MOHAMMED KUDUS’ first Tottenham goal boosted Spurs by ending Leeds’ long unbeaten home run with a 2-1 win, while Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0
Noah Okafor cancelled out Mathys Tel’s opener for the visitors in a first half that raged from end to end.
Kudus grabbed the winner just before the hour mark, and Tottenham had to show their newfound defensive resolve under Thomas Frank to inflict Leeds’ first league defeat at Elland Road for 24 games.
Spurs close to within one point of Liverpool, before Arsenal pulled clear of both in their 3pm game.
Tottenham needed late fightbacks to avoid defeat against bottom-of-the-table Wolves and Champions League debutants Bodo/Glimt over the past week.
Frank made six changes to the side that started in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday and was rewarded with a far more purposeful performance from the visitors.
But Leeds will rue their missed chances to avoid a first league defeat at Elland Road since losing to Burnley in September 2024.
Joe Rodon should have put the home side in front when he headed Sean Longstaff’s free-kick off the post on seven minutes.
Tel was left out of Spurs’ Champions League squad after struggling to make an impression since making his move from Bayern Munich a permanent one in the transfer window.
The Frenchman was handed a rare chance to start in the middle of a front three and made it count with his first goal of the season.
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Tel was played in by Kudus, and his powerful shot deflected off Pascal Struijk to leave Karl Darlow helpless.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin blazed a glorious chance to level wide before Kudus did the same at the other end as a slick Spurs counter-attack cut Leeds open.
However, Daniel Farke’s men were well worthy of being at least level at the break.
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario should have done better as he could only parry Brenden Aaronson’s shot back into the path of Okafor, who tapped in to an empty net for his second Leeds goal.
Tel came close to his second with a looping header that hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
The second half started in a similar end-to-end fashion as Vicario denied Calvert-Lewin with his feet.
Kudus then produced the match-winning moment with a surging run infield before unleashing another powerful shot that deceived Darlow via a deflection off Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Last season, Tottenham lost more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League on their way to finishing just above the relegation zone in 17th.
Frank has so far stamped out that habit, as Spurs are yet to drop points after taking the lead in a match.
The visitors had to survive a scare deep into stoppage time when Vicario redeemed himself with a fine save low to his left from Joel Piroe.
Defeat leaves Leeds in 12th with eight points from their first seven games.
Arsenal's Declan Rice, centre right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere, Declan Rice came back to haunt his former club, West Ham.
In Mikel Arteta’s 300th match in charge, the Gunners proved far too strong for the struggling Hammers in a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium to further their ambitions of a first Premier League title for 22 years.
Victory came at a cost for Arsenal as captain Martin Odegaard was forced off injured before half-time for the third time this season.
However, the strength in depth now on offer to Arteta has made light of Arsenal’s injury troubles.
Rice, who left West Ham for a club-record £105 million (€120 million) in 2023, ended the visitors’ resistance by blasting high into the net on the rebound after Alphonse Areola parried Eberechi Eze’s drive.
Bukayo Saka made the points safe midway through the second half from the penalty spot after Jurrien Timber was brought down by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Arsenal edge one point ahead of Liverpool, who are in action later at Chelsea.
Defeat leaves West Ham still languishing in the relegation zone.
English Premier League results on Saturday:
Leeds 1 (Okafor 34) Tottenham 2 (Tel 23, Kudus 57)
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Tottenham and Arsenal continue impressive starts to the season
Updated at 17.05
MOHAMMED KUDUS’ first Tottenham goal boosted Spurs by ending Leeds’ long unbeaten home run with a 2-1 win, while Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0
Noah Okafor cancelled out Mathys Tel’s opener for the visitors in a first half that raged from end to end.
Kudus grabbed the winner just before the hour mark, and Tottenham had to show their newfound defensive resolve under Thomas Frank to inflict Leeds’ first league defeat at Elland Road for 24 games.
Spurs close to within one point of Liverpool, before Arsenal pulled clear of both in their 3pm game.
Tottenham needed late fightbacks to avoid defeat against bottom-of-the-table Wolves and Champions League debutants Bodo/Glimt over the past week.
Frank made six changes to the side that started in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday and was rewarded with a far more purposeful performance from the visitors.
But Leeds will rue their missed chances to avoid a first league defeat at Elland Road since losing to Burnley in September 2024.
Joe Rodon should have put the home side in front when he headed Sean Longstaff’s free-kick off the post on seven minutes.
Tel was left out of Spurs’ Champions League squad after struggling to make an impression since making his move from Bayern Munich a permanent one in the transfer window.
The Frenchman was handed a rare chance to start in the middle of a front three and made it count with his first goal of the season.
Tel was played in by Kudus, and his powerful shot deflected off Pascal Struijk to leave Karl Darlow helpless.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin blazed a glorious chance to level wide before Kudus did the same at the other end as a slick Spurs counter-attack cut Leeds open.
However, Daniel Farke’s men were well worthy of being at least level at the break.
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario should have done better as he could only parry Brenden Aaronson’s shot back into the path of Okafor, who tapped in to an empty net for his second Leeds goal.
Tel came close to his second with a looping header that hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
The second half started in a similar end-to-end fashion as Vicario denied Calvert-Lewin with his feet.
Kudus then produced the match-winning moment with a surging run infield before unleashing another powerful shot that deceived Darlow via a deflection off Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Last season, Tottenham lost more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League on their way to finishing just above the relegation zone in 17th.
Frank has so far stamped out that habit, as Spurs are yet to drop points after taking the lead in a match.
The visitors had to survive a scare deep into stoppage time when Vicario redeemed himself with a fine save low to his left from Joel Piroe.
Defeat leaves Leeds in 12th with eight points from their first seven games.
Elsewhere, Declan Rice came back to haunt his former club, West Ham.
In Mikel Arteta’s 300th match in charge, the Gunners proved far too strong for the struggling Hammers in a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium to further their ambitions of a first Premier League title for 22 years.
Victory came at a cost for Arsenal as captain Martin Odegaard was forced off injured before half-time for the third time this season.
However, the strength in depth now on offer to Arteta has made light of Arsenal’s injury troubles.
Rice, who left West Ham for a club-record £105 million (€120 million) in 2023, ended the visitors’ resistance by blasting high into the net on the rebound after Alphonse Areola parried Eberechi Eze’s drive.
Bukayo Saka made the points safe midway through the second half from the penalty spot after Jurrien Timber was brought down by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Arsenal edge one point ahead of Liverpool, who are in action later at Chelsea.
Defeat leaves West Ham still languishing in the relegation zone.
English Premier League results on Saturday:
Leeds 1 (Okafor 34) Tottenham 2 (Tel 23, Kudus 57)
Arsenal 2 (Rice 38, Saka 67-pen) West Ham 0
Man Utd 2 (Mount 8, Sesko 31) Sunderland 0
– © AFP 2025
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