The Leeds United players were gutted after the final whistle was blown at Elland Road on Saturday. They somehow lost 2-1 against Tottenham in a game where they created enough chances to win, and there was a feeling of what could have been in West Yorkshire.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank made a good effort to paint a very different picture at the end of the game. However, no one was buying the argument that his Spurs side had control over the game at Elland Road.
Leeds looked and played like the more dominant side, and the Spurs’ defence came under immense pressure towards the dying moments, when the home team should have scored to at least get a point from the game.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been blamed for missing a couple of good chances, but Tottenham were wary of the Leeds team and were more than just lucky to leave Elland Road with three points in their bag.
Leeds will do alright if the Tottenham performance is any indication
Leeds have looked resilient and competitive than any of the recent promoted teams, and have demonstrated that they deserve to be in the Premier League.
Barring the 5-0 defeat at Arsenal, Leeds have looked the part against all the established Premier League sides, and have more than stood up to them.
However, until the Spurs game, Leeds’ performances were praised for their physicality and resilience, and not necessarily for their attacking game.
But on Saturday, Leeds showed that they can dominate a ‘top six’ Premier League side and put their defensive unit under real pressure, especially at Elland Road.
The stats back up the eye test – Leeds outplayed Spurs for most of the game and if #LUFC keep putting up numbers like this against the teams competing at the top of the Premier League they will stay up. A lot of positives to take from today. https://t.co/SSi287uz9S
— Adonis Storr (@theadelites) October 4, 2025
The Whites had more of the ball, dominated possession, created the better chances and overall looked the better team despite the 2-1 defeat.
Leeds went up against a top Premier League side and were left disappointed by the narrow defeat, as they probably should have won all three points.
While Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola was more honest than Frank, it is clear that Leeds have majorly stepped up to the plate in the Premier League.
Leeds look a good bet for a mid-table finish
The Whites were seen as one of the prime candidates to go down this season, given the fate of promoted teams in the Premier League in recent years.
However, Leeds are being backed to survive in the top flight on the back of the performances they have put up against established top-flight teams.
The performances against Bournemouth and Tottenham were no flukes, as Leeds have looked genuinely competitive in almost every game this season.
If they can maintain this level of consistency in their performance, the results will follow, and it is hard to imagine this Leeds side scraping for survival towards the end.
Leeds look strong enough to secure a comfortable mid-table finish, well clear of the relegation battle.
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