahead of the World Cup break.
Leave a Reply