Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Leeds United relegated from Premier League following loss to Tottenham

sportsmole.co.uk, 28 May 2023, 17:38
Leeds United have been officially relegated from the Premier League following a 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur Sunday afternoon.

Sam Allardyce's men came into the weekend needing a win to stand any chance of a late twist to what has been a forgettable campaign, with favours needed elsewhere too even if they did pick up maximum points.

Victory was also crucial for Tottenham, who were looking to leapfrog Brentford and Aston Villa into the last Conference League qualifying spot and end their underwhelming campaign on a high.

Leeds have spent the last two seasons in the English top flight after Marcelo Bielsa guided the West Yorkshire outing to promotion in 2020, but will now be playing in the Championship again next season.

The hosts were found wanting inside the opening 92 seconds into the game as Son Heung-min set up Harry Kane, who smashed home his 29th league goal of the season and handed the visitors a dream start.

In doing so, Kane equalled Andy Cole's Premier League record of scoring in 26 separate matches, a record set over a 42-game season in the 1993-94 campaign.

Leeds United came roaring back and almost grabbed an immediate equaliser, but Robin Koch failed to steer Rodrigo's pin-point cross on target before Pascal Struijk saw his shot blocked by Yves Bissouma.

Ryan Mason's side came close to a second against the run of play as Bissouma's wayward shot was picked up by Kane, but a poor first touch by the 29-year-old allowed Luke Ayling to shield the ball for Joel Robles to make the save.

Leeds regained control and kept knocking on the door, with Adam Forshaw's venomous half-volley looking goalbound until Davinson Sanchez made a vital block to turn the ball behind for a corner.

The hosts' poor showing in front of goal was summed up in stoppage time as Rodrigo's close-range header flew wide of the target before Rasmus Kristensen failed to keep his first-time shot over the top.

Despite going into the break ahead at Elland Road, Tottenham's 13-year stint in European competitions was on the cusp of coming to an end, with seventh-placed Aston Villa 2-1 up at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in their corresponding final-day showdown.

The second half kicked off in an identical fashion as the first for Leeds United, who found themselves two goals down as a final nail was hammered into their three-year Premier League spell.

Having conceded just 92 seconds into the first half, Tottenham's second of the game came 79 seconds after the restart as Pedro Porro smashed home his first goal since his January switch following a brilliant move from Kane.

Allardyce threw the kitchen sink in search of a way back into the game, with Brenden Aaronson, Georginio Rutter and Junior Firpo joining the action.

Those changes initially paid off for Leeds, whose period of sustained pressure was rewarded in the 67th minute when Rutter did well to hold off Clement Lenglet and find Jack Harrison, who drilled a low strike into the bottom corner.

However, Kane restored the visitors' two-goal advantage with a neat finish to mark his fifth goal in six games against Leeds and take his league tally to 30 for the season.

Substitute Lucas Moura then put the icing on the cake with a brilliant strike in the final minute of additional time, scoring on his last game for the London outfit following a five-year stint.

Despite a resounding performance, what has been a largely disappointing campaign for Tottenham ended in even more disappointment as they failed to secure European football after Aston Villa held on to see out a 2-1 victory over Brighton at Villa Park.

Top News

26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to arrest their underwhelming Primeira Liga results before Christmas, Estoril Praia and Moreirense clash at Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Saturday, keen to notch important victories in the gameweek 16 encounter. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Birmingham's Boxing Day clash with Burton had to be temporarily suspended due to a medical emergency at St Andrew's. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Kevin De Bruyne certainly wasn't in the festive spirit after walking down the tunnel immediately after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw against Everton. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Jose Mourinho reportedly wants Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford at Fenerbahce, while Paris Saint-Germain will not sign the 27-year-old. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland missed a second-half penalty as Manchester City's Premier League plight continued with a 1-1 draw at home to a dogged Everton unit at the Etihad Stadium. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Primeira Liga title contenders Porto could climb to first place on Saturday when they host relegation-threatened Boavista at Estadio do Dragao in gameweek 16. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Goalkeepers tend to be a little crazy and Jordan Pickford is no different. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Fulham have announced their teams for the West London derby at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are paying increased attention to Atalanta BC midfielder Ederson ahead of a potential summer move to Old Trafford. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal pair Gabriel Jesus and David Raya could both write new chapters of Gunners history when Mikel Arteta's men host Ipswich Town in Friday's Premier League encounter. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Christmas may have come and gone, but Man City' boss Pep Guardiola - and his players - are hoping for presents in the form of new signings. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to finish a successful year with a streak of five straight Serie A wins, Inter Milan will visit Cagliari on Saturday, as both sides play their final fixture of 2024. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are supposedly all prepared to go head-to-head for the services of Club Brugge defender Maxim De Cuyper in the January window. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says that he loves the club but that the future is uncertain ahead of his side's clash against Leicester City at Anfield on Boxing Day in the Premier League. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could supposedly repeat their Chido Obi Martin trick by prising another young talent away from Arsenal in 2025. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Real Madrid have seemingly been handed a significant boost in their hopes of landing AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez, who is experiencing 'high tension' with head coach Paulo Fonseca. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Man City will attempt to arrest their calamitous slump in form when they face Everton on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Finishing off their 2024 schedule with a battle at the bottom, Serie A survival rivals Parma and Monza will meet at Stadio Tardini on Saturday. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will not be 'waving the white flag' in the Premier League title race, but the Spaniard and his squad will look at the top-flight table with "a fair bit of regret". 26 December 2024 talksport.com Man City's under pressure stars slept at the club's training ground on Christmas Day as they look to turn around their worrying form. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly laid out their plan over how to approach for the upcoming January transfer window. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest will be bidding to end a 29-year run when they play host to Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will have the chance to sign Victor Osimhen in January in a deal with Napoli that would see one of Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee or Marcus Rashford head in the opposite direction. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Chelsea will always be busy in a transfer window - it's a tale as old as time. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both beaten by Serie A title contenders just before Christmas, Empoli and Genoa will meet for their final fixture of 2024 on Saturday afternoon. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa will be hoping to avoid equalling an 89-year streak when they square off against Newcastle United on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Damian Lewis may be an award-winning actor - but Zinedine Zidane showed him levels when it came to a performing masterclass. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal face the prospect of losing out on Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, who is reportedly on serious interest to Bayern Munich. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes the club are at one of their lowest moments in living memory, and the side face the prospect of entering 2025 in the bottom half of the Premier League. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hearts vs. Hibernian (Thursday, 12.30pm) Two places separate Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership table heading into gameweek 19's Boxing Day derby at Tynecastle Park.