Spurs seal another dramatic comeback as late Bentancur double sinks Leeds

This match had a see-saw look about it at the outset and did not disappoint. The safest bet was to give oneself up to the chaos, although Jesse Marsch will bristle at a late capitulation from his Leeds team that itself defied logic. They had only just taken the lead for a third time through Rodrigo’s excellent finish, his second goal of the game, when the unlikely figure of Rodrigo Bentancur scored twice to ensure an exciting but loose Tottenham performance earned three points. Crysencio Summerville had started the fun early on before Harry Kane and Ben Davies adorned their World Cup preparations with Spurs’s first two equalisers; by the end, six weeks’ pause to gather breath did not seem a bad idea.

Well taken though the opener was, Spurs’s work in averting the danger was inadequate. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg looked favourite to outdo Brenden Aaronson after Rasmus Kristensen had won a header on the right but allowed his opponent to get the wrong side of him. Now Aaronson had the time to find a sprinting Summerville, who shielded the ball from Eric Dier and slotted under Hugo Lloris for his fourth goal in as many games.

Tottenham had conceded first for the eighth time in a row and the air of weariness in the stands was, at this early point, palpable. But Antonio Conte’s players showed little of that and, along with their opponents, went on to produce an exhilarating 90 minutes of football. Emerson Royal saw a shot parried after good work from Dejan Kulusevski, who was making his first start since 17 September and showed exactly how much he had been missed. Then Richarlison, another returnee, delightfully released Davies only for Royal to sky the resulting cutback over. It was a sitter, and the faithful howled.

They would have been further aggrieved had Lloris not saved from Summerville, who again ran clear down the left. A second goal, at whichever end, looked inevitable and Spurs were worth their leveller. Leeds raged as Illan Meslier, trying to punch away an Ivan Perisic corner, was blocked in by Richarlison and Clément Lenglet near his line, although Kane still had plenty to do when the keeper’s weak contact reached him. A neat shuffle took Tyler Adams away and the subsequent finish was emphatic; he would doubtless welcome a similar sequence when England face USA on 25 November.

The foul Leeds sought was not detected by VAR. Marsch passed a note into Kristensen’s hand and hoped his team would stem the tide, although Meslier was soon required to block from Kulusevski. Two minutes before the interval any such expectations were exceeded. Højbjerg’s clearing header from a corner was returned by Liam Cooper and, via a flick from Kristensen, sent into Rodrigo’s path. His volley, taken on the run, was exquisite and Tottenham paid again for defensive inattention.

The injured Son Heung-min marvels at Rodrigo Bentancur’s match-winning double before the pair head off to the World Cup. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Getty Images

Richarlison still had time to come close before the interval but a second equaliser came within six minutes of the restart. Leeds dozed at a throw-in and Kulusevski, at the right byline for the umpteenth time, pulled back for Kane. Kristensen initially made a goal-saving block but, when Davies returned the ball with a first-time drive from 20 yards, it squirmed messily through him and Meslier before settling in the net.

Only the bravest onlooker would have picked a winner from here. Conte introduced Matt Doherty for the hapless Royal; the cheers were more for the identity of the departee than the merits of the new arrival. Davinson Sánchez and, later, Yves Bissouma joined him, but for the first time the game’s franticness failed to translate into clear chances.

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When another opening did arrive, Rodrigo made it count. This time it was Spurs who fumed in the belief Adams had checked Bentancur in midfield. Michael Salisbury disagreed and Marc Roca, given space to pick his pass, slid the Spaniard through. It was still only a half-chance but he found the only unreachable spot, arrowing left-footed across Lloris and millimetres inside his far post.

Spurs risked dejection now but, within seven minutes, they had achieved the unthinkable. First Bentancur met a loose clearance 15 yards out and his half-volley beat Meslier via a deflection off the recently-introduced Luke Ayling. Then, with barely a beat skipped, the outstanding Kulusevski got away again and nudged the ball back for the Uruguayan to spark pandemonium. Adams’s late dismissal for two bookings compounded Leeds’ frustrations.