Tottenham dropped two huge points in their fight for survival as they were held to a draw by already-safe Leeds on Monday night. Spurs looked on course for a crucial victory when Mathys Tel fired home a brilliant strike shortly after half-time, but the Frenchman would turn villain as he conceded a needless penalty to gift the visitors a route back into the game, and Roberto De Zerbi’s side were unable to find a winner.
Tottenham had only won at home twice all season long and it took them a while to get going amid another nervy atmosphere. They almost fell behind when Antonin Kinsky was forced to claw Joe Rodon’s header off the line, and that seemed to spark Spurs into life. Mathys Tel burst into the penalty area and saw his strike deflected over before Pedro Porro’s goal-bound drive was blocked just short of the goal-line, and moments later Joao Palhinha battled through a crowd of players in the box but conspired to sky his shot.
The hosts finally found the moment of quality they had been desperately searching for six minutes into the second period as Tel controlled a clearance on the edge of the Leeds box and whipped a powerful, pinpoint finish into the far top corner. It should have been 2-0 shortly afterwards, but Richarlison volleyed over after being picked out in space.
However, Tottenham’s hopes of seeing out a vital victory against an opponent that had very little to play for would go out the window. With 20 minutes left to play, Tel hesitated under a dropping ball in the penalty area and made the inexplicable decision to attempt an acrobatic clearance – making contact with the onrushing Ethan Ampadu rather than the ball. After a VAR check and a lengthy review on the pitch-side monitor, referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot and Dominic Calvert-Lewin buried it with aplomb.
Things almost went from bad to worse for Spurs in 13 minutes of added time, but Kinsky was able to miraculously push Sean Longstaff’s effort onto the crossbar to preserve the point. There was still time for Leeds to escape a huge penalty shout at the very end of stoppage time, as Lukas Nmecha just got enough on the ball in a challenge with James Maddison.
The result means the north Londoners are just two points clear of West Ham in 18th with two games to play, and they face a daunting trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next.
GOAL rates Spurs’ players from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…
