Tottenham savour change in fortunes as Leeds fall apart again

Perhaps Antonio Conte’s melodramatic threat to quit had an impact. Or maybe Tottenham were simply playing Leeds. Whatever it was, Spurs were excellent in an emphatic victory. Underlying problems between a combustible manager and a quixotic club may remain, but Tottenham’s biggest win under the Italian suggested they are not in meltdown.

Maybe the losers are. “Leeds are falling apart again,” chorused the Spurs fans, and if the chant is hackneyed, it feels truer this time.

They were a shambles at the back again and a hideous February has made their defensive record disastrous, with 20 goals conceded in five games.

This was all too predictable, with Marcelo Bielsa’s stubborn belief in his gung-ho tactics leaving him looking naïve and with an ever greater danger his reign at Leeds will end in relegation. It was a sign of how his plans are backfiring that, for the fourth successive game, he made a double change at half-time.

Leeds had been booed off at the break. Tottenham could savour the change in their fortunes after their wretched defeat at Burnley. After losing four of their previous five league games, Tottenham were two goals up after a quarter of an hour and three to the good within 28 minutes, courtesy of Matt Doherty, Dejan Kulusevski and the outstanding Harry Kane.

The Irishman felt the least likely scorer of the trio and, given Emerson Royal’s inability to have an attacking impact from right wing-back during Conte’s reign, his strike could be significant.

The 28th minute is the earliest Leeds have conceded a third goal in a game this season, beating the 32nd (v Man City), the 35th (v Liverpool) & the 42nd (v Arsenal).

Doherty proved potent for Wolves but, in his 48th game, this was a belated first goal for