Harry Kane was top-class as Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 4-0 win over Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.
Leeds United started the game brightly, but Tottenham soon took charge and broke the deadlock in the tenth minute after an express counter-attack. Harry Winks held the ball well in midfield before releasing Ryan Sessegnon on his run. The 21-year-old then set Matt Doherty up with a peach of a low cross.
Spurs were two to the good five minutes later as Dejan Kulusevski scored a brilliant solo goal with slight help from Doherty. Tottenham continued to dominate the proceedings, with Raphinha being Leeds’ only potent outlet. Spurs’ dominance yielded a third goal ahead of the half-hour mark, with Harry Kane scoring with a deft touch after connecting his left foot to a brilliant long pass by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Marcelo Bielsa made two changes at half-time with the hope of inspiring something out of his team, but Tottenham looked largely comfortable. Still, the best chance of the second half fell Leeds’ way when Ryan Sessegnon and Hugo Lloris carelessly lost the ball, only for Stuart Dallas to miss the target inexplicably.
For Tottenham, Son Heung-min desperately tried to get on the score sheet and finally got his reward after some brilliant work by Kane. In the end, Spurs claimed a crucial 4-0 win to climb up to seventh on the Premier League table. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sets of players.
Leeds United
Illan Meslier: 6/10
Meslier was powerless to deny Tottenham any of their four goals, with the Leeds defenders selling him short throughout the game. But he made a few big saves to keep the score respectable for as long as possible.
Luke Ayling: 5/10
Ayling endured a game to forget on Saturday, with Ryan Sessegnon and Son Heung-min exploiting the space he left behind him. While the 30-year-old hardly lost the ball cheaply, he carried no threat whatsoever, leaving Raphinha with too much to do.
Diego Llorente: 5/10
Diego Llorente returned to the starting lineup after regaining his fitness, and he was the best of the Leeds defenders, although that does not say much. Despite some important contributions inside the box, the Spaniard still looked clumsy off the ball. But he pushed Leeds out of danger well when given the opportunity, misplacing just four passes.
Pascal Struijk: 4/10
Struijk continues to leave much to be desired at the heart of the Leeds defence, and on Saturday, the 22-year-old never looked like he was in control inside the box. He was also guilty of following his man unnecessarily, which created the space for Dejan Kulusevski for the second Tottenham goal. He was rightly taken off at half-time.
Junior Firpo: 4/10
Despite Leeds’ defensive shortcomings, Firpo spent more time in the opposition half than his own, which invariably gave the Tottenham attackers the chance to pile on the pressure. When he was available at the back, the Spaniard was flustered, losing Kulusevski in the build-up to the Swede’s goal.
Robin Koch: 6/10
Koch was not necessarily poor on Saturday but gets his rating docked because Tottenham bypassed him so easily in the game. After the break, the German dropped into the centre-back role and improved Leeds’ defensive output. But he let Son drift past him in the build-up to the final Spurs goal, making it a mixed bag of a performance.
Raphinha: 7/10
Raphinha was the only Leeds player worth his salt on Saturday, posing a lot of threat from the right flank and playing a game-high six key passes. The Brazilian forward also smashed the woodwork twice, including with a late free-kick and was desperately unlucky to end the game without a goal or an assist to his name.
?? Raphinha created more chances (6), completed more attacking third passes (19/31), attempted more crosses (6) and suffered more fouls (5) than any other player in the Leeds vs Tottenham game.
This man is at the wrong side of the table. #LEETOT #Leeds pic.twitter.com/rLYKzKlZ84
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) February 26, 2022
Stuart Dallas: 4/10
Dallas barely lost the ball on Saturday, but he perhaps should have passed it on to a teammate when he was through on goal after robbing it from Hugo Lloris in the second half. Other than that, the 30-year-old barely posed a threat and struggled to impose himself defensively.
Adam Forshaw: 6/10
Forshaw was one of the better players for Leeds, keeping things simple higher up the pitch. He also put in the hard yards defensively, completing four tackles and winning four duels. But he needed to be more than unspectacular on the day.
Jack Harrison: 5/10
Harrison endured a game to forget on Saturday, losing the ball carelessly while retaining an abysmal passing rate of 57 per cent. The 25-year-old gave possession away 16 times despite only playing 45 minutes and was rightly taken off at half-time for Rodrigo Moreno.
Daniel James: 6/10
James was one of the few Leeds players who looked like they could make a difference. The Welsh international pressed aggressively higher up the pitch but could not get into scoring areas. He needs to elevate his game by a notch to become influential for Leeds.
SUBSTITUTES
Mateusz Klich: 6/10
Introduced in place of Struijk at half-time, Klich popped up all over the pitch in the second half and looked like a threat without making a difference.
