Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday, with substitute Noah Okafor scoring the winner 11 minutes from time — but the result was overshadowed by a VAR controversy that left pundits and fans furious. Okafor struck just 97 seconds after coming on, the quickest goal by a substitute in the Premier League this season, to end Tottenham's three-match winning run. The win lifts Leeds further clear of trouble, while Spurs drop to tenth with 12 points from ten matches and now sit only three points above 16th-placed Coventry City.

The Bogle challenge that split opinion

The flashpoint came in the first half when Leeds full-back Jayden Bogle planted his foot on the back of Tottenham star Mathys Tel's ankle. A VAR check for possible serious foul play paused play for around five minutes before the referee's decision of no red card was confirmed. The Premier League's match centre explained that VAR saw "a lack of speed going into the challenge" and judged it a reckless challenge rather than a sending-off. Tel was later substituted after treatment. Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O'Hara called it "the worst decision I've ever seen" during a talkSPORT watchalong, saying Bogle "nearly broke his ankle".

Spurs' unwanted 39-game record

The defeat also exposed a deeper problem for Roberto De Zerbi's side. Tottenham have now failed to win any of their last 39 Premier League games in which they conceded the opening goal, drawing nine and losing 30 — the longest such run in the competition's history, according to Opta. Spurs managed only seven shots to Leeds' 16, with no visiting player producing more than one shot on target. Having finished 17th in each of the last two seasons, Tottenham cannot afford to take safety for granted.

[Source: talkSPORT](https://talksport.com/football/4692266/leeds-tottenham-red-card-var-jamie-ohara/) | [Source: Sports Mole](https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/spurs/relegation-battle/news/how-bad-spurs-set-unwanted-39-game-record-as-leeds-loss-exposes-flaws_608681.html)