Leeds United  1 (Okafor 79)
Tottenham H   0    

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7th November 2026. English Premier League.

36,924.

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What a performance that was! We knew that to get anything from a Spurs side bang in form we’d need to be both flawless and probably lucky for a change. Last time out against Bournemouth we were neither, and it cost us at least a point. This time we were almost flawless, and we did get that tiny bit of good fortune we’ve been missing this season. Oh, and we have finally buried that awful lunchtime kick-off record!

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I say ‘almost’ flawless because I think before we focus on just how good the performance was, we ought to mention that we still left a lot to be desired in that final attacking third. We have probably all now seen that dire statistic that has Leeds 95th out of the 96 sides in the big five European leagues this season in terms of passing accuracy in the final third – we all knew it was bad; we’ve been watching us mess final balls up all season, but none of us thought it was THAT bad! Once again today, too many crosses didn’t find their target, and then too many shots flew over the bar when they should at least have tested the keeper. And to hit the target only 4 times from 16 attempts simply is not good enough at this level. By contrast, for example, Spurs also hit the target 4 times but from only 7 attempts. Headers from DCL and Nmecha and shots by Tanaka and Longstaff should all have found the net, but only Longstaff tested the keeper, who touched his snap-shot over the bar.

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The bit of luck we got was that Jayden Bogle avoided even a yellow card for his mistimed tackle late in the first half. It looked innocuous at the time, certainly from my spot on the Kop, and referee Brooks didn’t seem interested, but replays showed Jayden clearly caught his man on the ankle. For once, VAR looked kindly upon us, despite looking at it for all of four minutes!. Mind you, the performance of John Brooks in the middle today was as woeful as any we have seen at ER this season and, boy, we’ve seen some stinkers! But anyway, that’s the bad stuff out of the way; let’s focus on the good stuff, of which there was plenty.

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The first half was tight; neither side gained the upper hand, and not a single big chance was created. The key for Leeds, though, was that we looked comfortable in containing Spurs, with our defence looking as dependable as ever, and Spurs were made to look no more than ordinary. Archie Gray was probably the most eye-catching of their players as he was here, there and everywhere trying to get his team going.

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In the second half though, Leeds were totally dominant – 13 of those 16 goal attempts coming after the break and Leeds creating 4 big chances – but at times it looked as though those poorly hit crosses and missed chances would leave us wanting again as time began to ebb away.

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We’d been forced into a half-time substitution when Gabi Gudmundsson was withdrawn at the break, and I’m sure many fans thought that would severely dampen our efforts down the left. Au contraire! Melvin Bard was an absolute revelation, and at times you’d have been forgiven for thinking it actually was Gabi out there, just with a different number on his back. He was the exception to the rule in sending over a few decent-looking crosses. The key substitutions, though, came in the 77th minute when Harry Wilson and Noah Okafor were sent on to replace Ao Tanaka and Lukas Nmecha.

I’ve often moaned that our subs didn’t affect games enough, but finally today they did. The two of them had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes when we made the vital breakthrough.

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It was a lovely goal. A left-wing throw-in from Bard, a little nod inside by DCL to Harry Wilson, and he laid the ball perfectly into the path of Okafor with a deft little flick. A perfect first touch got the ball onto Noah’s right, and then, almost in the same action, a perfect strike beat the keeper inside his right-hand post. It was a sublime finish from Noah, and maybe he’s the man who will improve those finishing stats if we can just keep him fit.

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The goal came in the 79th minute, but there was still time for James Trafford to show us again that he is the real deal between the sticks, and that last weekend was just an aberration. He threw himself away to his left to turn a goal-bound header past the post as Spurs tried to rescue something near the end.

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This win has come at a perfect time to ensure we stay clear of any drama – Leeds have been competitive in every game this season but without always converting that competitiveness into regular wins and points, and doubts were starting to creep in. To have put three more points on the board against a side widely declared to now be on the up should significantly boost confidence and morale. Another trip to Chelsea when we return after the break now looks far less daunting than it would have done had we lost this one.

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I still think it’s those three upcoming games against Coventry, Ipswich and Fulham that are the most important between now and Christmas, but if we can win those and add a few points here and there along the way, we ought to be sitting pretty by the time Santa arrives. Oh, and let’s celebrate getting that lunchtime monkey off our backs too