Needing results elsewhere to swing in their favour, Spurs knew that a victory at Elland Road was crucial to retain any hopes of playing football on the continent next season. With Leeds United also relying on other results to remain in the Premier League, the game was set to be a fiercely contested battle with plenty on the line for both sides.
LEE: Robles, Ayling, Struijk, Kristensen, Wober, Forshaw, Koch, Cooper, Harrison, McKennie, Rodrigo
TOT: Forster, Sanchez, Royal, Davies, Lenglet, Skipp, Son, Porro, Bissouma, Kane, Kulusevski
It was the worst possible start for Leeds as Harry Kane took the lead for the visitors inside two minutes, as an inside run from Pedro Porro split the Leeds defence for Heung-Min Son to assist Kane’s 29th goal of the season. Leeds then looked to respond quickly as they enjoyed early control of the possession in the early stages of the match. However, they couldn’t find the goal they wanted before half-time.
Mission improbable became mission impossible when Pedro Porro doubled Tottenham’s lead at the beginning of the second half. In a stroke of brilliance, Harry Kane danced through the Leeds defence to play in the wing-back, who finished tidily across goal into the keeper’s bottom-right corner.
Leeds continued their fight back into the game by regaining control of possession, but their lack of attacking threat showed. Their quest for survival was further dampened when Everton scored against Bournemouth just before the hour mark – and it meant that any comeback would be nullified by a victory for the Toffees.
As the match progressed, chances were few and far between for the home side. Any break in Spurs’ line was often let down by a poor pass or touch to shut down any chance of an attack. It wasn’t helped by the home crowd’s continued agitation at each failed attempt to get back into the game, and chants of ‘sack the board’ filled the chorus of anger in the crowd.
However, Leeds found a way back into the game through Jack Harrison’s low shot into Fraser Forster’s bottom-right corner. It was a glimpse of hope for Leeds that was quickly extinguished when Harry Kane finished his second of the game – and his thirtieth of the season – only minutes later. In a deadly Tottenham counter, Pedro Porro returned the favour and found Kane in open space to score down to Robles’ left.
That only led to more discontent amongst the home crowd as they witnessed their team leave the Premier League without so much as a whimper. Their misery would later be completed by Lucas Moura, who scored Tottenham’s fourth of the game to seal victory at Elland Road. The Brazilian, only minutes after coming on, stormed through the Leeds defence to score what may well be his last ever goal for the club.
It rounded off a day to forget for Leeds, who can finally start to forget the shambolic nature of this season. The future of the club, the players and the manager hang in the balance – and the question will be raised as to how long will it be before the Yorkshire side return to the promised land of the Premier League?
It has also been a season to forget for Tottenham Hotspur ,as they miss out on the last spot in European competition next season. The future of their captain and their manager will be heavily influenced by this failure and it’s hard to see how they’ll attract the top talent now.
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