Nick Ware

Sat 2 January 2021 15:30, UK

Leeds United were beaten heavily by elite opposition again after they lost 3-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.

The Whites fell behind to a Harry Kane penalty, after Ezgjan Alioski’s trip on Steven Bergwijn was deemed to have upended the Dutch winger.

Spurs doubled their lead just before half-time when Heung-Min Son darted past the Leeds defence to latch onto Kane’s superb pass.

The second half started in miserable fashion for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, after Toby Alderweireld’s header was fumbled into the goal by Leeds stopper Illan Meslier, with VAR showing it had just crept over the line.

Alderweireld’s goal proved to be the last of the match, as the game descended into card chaos, with four yellow cards and one for Leeds. Two of the Spurs cards were for Matt Doherty, culminating in his dismissal in the 92nd minute.

The loss means Leeds continue their poor record against the top sides in the Premier League, as they have failed to beat any of last season’s top eight so far this season.

While they took the plaudits for solid displays in recent wins against West Brom and Burnley, the Leeds defence was once again breached on numerous occasions against Spurs, as they took their conceded goals in the Premier League this season to 33.

MOT Leeds News have shared their player ratings below…

Illan Meslier – 4

Worrying. The 20-year-old French keeper made a poor start to the game when his stray pass led to the concession of a penalty for the first goal, and things did not get much better in the second half after failing to hold Toby Alderweireld’s header from a corner. He did make a couple of smart saves, notably from Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele, but overall a poor showing.

Stuart Dallas – 5

Tasked with the irrepressible Son, Dallas was always up against it, and so it proved as he struggled to deal with the South Korean.

Luke Ayling – 5

Kane seemed to have the upper hand on the Leeds defence, and this was notably shown after he easily dribbled past Ayling in the second half. Failed to command the backline alongside the inexperienced Struijk.

Pascal Struijk – 5

Tough game against perhaps the league’s most fearsome duo in Kane and Son, but wasn’t embarrassed. Won the most aerial duels in the Leeds side, with three.

Ezgjan Alioski – 4

Lackadaisical. Meslier might take a portion of the blame for his poor pass beforehand, but Alioski was caught wrong side of Steven Bergwijn and was lazy when he tripped him for the penalty that led to the all-important first goal of the game. Made a terrific interception in the second half to deny Son’s pass before being subbed for Jamie Shackleton.

Kalvin Phillips – 5

Leeds’ second best performer according to WhoScored, it wasn’t saying much as Phillips failed to assert any real influence on proceedings.

Mateusz Klich – 4

Overrun against the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele, Klich recorded zero tackles and interceptions, with a WhoScored rating of 5.82.

Rodrigo – 5

Peripheral figure in the Leeds midfield as the visitors were dominated.

Raphinha – 6

Struggled to have the same impact as he has done in recent games, but he was rated as the Whites most impressive performer by WhoScored (7.01), registering four key passes.

Jack Harrison – 5

Looked bright in the opening stages before drifting away from proceedings, and was substituted on the hour mark for Ian Poveda.

Patrick Bamford – 6

Like Harrison, Bamford popped up in some good positions in the first half, firing a couple of shots at Hugo Lloris’ goal, but was largely anonymous in the second half as Leeds United laboured.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay gives verdict on transfer link to World Cup winner.