In tough conditions at a bouncing Elland Road, Tottenham held their nerve.
A 2-1 win over Leeds sends them into the international break in high spirits and lifted them up to second in the Premier League table before the rest of Saturday’s action.
Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus both got off the mark for the season with the help of deflections, either side of Noah Okafor’s equaliser.
After a tough Champions League trip to Bodo/Glimt in midweek, it was important that Spurs regained some momentum before the players jet off, and Thomas Frank will now certainly enjoy the next fortnight.
Winless international break run is over
At long, long last, Spurs have won a match before the international break.
It had been two years since they last came out on top in the fixture immediately before the international break, a run stretching back to victory over Luton in October 2023.
Spurs were deservedly beaten by Bournemouth earlier this season to continue that run, in what Frank views as the worst display of the campaign so far.
The Spurs boss told his players this week about the terrible record before international breaks, determined that they were aware of the need to end the winless run.
This did not appear the ideal circumstances for Spurs, in an early kick-off after a midweek Champions League trip to Norway, and against a side that had not lost in the league for more than a year.
That will make the victory all the sweeter.
Tel gets badly needed goal
Frank has been keen to praise Tel's performances in recent weeks, despite a lack of goals.
The Frenchman could have had a hat-trick against Doncaster but fluffed his lines on more than one occasion. Frank, though, insisted his all-round displays have been promising and that the goals would come.
He would have been particularly delighted, then, to see Tel open the scoring here. There was some fortune to that, Karl Darlow beaten with the help of a deflection, but the forward deserved that after a tough run.
Unsurprisingly, he looked more confident after that and he did well to get on the end of a cross from Wilson Odobert, looping a header against the bar in added-time before the break.
Early in the second half, he played a brilliant ball in behind for Xavi Simons, who should have done better.
With Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani still on the sidelines, Spurs need Tel to step up and ensure Richarlison is not run into the ground. This was much more encouraging evidence that he can do so.
Vicario recovers well
It was a far from convincing start to the match from Guglielmo Vicario.
He was all at sea as an early cross was swung in the from the left, getting nowhere near the ball and watching gratefully as Joe Rodon behind him headed against the woodwork.
Vicario should also probably have done better for the Leeds goal. Although he saw the ball late and there was a deflection, it was poor handling to divert it straight into Okafor's path for a tap-in.
However, the Italian bounced back from that well and played a key role in Spurs holding on for all three points.
He made a superb save with his feet to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with that strike having taken a slight flick to make it more difficult. And in stoppage-time, Vicario got down well to keep Joel Piroe's effort out.
There are questions over how Vicario commands his box when crosses are swung in, and at times his distribution, but his shot-stopping came good at Elland Road.
