Leeds United 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur: Heavy defeat increases pressure on Marcelo Bielsa's side

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Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Matt DohertyMatt Doherty's early strike set Tottenham on their way to only their second win in six league matches

Leeds suffered another damaging defeat in their bid to avoid Premier League relegation as Tottenham secured a dominant victory at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa's struggling side fell behind after just ten minutes when Ryan Sessegnon broke clear down the left and delivered a perfectly weighted cross for Matt Doherty to sweep home.

Dejan Kulusevski drilled in the visitors' second before Harry Kane's composed finish made it 3-0 on the half-hour mark.

Son Heung-min compounded Leeds' misery in the second half when he latched on to Kane's ball over the top of the home defence and beat Illan Meslier with a smart finish.

Robin Koch and Raphinha struck the woodwork for Leeds and Stuart Dallas should have scored a consolation prior to Spurs' fourth, but the hosts rarely looked capable of forging a route back into the game as Spurs continued to carve out opportunities on the counter-attack.

The result lifts Tottenham to within four points of fourth-placed Manchester United, while Leeds remain three points above the bottom three. They could drop into the relegation zone if other results go against them on Saturday.

Leeds carved open at will

Bielsa insisted prior to Saturday's game that he had no intention of walking out on the club, despite being "very worried" about his team's poor recent form.

This latest defeat - which was almost embarrassingly one-sided in the first half in particular - will do little to ease those concerns.

Tottenham carved Leeds open at will in the early stages, their 3-0 lead after just 27 minutes a fair representation of their dominance.

It could have been 4-0 just after the half-hour mark, but Sessegnon fired straight at Meslier's legs from a tight angle.

Boos rang out around Elland Road at half-time, although the home fans continued to sing in support of their team in the second half - with the game as good as lost.

Leeds, predictably, had chances of their own, although the majority came after they had gone 3-0 down. Koch rattled the post with a side-footed effort in the first half, while Luke Ayling sent a header narrowly wide of the top corner as the hosts pushed for a goal back before the break.

Dallas should have got his team on the scoresheet after rounding Hugo Lloris, before Raphinha was denied by the woodwork from a trademark free-kick.

Bielsa's side have now conceded 60 league goals this season - five more than bottom club Norwich - and 20 in February alone. They are only the second team in Premier League history to ship three or more goals in five consecutive matches.

The Argentine says abandoning Leeds' all-action style in favour of a more pragmatic approach is not an option, but it is hard to see the club arresting their dreadful form without a change of system.

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Leeds United

  1. Squad number1Player nameMeslier

  2. Squad number2Player nameAyling

  3. Squad number14Player nameLlorente

  4. Squad number21Player nameStruijk

  5. Squad number3Player nameFirpo

  6. Squad number5Player nameKoch

  7. Squad number10Player nameRaphinha

  8. Squad number15Player nameDallas

  9. Squad number4Player nameForshaw

  10. Squad number22Player nameHarrison

  11. Squad number20Player nameJames

  1. Squad number19Player nameRodrigo

  2. Squad number43Player nameKlich

  3. Squad number46Player nameShackleton

Tottenham Hotspur

  1. Squad number1Player nameLloris

  2. Squad number4Player nameRomero

  3. Squad number15Player nameDier

  4. Squad number33Player nameDavies

  5. Squad number2Player nameDoherty

  6. Squad number5Player nameHøjbjerg

  7. Squad number8Player nameWinks

  8. Squad number19Player nameRyan Sessegnon

  9. Squad number21Player nameKulusevski

  10. Squad number7Player nameSon Heung-Min

  11. Squad number10Player nameKane

  1. Squad number12Player nameEmerson Royal

  2. Squad number23Player nameBergwijn

  3. Squad number44Player nameScarlett

Line-ups

Leeds

Formation 4-1-4-1

  • 1Meslier
  • 2Ayling
  • 14Llorente
  • 21StruijkSubstituted forKlichat 45'minutesBooked at 52mins
  • 3FirpoBooked at 54minsSubstituted forShackletonat 79'minutes
  • 5Koch
  • 10Raphinha
  • 15DallasBooked at 53mins
  • 4Forshaw
  • 22HarrisonSubstituted forRodrigoat 45'minutesBooked at 77mins
  • 20James

Substitutes

  • 11Roberts
  • 13Klaesson
  • 19Rodrigo
  • 30Gelhardt
  • 35Cresswell
  • 38Summerville
  • 43Klich
  • 46Shackleton
  • 54Kenneh

Tottenham

Formation 3-4-2-1

  • 1Lloris
  • 4Romero
  • 15Dier
  • 33DaviesBooked at 89mins
  • 2Doherty
  • 5Højbjerg
  • 8Winks
  • 19R SessegnonBooked at 48minsSubstituted forEmerson Royalat 78'minutes
  • 21KulusevskiSubstituted forBergwijnat 78'minutes
  • 7Son Heung-MinSubstituted forScarlettat 87'minutes
  • 10Kane

Substitutes

  • 3Reguilón
  • 6D Sánchez
  • 12Emerson Royal
  • 14Rodon
  • 23Bergwijn
  • 40Austin
  • 42White
  • 44Scarlett
  • 45Devine

Referee:Craig Pawson

Attendance:36,599

Live Text

  1. Match ends, Leeds United 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4.

  2. Second Half ends, Leeds United 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4.

  3. Attempt missed. Jamie Shackleton (Leeds United) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Daniel James.

  4. Attempt saved. Rodrigo (Leeds United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.

  5. Raphinha (Leeds United) hits the right post with a left footed shot from outside the box from a direct free kick.

  6. Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  7. Foul by Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur).

  8. Raphinha (Leeds United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  9. Attempt missed. Raphinha (Leeds United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Rodrigo.

  10. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Dane Scarlett replaces Son Heung-Min.

  11. Goal! Leeds United 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Harry Kane with a through ball.

  12. Foul by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur).

  13. Rodrigo (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  14. Attempt missed. Daniel James (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Raphinha.

  15. Substitution, Leeds United. Jamie Shackleton replaces Junior Firpo.

  16. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Steven Bergwijn replaces Dejan Kulusevski.

  17. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Emerson Royal replaces Ryan Sessegnon.

  18. Rodrigo (Leeds United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  19. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  20. Foul by Rodrigo (Leeds United).

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