Noah Okafor had been on the pitch for two minutes when he scored the goal that settled this match. He came on in the 77th minute and finished cleanly in the 79th, and Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the Premier League early kick-off at Elland Road on Saturday. Jan Paul van Hecke played one of his best games in a Spurs shirt. He nearly earned a point in the closing moments, but James Trafford saved his effort. The defeat ended Roberto De Zerbi’s three-match winning run going into the international break.
Daniel Farke’s decision to bring Okafor on for Lukas Nmecha won the game. Spurs were left to wonder how they lost a match in which they matched their hosts for long spells. Here are the BBC’s player ratings, with context from the match.
Leeds United: Okafor’s cameo and Ampadu’s control
The finish was direct. Okafor got to a loose ball inside the area after Harry Wilson, who came on at the same time, flicked it past Rodrigo Bentancur. Okafor then beat Antonin Kinsky from close range. The BBC rated him 7 and called it an “inspirational substitution” by Farke.
- James Trafford (6): Alert off his line and safe with the ball. His late save from Van Hecke protected the win.
- James Justin (6): Delivered good crosses and was solid in defence.
- Nico Elvedi (6): Won his physical battle with Omar Marmoush and headed a good chance wide.
- Tarik Muharemovic (6): A very solid display. The BBC called him “a bargain”.
- Jayden Bogle (5): Useful going forward but very fortunate not to be sent off for a late challenge on Mathys Tel.
- Ethan Ampadu (7): The captain kept the midfield ticking over and was a strong presence throughout.
- Sean Longstaff (6): Booked for a late tackle on Mateus Fernandes. Kinsky saved his close-range effort.
- Ao Tanaka (6): Worked hard but missed a great chance in the second half.
- Gabriel Gudmundsson (7): Excellent first half. Replaced by Melvin Bard at the interval.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (6): Hard-working. Set up Tanaka for a chance he should have taken.
- Lukas Nmecha (5): Struggled and headed straight at Kinsky.
- Subs: Bard (6) made some fine forward passes. Okafor (7). Wilson (5) tried to create. Ilia Gruev and Joe Rodon came on in stoppage time and were not rated.
Leeds had gone into the match on a winless run, so the result matters as much as the performance. A clean sheet against a side that had won its previous three games gives Farke something to build on over the international break.
Tottenham Hotspur: Van Hecke stands firm as the attack misfires
Spurs’ problem was clear. Their defence held up, but their forwards did not threaten. Marmoush, Mohammed Kudus and Fernandes made little impact, and the BBC rated none of De Zerbi’s attacking players or substitutes above 5.
- Antonin Kinsky (7): Safe handling, with an excellent save from Longstaff. He had one anxious moment over a goal-kick.
- Pedro Porro (6): Joined the attack regularly. Probably taken off on 65 minutes to avoid a red card.
- Micky van de Ven (6): Dependable, with one vital clearance in the second half. Booked for hauling back Bogle.
- Jan Paul van Hecke (7): One of his best games for Spurs. He almost saved a point at the end.
- Andy Robertson (6): Solid in defence and energetic going forward.
- Archie Gray (6): Some nice touches against his old club but generally quiet.
- Sandro Tonali (5): Anonymous. Needed to do more.
- Mateus Fernandes (5): Very quiet, with no influence at all. He survived an early VAR handball check.
- Mohammed Kudus (5): Lots of effort but little end product.
- Omar Marmoush (5): Poor. Lacked physical presence against the Leeds defenders.
- Mathys Tel (5): Had lively moments but could not continue after Bogle’s challenge. Dominic Solanke replaced him on 43 minutes.
- Subs: Solanke (5) made a crucial block from Calvert-Lewin. Conor Gallagher (5) shot inches wide. Bentancur (5) missed a chance in the final seconds. Dejan Kulusevski (5) was kept at bay. Luca Williams-Barnett came on late and was not rated.
What it means
The flashpoint came late in the first half. Bogle caught Tel’s ankle, and a lengthy VAR review ended with no further action. Tel had to go off, which forced De Zerbi into an early change. Spurs never recovered the rhythm that had carried them through their winning run. Their three substitutions on 65 minutes, which brought on Gallagher, Bentancur and Kulusevski, did not produce a breakthrough.
The ratings for Van Hecke varied between outlets. The BBC gave him 7, while the Evening Standard and football.london both gave him 5. The Evening Standard said he lost out in the build-up to the goal. Even so, he came closest to rescuing a point for Spurs. Over the break, De Zerbi has to work out how a defence this organised can be let down so badly by the attack.
For Leeds, this was Farke’s tactical judgement paying off. He brought on Okafor and Wilson together, and they combined for the winner within two minutes. A home win over one of the division’s in-form sides answers questions that had grown louder during the winless run.
—
I checked the match before writing the article. Leeds really did beat Spurs 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday 7 November. I used the BBC ratings by Phil McNulty and cross-checked them against the Evening Standard and football.london.
– **No quotes or league positions:** none of the sources had manager quotes or the current table, so the article includes neither.
– **The goal:** reports differ on how it was scored. I followed the Evening Standard, which says Wilson flicked the ball through to Okafor. Football.london says Okafor dribbled past Bentancur himself.
– **Yorkshire Post:** its page blocked access, so its Leeds ratings aren’t included.
I saved the verified match facts to memory for any follow-up pieces.
Sources:
– [BBC ratings via Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/okafor-difference-despite-van-hecke-143528576.html)
– [Evening Standard via Yahoo UK](https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/tottenham-player-ratings-vs-leeds-143523252.html)
– [football.london via AOL](https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/tottenham-player-ratings-vs-leeds-142907000.html)
– [Yorkshire Post](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/leeds-united-player-ratings-masterful-leader-of-pack-some-key-high-marks-versus-spurs-9336635) (couldn’t be read)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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