Okafor’s Leeds winner adds insult to Tel’s injury for Tottenham as Bogle escapes red

Leeds secured their first win in six Premier League games as Noah Okafor’s goal was enough to end Tottenham’s winning run on an afternoon when the tactical creativity of Daniel Farke proved significant.

Leeds had started the season superbly, with eight points from their first four games. They had begun to stutter of late though, leading Farke to revert to the 3-5-2 system which many believed saved his job when he made the switch almost a year ago against Manchester City. Things were not quite that extreme for Farke heading into this game, but this was a much-needed win nonetheless.

Against a Spurs side hunting a fourth successive Premier League win for the first time in four years, Farke made further tactical tweaks as the contest wore on which helped Leeds establish superiority. That dominance produced a reward with nine minutes remaining, as the substitute Okafor scored what proved to be the winning goal.

The outcome could have been significantly different had the video assistant referee (VAR) opted to intervene on Jayden Bogle’s ugly tackle on Mathys Tel. The Leeds defender was subject to a lengthy wait to discover if he would be sent off after initially being penalised for a foul on Tel after catching the winger’s achilles. However, much to chagrin of the Spurs bench, Bogle avoided further punishment.

There was in truth little in the way of clearcut chances in the first half from two well-organised teams. Defences were very much on top in the opening 45 minutes with the only two real opportunities coming Tottenham’s way. However, James Trafford was on hand to deny efforts from Omar Marmoush and Tel.

The big talking point of an otherwise drab first half was unquestionably the incident between Bogle and Tel. Replays showed the Leeds wing-back clearly caught Tel’s achilles with a tackle that was more clumsy than it was malicious, though it left the Spurs attacker in visible discomfort on the floor. An equally agonising and lengthy VAR check followed.

Unlike a week earlier, when Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off against the same opposition for a similar challenge – albeit Bogle’s was with the foot he was planting on the floor – this time there was no further action. Tel was subsequently unable to continue after attempting to battle on through the pain for several minutes and was replaced by Dominic Solanke.

Not even the introduction of the striker could open the contest up, with both teams cancelling one another out for the remainder of the first half. Leeds rolled the dice at half-time with Farke reverting to a back four and pushing Bogle forward, and it should have produced an almost immediate reward.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s header from a corner was blocked on the line by Solanke before Nico Elvedi headed wide and then, two minutes later, Calvert-Lewin’s industrious run saw him square for Ao Tanaka, but the Japan international could only shoot over from six yards. What was a fairly stale game had suddenly been blown open.

The momentum remained with the hosts as the hour mark arrived, which prompted Roberto De Zerbi into a triple substitution to attempt to wrestle back control. The result was almost instant as one of those introduced, Conor Gallagher, shot narrowly wide with Trafford seemingly beaten as the game entered the final quarter.

Leeds responded again. Bogle was hugely influential, as was the substitute Melvin Bard, with the latter’s break resulting in a pinpoint cross from the former which found Sean Longstaff unmarked in the box. His effort produced a remarkable reactionary save from Antonin Kinsky in the Spurs goal to keep it level.

Farke and Leeds kept going. His next move was to change shape again with Harry Wilson and Okafor introduced to support Calvert-Lewin. Within two minutes, the two substitutes combined and Okafor rifled home past Kinsky to send Elland Road into uproar with a goal their second half performance undeniably merited.

There were late chances for Spurs to secure a late point, most notably when Jan Paul van Hecke produced a smart save from Trafford. But ultimately Leeds did enough to hold on and get their season firmly back on track.