Okafor strike hands Leeds victory as Van Hecke impresses in Elland Road ratings
Leeds United ended Spurs' mini-revival with a late goal from Noah Okafor to give them victory at Elland Road in a Premier League match on 7 November 2026. BBC Sport has published player ratings for both sides from the game.
The match report includes individual assessments for starters, substitutes and players who were unused, and it notes Okafor came off the bench to score two minutes after coming on. The page also features the prompt "What do BBC Sport's player ratings mean?" and an invitation for readers to rate the players themselves.
Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford was described as always alert coming off his line with safe handling and a vital late save from Van Hecke, receiving a 6. Full-backs James Justin (6) and Jayden Bogle (5) were credited respectively with good deliveries and forward play, while Bogle was noted as fortunate not to receive a red card for a late challenge on Mathys Tel. Centre-backs Nico Elvedi (6) and Tarik Muharemovic (6) were praised for physicality and solidity; captain Ethan Ampadu was rated 7 for keeping things ticking over in midfield and Sean Longstaff 6 after a booking for a late challenge on Fernandes and a close-range effort saved.
In attack, Gabriel Gudmundsson earned a 7 for an "excellent first half" before being substituted at half-time, Ao Tanaka was given a 6 after missing a great second-half opportunity, Dominic Calvert-Lewin received a 6 for his work and for setting up Tanaka, and Lukas Nmecha was marked down to 5 for heading straight at Kinsky when he should have scored. Melvin Bard (on 45 for Gudmundsson) was rated 6; Noah Okafor (on 77 for Nmecha) was given a 7 with the report calling it an "Inspirational substitution by Daniel Farke" and noting a clean finish two minutes after coming on. Harry Wilson (on 77 for Tanaka) was rated 5, while Ilia Gruev and Joe Rodon came on at the end; unused Leeds substitutes were Michael Zetterer, Jaka Bijol, Daniel James and Brenden Aaronson.
Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was rated 7 for very safe handling and an excellent save from Longstaff, with the report saying he had no chance with the goal and that there was an anxious moment when he took too long over a goal-kick and a corner was awarded. In defence Pedro Porro was given a 6 for his attacking willingness and tackling, Micky van de Ven a 6 for dependability and a vital second-half clearance, and Jan Paul van Hecke a 7, described as powerful in the air and composed with the ball and having nearly salvaged a point. Andrew Robertson and Archie Gray were both rated 6.
Among Spurs midfield and forwards, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes were each rated 5 and described as anonymous or very quiet, Mohammed Kudus 5 for endeavour with little end product, and Omar Marmoush 5 for lacking physical presence. Mathys Tel was rated 5 after one or two lively moments but was unable to continue following Jayden Bogle's first-half challenge. Substitutes Dominic Solanke (on 43 for Tel), Conor Gallagher (on 65 for Porro), Rodrigo Bentancur (on 65 for Mateus Fernandes), Dejan Kulusevski (on 65 for Marmoush) and Luca Williams-Barnett (on 83 for Kudus) were all graded 5 with notes ranging from a crucial block to missed chances; unused Spurs substitutes listed were Luca Gunter, Marcos Senesi, James Maddison and Ben Davies.
After the opportunity to rate players was closed, BBC Sport states the score displayed represents the average from all submissions by users. The page also points readers to BBC Sport's Match of the Day Predictor game and to follow their club with BBC Sport.