Leeds beat managerless Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday to put a huge dent in Spurs’ ambitions of securing a coveted Premier League top-four spot.
Son Heung-min cancelled out Stuart Dallas’s early goal for Leeds midway the first half but Patrick Bamford restored the home side’s lead shortly before the break and substitute Rodrigo struck late on.
Spurs, who sacked Jose Mourinho last month, remain seven points behind fourth-placed Leicester and now have just three games left.
It means Tottenham, beaten Champions League finalists in 2019, are almost certain to miss out on playing in Europe’s elite club competition for a second consecutive season.
They even face a fight to qualify for the Europa League after their first league defeat under interim boss Ryan Mason.
“Leeds know what they’re doing, they play a certain way and it took us a while to get into the game,” Mason told BT Sport. “In the second half we were the better team. The moments we had, you have to take them in these games.
“Today was a massive game for us, to lose it hurts. It’s difficult to win in the Premier League but we’ve got to have our full attention on next week now.”
Meanwhile, Leeds climbed above Arsenal into ninth place with the win.