Rodrigo Bentancur two goals in as many minutes near the end of a breathless match against Leeds secured Tottenham a place in the top four
Last month, the elegant Uruguayan midfielder kept their Champions League hopes alive with a late equalizer against Sporting Lisbon, and in another epic comeback, he snatched a late winner at Bournemouth.
He increased his tally to four in six games here, turning defeat into a much-needed victory for Spurs manager Antonio Conte, whose team has struggled in recent weeks, and torture for Jesse Marsch.
‘I’m gutted, it’s like someone ripped my heart out,’ Leeds manager Marsch said after his team took the lead three times only to be pegged back on each occasion and eventually overturned by Bentancur’s second, created by the outstanding Dejan Kulusevski in the. 83rd minute.
The visitors finished with a total of ten men. Tyler Adams received his second yellow card for a trip on Yves Bissouma, and Tottenham regained control that had eluded them for the majority of the game.
Bentancur equalized in the 81st minute, beating goalkeeper Illan Meslier with a deflection off Luke Ayling, and scored two minutes later after a sublime dribble and cut back by Kulusevski.
The Sweden international was influential in his first start since suffering an injury in September, but Tottenham’s defensive problems persisted. Leeds took the lead in the 10th minute, cutting through Spurs with a diagonal move from right to left, through Willy Gnonto and Brody Aaronson, and into the channel between Emerson Royal and Eric Dier.
Summerville received Aaronson’s pass with the outside of his right boot and held off Dier’s challenge before beating Hugo Lloris with a low shot with his left foot. This was his fourth goal in four games. Spurs have now conceded the first goal in eight consecutive games.
As Spurs reacted, Royal missed a glorious opportunity. The Brazilian’s effort was wild and wasteful after a fine run and cross by Ben Davies, and Spurs could easily have fallen behind when Summerville sprinted clear again, only to be denied by Lloris.
Tottenham’s equalizer appeared to be a foul on Illan Meslier, who was charged by Clement Lenglet as he jumped to punch a corner. Meslier collapsed in his own net, and his punched clearance fell to Kane, who reacted quickly to beat Tyler Adams and score.
Leeds were furious. They protested in front of ref Michael Salisbury, while Jesse Marsch raged in his technical area. ‘That’s a foul,’ Marsch later said. ‘The fourth official thought it was a foul,’ he said.
However, VAR Paul Tierney did not intervene, and Kane celebrated his 12th Premier League goal of the season. England can rejoice.
By halftime, the visitors had regained the lead. Spurs were attempting to defend a corner this time. It was cleared, but Liam Cooper headed it back at them, assisted by Rasmus Kristensen, and then swept past Lloris on the volley by Rodrigo.
Conte’s players were booed down the tunnel at halftime before Davies leveled the score six minutes later. Kulusevski took a throw-in, muscled his way to the bye line, and cut a low pass towards Kane, whose attempt was blocked by Kristensen.
Davies was on the edge of the penalty area when the rebound found him. His connection was crisp, but it was surprising to see the ball elude a barrier formed by Kristensen and Meslier’s bodies and spin over the line.
Conte made defensive changes, replacing Richarlison with Bissouma, but his team conceded a third goal, Rodrigo’s second of the game and a fantastic finish.
The mandatory dispute arose once more, with Tottenham’s head of football Fabio Paratici and Richarlison leading an appeal party to fourth official Graham Scott. They claimed Adams committed a foul on Bentancur while attempting to pass forward to Kulusevski.
Cooper beat Kulusevski to the ball and launched the move that resulted in Rodrigo beating Davinson Sanchez on the outside and lashing a fierce low drive across Lloris from an angle and in off the far post.
It was a fantastic goal, and there was no reason to dismiss it. Nonetheless, it was insufficient for Leeds, who have always been specialists in late drama in some form or another. It went against them this time. Enter Bentancur to secure the points for Tottenham and provide relief to Conte at the end of the season’s first phase.