A interesting trip in Europe followed by victory at Leeds concludes a month of heavy fixtures for Spurs
Midweek action continued for Tottenham as they took a difficult point in the Arctic Circle before a solid victory at Leeds.
Familiar Faces
A return to Norway to play Bodø/Glimt seemed inevitable to me when the draw was taking place and although it may not have the same consequences as that historic Europa League semi-final, 3 points at a difficult venue would be much needed after a Wolves performance that wasn't up to standard. The main team news of Romero not travelling was of course a surprise but Danso is no one to worry about as a replacement.
When the line-up was released I was definitely surprised with the selection of the front three as well as the decision to play Bentancur over Palhinha. Similarly Vicario's performance at the weekend made me think perhaps a rest was needed, but his starting place was confirmed over Antonin Kinsky. Many fans were surprised at the lack of Kudus AND Xavi, who seemed to be our main creativity outlets.
You didn't need an expert to tell you that Spurs were completely dominated throughout the game. In that first half, not a single player impressed me and we deserved to be behind at the break, lucky that the penalty was ballooned over the bar by Kasper Høgh, mind you I think the decision to award the penalty was poor.
📸 - BODO MISSES THE PENALTY AGAINST SPURS! pic.twitter.com/Hr6XK3LsjM
— TheScreenshotLad (@thescreenlad) September 30, 2025
By the time Hauge opened the scoring for the home side, I had mentally checked out the game, not quite believing how poorly we were performing. VAR seemed to have an issue with us too, attempting to disallow any goal we had, this worked when Bentancur thought he drew us level, before it was penalised for a shirt tug by our captain on the night, Van De Ven. Hauge doubled the lead and it truly seemed like an irredeemably bad night for Spurs.
The subs did change the game, Xavi making an impact in the 10 whilst Palhinha proved he should be a started every game. Someone who truly did turn the tide was Archie Gray, absolutely key in getting our equalising goal, which was bundled in by a previously non-existent Richarlison.
Bodø were seriously unlucky that we spoiled their party, as they could have scored 3 or 4 goals that night, but Spurs march on unbeaten in the opening stages of the league phase. The performance was not good enough, something that fans don't want to see at all, but Tuesday night and the game against Wolves was not at the standard that Thomas Frank knows he can reach. However, it was nice to see a positive spin on this result, said by one of our own;
🚨🗣️Glenn Hoddle on the 2-2 draw:
— The Spurs Web (@thespursweb) September 30, 2025
"Tonight Tottenham came second best in a lot of areas on the pitch, but at the end of the day, when you play like that it's a great point to pick up away from home.
"That shows you the strength of Tottenham now, they can play resiliently and… pic.twitter.com/zYE6vFrkem
Curse Over
For too long Spurs' fans have entered an international break with a loss, most recently against Bournemouth this season but times may be changing.
A lunchtime kick off against a newly promoted side with the passionate Leeds fanbase spelled danger for a Spurs side that seemed to be in a hiccup of performances that are 'just enough'. Changes were expected in the line up and when Thomas Frank started Tel up front and rested Bergvall, I for one wasn't overly shocked. Some people were seemingly optimistic about Tel and they were proved right...
Mathys Tel WILL deliver today. pic.twitter.com/U3dfMDcidw
— 𝐻𝒾𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒽𝓎 (@HimothyReports) October 4, 2025
The game started with worrying signs for the visitors as former player Joe Rodon almost opened the scoring after some bizarre positioning from Vicario left the goal gaping, only for the Welshman's attempt to strike the post.
Spurs grew into the game though and after some promising flurries up the pitch without conviction, Tel's powerful opener (with the help of Pascal Strujik) flew past Karl Darlow. It was a warming moment to see a young player, who had faced criticism open his account for the season.
Unfortunately Leeds equalised fast, with some questionable goalkeeping from Vicario (again...) allowing Okafor to tap the ball in from point blank range, to have the score level at half time.
As the second half began to develop, I became pretty anxious that a late goal would arrive to continue our curse. But cometh the hour, cometh Mohamed Kudus, who burst in from the wing and smartly tucked away his first goal for the club, a deserved one at that. The rest of the half became nervy, but Spurs were resilient and you wonder if that would have happened last season.
It feels nice to end this period of heavy fixtures with an encouraging win. Elland Road is no easy place to go and Leeds seem like they could give anyone a game this season. I think they're a club that makes the league so exciting and therefore I am hoping they can survive.
Post match, Thomas Frank praised the resilience of Spurs, stating 'if you want to build any successful team you need mentality and character.' I can proudly say that I think we showed exactly that today. A pleasing afternoon all round with plenty of positives. Finally no more international break misery.
COYS!