Rodrigo Moreno: 6/10
Moreno replaced Harrison and was a major upgrade on the 25-year-old, playing two key passes. But he should have got into better scoring positions to aid Raphinha better in the game.
Jamie Shackleton: N/A
A late introduction, Shackleton made no impact on the proceedings.
Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris: 6/10
Lloris tries to play sweeper keeper and it doesn't work out.
But luckily for Tottenham, they get two men back to block the Dallas shot and preserve the clean sheet!
Tottenham leads 3-0.
?: @USA_Network #LEETOT #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/CVWtC36Aia— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 26, 2022
Lloris barely had anything to do, even though Leeds carried some threat in the game. But he nearly gifted the hosts a free goal in the second half, only for Stuart Dallas to inexplicably make a meal of his opportunity.
Cristian Romero: 8/10
Romero was a colossal performer at the back for Tottenham, keeping a lid on Jack Harrison and Rodrigo Moreno superbly. The Argentine international read the game smartly, making six clearances while winning four duels.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Dier was a solid customer at the heart of Tottenham’s central defensive partnership, organising the backline well while making six clearances. He also played out from the back precisely, completing 91 per cent of his attempted passes.
Ben Davies: 7/10
Tottenham’s dominance enabled Davies to charge forward and join in building up play higher up the pitch, although his crosses did not land. He had some issues defensively, with Raphinha wreaking havoc at times. But the Welshman generally stood strong at the back, including producing a big block to deny Dallas in the second half.
Matt Doherty: 8/10
Matt Doherty's game by numbers vs. Leeds:
100% aerial duels won
100% shot accuracy
89% pass accuracy
68 touches
4 touches in the opp. box
2 final third entries
2 chances created
2 duels won
1 goal
1 assistA sensational performance. ? pic.twitter.com/tEmXm07M8w
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 26, 2022
Following an abysmal performance by Emerson Royal, Doherty got the chance to impress, which is what he did. The Irishman looked like he meant business throughout the game, scored the opening goal and even grabbed an assist for Dejan Kulusevski’s goal with a simple lay-up. A much-needed confidence booster.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 7/10
After a difficult outing against Burnley, Hojbjerg was back to his best, efficiently nipping play in the bud whenever Leeds threatened while releasing the ball quickly. But the cherry on top was his pass to set Harry Kane up for Tottenham’s third, bypassing the Leeds defence brilliantly before the English striker finished the move deftly.
Harry Winks: 8/10
Winks benefitted from Rodrigo Bentancur’s absence through injury, and he made good use of his opportunity. The Englishman played a key role in the build-up to Doherty’s goal, releasing Ryan Sessegnon for his run before the final pass. Other than that one moment, Winks linked up play nicely while holding the fort well in front of the backline.
Ryan Sessegnon: 7/10
Conte persisted with Sessegnon despite the youngster’s poor performance against Burnley. And the 21-year-old repaid his manager’s faith by linking up well with every Tottenham attacker. But he saved his best piece of link-up to set up Doherty for the opener superbly. However, there were a few moments when Raphinha troubled him, which was his only negative in an otherwise solid display.
Dejan Kulusevski: 8/10
Dejan Kulusevski for Juventus this season:
◉ 27 games
◉ 2 goalsDejan Kulusevski for Tottenham this season:
◉ 6 games
◉ 2 goalsAlready matched his Juve total for the campaign. ? pic.twitter.com/oAM9bwxXRq
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 26, 2022
Kulusevski showed tremendous chemistry with Doherty from the outset, and that link-up earned him his second goal in a week. But the strike was largely a solo effort as the Swede held the ball well before making a run into the Leeds box and beating Meslier at his near post. He had a few more chances to score later in the game but could not add to his tally.
Harry Kane: 9/10
As is usually the case with him, Kane dropped deep before opening up play nicely. He brilliantly set Son Heung-min up for the game’s final goal with a peach of a long pass on one such occasion. The cherry on top was the finish for his goal – a deft volley from with his weaker left foot from a superb ball by Hojbjerg.
? The deadliest duo in Premier League history!
? Heung-Min Son & Harry Kane combine to break the all-time record for @premierleague goal combinations! pic.twitter.com/shkdh0NSPJ
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 26, 2022
Son Heung-min: 7/10
Son endured a frustrating game on Saturday for the most part, missing a few opportunities to score while being denied on other occasions. But the South Korean international finally had his goal late on, latching on to Kane’s pass with aplomb to end the game on a high.
SUBSTITUTES
Steven Bergwijn: N/A
Bergwijn replaced Kulusevski late in the game but did not have a chance to make an impact.
Emerson Royal: N/A
Emerson had one chance to score but was otherwise uninvolved in his cameo.
Dane Scarlett: N/A
A late introduction, Scarlett barely got a touch on the ball during his cameo.
