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Tottenham shake off seven-game curse, keep pressure on defending champions Liverpool

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Shrishh Attavar | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 12:54 PM ET

Tottenham Hotspur finally end seven-game international break curse with gritty win at Elland Road

Tottenham finally put an end to a frustrating streak, winning 2-1 at Leeds United and breaking their long-standing international break curse as per Sky Sports . For nearly two years, Spurs had lost seven games just before a mid-season pause, dating back to October 2023. On Saturday, Thomas Frank’s side changed that pattern and gave fans a reason to celebrate.

The match was far from easy. Mathys Tel opened the scoring for Spurs with a strike that took a deflection off Pascal Struijk, leaving Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier wrong-footed. Leeds fought back, and Noah Okafor tapped in a deserved equaliser after some good work in the first half. The home side looked strong, and their unbeaten league run at Elland Road, which had lasted more than a year, gave them confidence.

Spurs, however, stayed in the game and got their breakthrough in the second half. Mohammed Kudus, who joined Tottenham in the summer for £55m, scored his first goal for the club after another deflected effort off Struijk.

Get in, lads!

Kudus also assisted Mathys Tel in the match, showing why he has quickly become one of Spurs’ most important attacking players. This was only the second time he had both scored and assisted in a Premier League game, which only goes to show how he’s been improving pace after pace after pace.

The win takes Tottenham to second place in the Premier League, just one point behind leaders Liverpool. More importantly, it finally ends the run of poor results before international breaks that had been weighing on the team and fans alike.

While the performance was not flawless, Spurs stayed in the game, and did not cause any hiccups, especially Guglielmo Vicario who had to do away some close range attempts closing in towards FT. Next up, Spurs return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face Aston Villa on October 19, aiming to build on their positive momentum and continue the climb up the table.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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