Tottenham Hotspur’s three-game winning run came to an end this afternoon after they fell short against Leeds United, losing 1-0 at Elland Road.Let us take a look at five things we learned from the match.Tottenham were miles off it and did not even deserve a pointMany Tottenham fans will have been feeling optimistic about Spurs’ chances of walking away with a victory this weekend, given their recent form, having not tasted defeat in their last four league outings.They will have expected their side to pick up at Elland Road where they left off last time out against Palace, but that was far from the case in today’s early kick-off.Spurs were just not up to the task and were outplayed by their opponents. Leeds created the better chances and could well have won by more.Farke’s side had 16 attempts on goal, an xG of 2.0 and four big chances. Spurs, on the other hand, had an xG of 0.77, seven shots and just the one big chance.At no point did it look like Tottenham were in control of proceedings, and based on the balance of play, a 1-0 defeat looks like a fair result.Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty ImagesSpurs involved in another red card controversyTottenham have certainly been in the thick of controversy this season, and today saw yet another one. It came after a reckless challenge from Jayden Bogle on Mathys Tel, with the wing-back catching the Tottenham man studs-first on the Achilles.It was a serious challenge that forced Tel off, with the Frenchman unable to continue. Bogle, however, somehow managed to escape a sending-off despite a lengthy VAR check.Should Jason Bogle have seen red for this challenge? 🟥👀📺 Stream live on TNT Sports & HBO Max https://t.co/fRCRh6tXYB https://t.co/fuK42Okkcz— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 7, 2026The challenge was not too dissimilar to Mateta’s last week, which will only leave Tottenham frustrated. To add insult to injury, Bogle somehow also escaped a booking. Consistency in the league remains a big problem.Had he been sent off, it would have been the third game this season in which Tottenham faced ten men. Perhaps the officials did not want that to be the case – we never know these days. But it did look like a red card.James Maddison’s fitness a cause for concernDe Zerbi’s starting XI will surely have raised a few eyebrows, as he went for a midfield three of Fernandes, Gray and Tonali.There was no number 10, despite Maddison being on the bench. The Englishman made the bench last time out against Palace but was an unused substitute.Today, that proved to be the case once more, even when Spurs were chasing the game and desperate for control and creativity in midfield.With the Italian opting against turning to the Englishman, it does lead to questions about Maddison’s fitness.We do know that last season, De Zerbi often included the attacking midfielder in his matchday squad even when he was not fit, as a boost to his teammates. Whether that is the case once more remains to be seen.The left wing remains a huge problem for TottenhamSpurs as a whole did not seem to click, and their entire attack looked devoid of creativity today. Tel did create the best chance of the match, though, following a quick break in which he ran at the Leeds backline before cutting back to Marmoush, who fired straight at Trafford.However, following his substitution, Tottenham struggled to create anything from that side of the pitch. Marmoush was first moved there, and he was lacklustre, offering little in attack.Later on, Kudus was moved out to the left, and it was more of the same. If Tel is out for long, there will be a big problem in terms of who De Zerbi turns to, with Marmoush awful out there and Kudus clearly better on the right.Luca Williams-Barnett could well be the next best option, as the youngster looked bright after coming on. There is also Mykhailo Mudryk, who could be back after the international break.It seemed crazy for De Zerbi to split up the Fernandes and Tonali pivotDe Zerbi does deserve some criticism for his tactical decisions in today’s match, as they clearly did not work for the Tottenham boss.I mean, the winning formula was already set in the last three games, with Fernandes and Tonali looking unplayable down the middle in a double pivot.However, De Zerbi thought for some reason that today was the ideal time to try something new. Leeds have been struggling in their last five outings, so why exactly did Spurs need to adjust to their style?Spurs looked disjointed, especially in midfield, and that is pretty much down to De Zerbi overthinking things and breaking up the Tonali and Fernandes pivot that had worked in the last few outings.READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings from 1-0 defeat to Leeds United as 3/10 star strugglesThe post Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Leeds United appeared first on Spurs Web.