Noah Okafor needed two minutes. Sent on by Daniel Farke in the 77th minute, the Swiss winger smashed home the winner two minutes later as Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Elland Road — ending Roberto De Zerbi's three-match winning run and sending the home crowd into the international break on a high.
Leeds had knocked on the door for much of the second half without finding a way through, and the game looked destined for a stalemate until Farke turned to his bench. Harry Wilson and Okafor arrived together in the 77th minute, replacing Ao Tanaka and Lukas Nmecha — and within two minutes the pair had combined. A throw-in from the left was flicked on to Wilson, who picked out Okafor, and the substitute beat Rodrigo Bentancur before smashing the ball past Antonin Kinsky from close range. VAR checked a possible handball against Wilson in the build-up, but the goal stood, and Okafor was booked for his celebrations a minute later. Sky Sports recorded Okafor's 79th-minute strike as the only goal of the game.
Farke's double change decides it
The breakthrough had been coming. By the 78th minute Leeds had outshot Spurs 15-4, with Jayden Bogle twice denied and Sean Longstaff forcing a smart save from Kinsky. Farke's timing was perfect: he waited until Spurs were stretched, then threw on two fresh attackers at once.
Okafor's finish was the first time Leeds had made their pressure count all afternoon. The Swiss winger, who joined from AC Milan, had barely touched the ball before Wilson found him, but one touch past Bentancur and one ruthless finish was all it took.
VAR takes centre stage at Elland Road
The goal was not the only time the officials were the story. Leeds were denied a penalty after an unconventional interception from Mateus Fernandes, and Jayden Bogle avoided a red card for a foul on Mathys Tel after a lengthy VAR review, as The Times live blog recorded. Both decisions went the visitors' way and left Elland Road furious — which only made Okafor's winner sweeter.
Tel, meanwhile, did not see out the first half: the Spurs forward was withdrawn injured just before the interval and replaced by Dominic Solanke. De Zerbi's triple change on 68 minutes — Conor Gallagher, Dejan Kulusevski and the returning Bentancur for Pedro Porro, Omar Marmoush and Mateus Fernandes — could not change the game, and Spurs never looked like finding an equaliser after falling behind.
Spurs' momentum stalls before the break
For Tottenham, the defeat ends a three-match winning run — the victories over Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace that had carried De Zerbi's side into the weekend full of confidence. football.london called it the end of that streak, and the performance backed up the verdict: Spurs managed little in attack, lost Tel to injury, and were second best for most of the second half.
It also ends Tottenham's run of three straight league wins at Elland Road. The manner of it — outshooting the visitors, winning the second balls, then landing the late blow — will have pleased Farke more than the scoreline alone.
So what: Elland Road is a problem again
For Leeds, this is the kind of win that changes the mood around a season. Farke's side had gone into the game with doubts over Dominic Calvert-Lewin after his foot setback, and for 77 minutes a frustrating afternoon looked set to end goalless. Instead, the bench won it — and the three points send Leeds into the break with proof that even the form teams can leave Elland Road empty-handed.
For Spurs, the break now arrives with a different question. De Zerbi had built real momentum with three straight wins, and the returning Bentancur was supposed to make them stronger. Instead, a patched-up attack managed little, Tel limped off, and a game they could have stolen ended in a defeat that will linger for two weeks. The break is a chance to reset — but the memory of this afternoon will travel with them on the road.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This was Daniel Farke's win more than anyone else's. He watched his side dominate without scoring, waited until the 77th minute, and then changed the game with two substitutes in a single move. Tottenham will point at the VAR calls and the injury to Tel, and both are fair complaints — but Leeds were the better side for most of the afternoon, and their bench made the difference. Elland Road is a hard place to win again, and Spurs just found out the hard way. Was Farke right to wait so long to make the change, or should Okafor and Wilson have started the second half? Have your say in the comments.
