Leeds United continued their torrid run of form as they were dismantled 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road.
The Whites once again found themselves three goals behind inside 30 minutes as Matt Doherty, Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane all got on the scoresheet.
Heung-Min Son rounded the victory off for Spurs five minutes from time to plunge Marcelo Bielsa’ s future into major doubt, and Leeds further into relegation trouble.
Leeds are now just two points clear of 18th-place Burnley, however the Clarets have two games in hand meaning the Whites now face a major fight to stay in the division.
Here is how the national media reported on Saturday’s events.
‘Its conviction has gone’
Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail said: “The beautiful madness that once fuelled the Leeds United of Marcelo Bielsa has gone. Its conviction has gone. Its defiance has gone. Its intoxication has gone.
“It has been replaced by something that flits between ordinariness and alarming fragility and is carrying his team on a trajectory that leads back to the Championship.
“They were demolished by a Tottenham team who were supposed to be undergoing a crisis of their own. The truth was that Antonio Conte’s side were in a different league.
“Spurs won by four but it could easily have been double that. Leeds have now conceded 20 goals in five games and have not won in the Premier League since they beat West Ham on January 16. It is difficult to see where their next victory is coming from. Judging by the boos and sullen abuse that emanated from some sections of the home support at the final whistle, the cult of personality around Bielsa is starting to fade.
“The Argentine has brought so much joy to Elland Road with his breathless, brilliant brand of football, but the Leeds board has a difficult decision to make now.
“Hobbled by the loss of several of their best players to long-term injuries, Leeds do not look like they know how to turn this around, leading to speculation that Bielsa’s time in charge is coming to an end, perhaps as soon as today. Spurs, by contrast, revived their hopes of qualifying for the top four.”
‘Embarrassingly one-sided’
Matthew Howarth of BBC Sport said: “Bielsa insisted prior to Saturday's game that he had no intention of walking out on the club, despite being "very worried" about his team's poor recent form.
“This latest defeat - which was almost embarrassingly one-sided in the first half - will do little to ease those concerns.
“Tottenham carved Leeds open at will in the early stages, their 3-0 lead after just 27 minutes a fair representation of their dominance.
“It could have been 4-0 just after the half-hour mark, but Sessegnon fired straight at Meslier's legs from a tight angle.
“Boos rang out around Elland Road at half-time, although the home fans continued to sing in support of their team in the second half - with the game as good as lost.
“Bielsa's side have now conceded 60 league goals this season - five more than bottom club Norwich - and 20 in February alone. They are only the second team in Premier League history to ship three or more goals in five consecutive matches.
“The Argentine says abandoning Leeds' all-action style in favour of a more pragmatic approach is not an option, but it is hard to see the club arresting their dreadful form without a change of system.”
‘The statistics are damning’
Louise Taylor of the Guardian said: “The temperature was a trifle lower than Antonio Conte may have wanted but, in so many ways, this trip to West Yorkshire proved every bit as restorative as a week in the sun at the Tottenham manager’s favourite resort hotel in Sardinia.
“All those not so veiled threats about walking out after losing at Burnley last Wednesday were forgotten as, with Harry Kane and Ryan Sessegnon excelling, Spurs repeatedly cantered through Leeds’s defence, reviving their slender, Champions League qualification hopes along the way.
“For Leeds, the statistics are damning. Despite possessing one of the Premier League’s most admired goalkeepers, they have conceded 60 League goals this season, more than anyone else, and have collected one point from the last possible 18.
“With relegation a real threat it is no longer fanciful to ask if Marcelo Bielsa will still be in charge in May.
“Jesse Marsch, who left Leipzig in December, is believed to have quite a fanclub in the Elland Road boardroom but for the moment at least Bielsa remains defiant. “It was a fair result,” he said.”
