Tottenham Hotspur are facing another season out of the Champions League after losing at Leeds United two years to the day after reaching the final of Europe\u2019s elite competition.
\nBeing beaten 3-1 by Leeds on Saturday left Tottenham five points from fourth place with three games to go and having played one more than Chelsea.
\nDropping points at Elland Road was perhaps no surprise for a team under the interim coaching of Ryan Mason following Jose Mourinho\u2019s firing. Leeds have now gone unbeaten against the \u201cBig Six\u201d at home in their first season back in the Premier League after 16 years. Marcelo Bielsa\u2019s side have also drawn with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City, and sit in ninth place.
\nLeeds are on the rise again. It was exactly 20 years ago that Leeds lost a Champions League semi-final on May 8, the same day in 2019 that Tottenham beat Ajax to reach the final for the first time.
\nMauricio Pochettino has long departed Tottenham \u2014 he went months after the loss in the final to Liverpool \u2014 and the north London club will now just have to try to clinch a Europa League spot.
\nMason, who suffered his first league defeat since taking over from Mourinho last month, rued Harry Kane\u2019s goal being ruled out after a VAR check when the score was 1-1.
\n\u201cI get it if it is an inch offside,\u201d Mason told the BBC. \u201cIt is a tight decision but in my opinion it is not offside. You don\u2019t understand the momentum shift that can have in football. It is a totally different mindset at 2-1.\u201d
\nLeeds were rewarded for taking the game to Tottenham in the 13th minute. Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved brilliantly after Jack Harrison\u2019s low cross had deflected off Sergio Reguilon and Stuart Dallas fired the rebound into the roof of the net.
\nSon Heung-min levelled in the 25th with a classy finish after Dele Alli put him through with a defence-splitting pass but Leeds were unfazed and Patrick Bamford restored their lead shortly before halftime.
\nFollowing Kane\u2019s disallowed effort, Leeds launched a sweeping move down the left as Harrison released Ezgjan Alioski and Bamford tapped in the defender\u2019s cutback.
\nKane had another goal scrapped for offside after the break and shaved the crossbar with a free kick as the visitors threw men forward before they were punished by a swift Leeds counter.<\/p>\n
Raphinha raced down the left flank and squared a perfect pass across the penalty area to fellow substitute Rodrigo, who gave Lloris no chance with a clinical first-time shot in the 84th minute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tottenham Hotspur are facing another season out of the Champions League after losing at Leeds United two years to the day after reaching the final of Europe\u2019s elite competition. Being beaten 3-1 by Leeds on Saturday left Tottenham five points from fourth place with three games to go and having played one more than Chelsea. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n