Noah Okafor scored shortly after coming off the bench as Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to claim their first Premier League victory since September.
The Switzerland striker made the decisive contribution 11 minutes from time, combining with fellow substitute Harry Wilson before firing into the net at Elland Road. The goal came less than two minutes after Okafor had been introduced.
It was Okafor’s second goal of the season and gave Leeds their first three points in six matches. Tottenham’s defeat also brought an end to their three-game winning run.
Leeds had appeared fortunate to still have 11 players on the field before Okafor’s late intervention. A contentious incident in the closing stages of the first half left Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi furious after Jayden Bogle escaped a red card for a reckless challenge on Mathys Tel.
Tempers flared shortly after the half-hour mark, with referee John Brooks reviewing the incident for more than four minutes following a VAR check. He ultimately decided not to dismiss Bogle, who was not shown a yellow card either.
Tottenham’s frustration increased when Tel was unable to continue because of injury. He was replaced by Dominic Solanke, who immediately made an impact after the interval.
Five minutes into the second half, Solanke cleared Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s header off the line from a corner, positioning himself well to prevent Leeds from taking the lead.
The hosts continued to control the second half and repeatedly threatened to break the deadlock. Ao Tanaka and Sean Longstaff both came close before Leeds finally found the goal that sent the home supporters into celebration.
Okafor pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area and struck it beyond Antonin Kinsky to secure Leeds’ first victory over Tottenham since May 2021.
The result lifts Leeds to eighth in the table. Tottenham, who had gone four matches unbeaten before this game, fall to 10th after suffering their first defeat in five matches.
