Kyle Newbould: I watched Leeds United's 1-1 draw vs Tottenham - here are my 3 key conclusions
Lessons learned from a battling draw as Leeds United climbed back up the Premier League table.
Leeds United put in a battling performance to draw 1-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday and extend their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games. Mathys Tel opened the scoring for the home side five minutes into the second-half but Dominic Calvert-Lewin levelled from the spot, following a high boot on Ethan Ampadu.
Daniel Farke’s side weren’t at their free-flowing best but quashed any talk of being on the beach, fighting tooth and nail to keep themselves in the game before taking their chance. They could even have won it deep into added-time, but for Antonin Kinsky’s brilliant save from Sean Longstaff.
The point pulled Leeds back above Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace into 14th place with two games to play. Below, the YEP takes a look at some key takeaways from the night.
Injuries arriving but no disaster
Leeds were hit with a fresh injury blow ahead of kick-off on Monday with Jayden Bogle not in the squad. It emerged the right-back had picked up a hamstring issue, with he and Facundo Buonanotte joining the likes of Gabriel Gudmundsson, Noah Okafor and Ilia Gruev on the sidelines.
Pascal Struijk was then forced off with a hip injury in the second-half, having looked a bit like a player carrying an issue, as the fitness concerns started to pile up for Leeds. But if there is ever a good time to be without so many key players, it’s once safety is secured and Farke might be relieved not to have endured a mini-squad crisis during any crunch periods.
But what the recent issues do highlight - and hosts Spurs know this all too well - is how quickly a squad can become threadbare and while Leeds have enjoyed a good level of availability this season, that cannot be guaranteed. A reminder for those putting recruitment plans together.
Leeds United subs impact
While injuries stretched Farke’s squad to the point of naming academy prospects Rhys Chadwick and Jayden Lienou on the bench, he’ll be encouraged by another impactful round of changes. Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, Willy Gnonto and Longstaff all made notable contributions with no sign of being disheartened over their relative lack of minutes.
There is a lot to be said for the harmony of this Leeds squad that players like Gnonto and Longstaff, who will surely have been frustrated this season, can still make a positive impact off the bench. It wouldn’t be hard to argue against the pair and Nmecha all being better than the players they replaced in Dan James, Ao Tanaka and Brenden Aaronson.
Perhaps Farke might be tempted to make a few more changes heading into Brighton on Saturday afternoon. And there doesn’t feel like a huge drop in quality across many positions, which is promising.
Full-time celebrations as job done
Leeds showed on Monday they won’t be rolling over for anyone but the reality is their job is done. Even in this most competitive of Premier League relegation battles, where 40 points could prove insufficient, Farke’s side were mathematically safe with three games to play. They are closer to eighth than 18th.
The squad were always going to remain fully focused heading into Tottenham but took their chance to celebrate with the travelling fans after full-time. The mood was relaxed as Farke and his players absorbed the admiration of those who made the trip down to North London.
They will receive an incredible welcome back to Elland Road on Saturday, their first game since being mathematically safe and their final home fixture of the season. And deservedly so. What a job Farke and his players have done.