Leeds dashes Tottenham’s top-four hopes with win
Tottenham Hotspur’s slim hopes of finishing in the Premier League top-four faded as goals from Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo condemned it to a 3-1 defeat at Leeds United in a lively game on Saturday.
The home side dominated the first half. Dallas fired it into a 13th-minute lead when he swept a closerange rebound into the roof of the net after Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris parried a mishit clearance. Son Heung-min levelled in the 25th minute with a classy finish after Dele Alli put him through with a defence-splitting pass.
But, Leeds was unfazed, with Bamford restoring its lead shortly before half-time. It was a sweeping move down the left as Jack Harrison released Ezgjan Alioski and Bamford tapped in the defender’s cutback. Tottenham striker Harry Kane had two goals disallowed for offside and the visitor missed several chances before substitute Rodrigo sealed victory for Leeds. The Spaniard capped a fast break with a clinical first-time shot in the 84th minute.
Barcelona, Real, Juventus cling onto Super League
The three remaining European Super League rebels stepped up their criticism of UEFA on Saturday, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus denouncing intolerable threats for their refusal to back down on the prospect of a breakaway competition. The other nine clubs who formed the Super League three weeks ago accepted a settlement on Friday to be fined by the UEFA and stay within the open Champions League structure.
“We regret to see that our friends and founding partners of the Super League project have now found themselves in such inconsistent and contradictory position when signing a number of commitments to UEFA,” Barcelona, Madrid and Juventus said in a joint statement.
The trio risks being banned from the Champions League as the UEFA pursues a disciplinary process against them for not disavowing the Super League and being reintegrated into the existing system.