Mathys Tel dazzles, defender’s stats are insane – Three decisions Thomas Frank got right in Tottenham win vs Leeds
Tottenham beat Leeds 2-1 in an action-packed early kick-off at Elland Road to continue their strong start to the season under Thomas Frank.
Leeds looked the more likely to score early on, but it was Tottenham who took the lead as Mathys Tel’s deflected shot got the better of Karl Darlow following a counter-attack.
The hosts levelled soon after as Noah Okafor had a simple finish after Brenden Aaronson’s shot was parried into his path by Guglielmo Vicario, but Spurs found the lead again in the second-half as Mohammed Kudus netted his first goal for the club following a mistake from Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Thomas Frank will be mightily pleased with his players as they hung on to win 2-1, and Football Insider have looked at three things that he got absolutely spot on to help his side to victory at Elland Road.
Out-of-form Richarlison axed for Tel
Frank has been struggling to get goals out of his strikers so far this term, with Dominic Solanke continually out injured and Richarlison having to start in his place at centre-forward.
The Dane surprisingly decided to drop the Brazil international for his side’s trip to Elland Road, and it proved to be a masterstroke as Tel notched the opener and led the line really well on the counter all afternoon.
It was a pretty big gamble for Frank to name the Frenchman as his starting striker, especially considering Tel has not even been included in their Champions League squad, but it paid off and helped them achieve a victory at a tough ground to go to.
Mohammed Kudus stays on until the final minute
Kudus has experienced a pretty slow start to life in North London following his controversial move from West Ham, but he burst into life in front of goal in this game thanks to Frank’s persistence.
It was only the 57th minute when Kudus crashed home the eventual winner for the Lilywhites, but all credit goes to the his boss for sticking by him throughout and allowing him to put in a man-of-the-match performance.
He was pivotal to Tottenham being able to hold onto the three points as he chased loose balls and made life hard for Leeds at the back.
The Ghana international ended the game with the most dribbles completed (6) and most duels won (10) in the match, as well as 88% pass accuracy and six defensive contributions [Fotmob].
Took the risk with Cristian Romero’s fitness and it paid off
Recently appointed Tottenham club-captain Cristian Romero has played a key part in their improvement on last seasons performances from centre-back so far this term, but he missed out on their midweek Champions League clash against Bodo/Glimt.
They struggled without him in their side after Frank confirmed that he did not travel to Norway due to a “precaution,” but he recovered just in time to be named in the starting eleven for his side’s trip to Leeds.
Romero was his usual imperious self next to Micky van de Ven, as he finished proceedings with 94% pass accuracy, seven clearances, three passes into the final third, and three of his four ground duels won [Fotmob].
It was clearly the right decision from Frank to start him instead of Kevin Danso, who has impressed when he has played, but lacks the height and authority that Romero has in abundance.