Tottenham held by Leeds as relegation battle continues

Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Leeds United

Tottenham Hotspur squandered the opportunity to take a significant step towards Premier League safety as they were held to a draw at home by Leeds United.

Mathys Tel put Spurs in position to extend their lead over West Ham to four points with a spectacular 20-yard strike five minutes after the break.

Spurs’ goal hero then turned villain 16 minutes from time with a reckless bicycle kick inside the area that caught Ethan Ampadu in the head.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised from the resulting penalty after a video assistant referee (VAR) review as Spurs failed to make it three league wins in succession after victories at Wolves and Aston Villa.

Richarlison had blazed a glorious chance over the top moments before Leeds were awarded a penalty, a miss that proved costly.

Leeds gained confidence as Spurs’ anxiety grew, Roberto de Zerbi’s side unable to make the breakthrough even with 13 minutes added time.

Indeed, it was Leeds who came closest to a winner deep into stoppage time when Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky brilliantly diverted Sean Longstaff’s shot on to the bar.

The draw result leaves Spurs two points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham with each side having two games left.

Tottenham were presented with a chance to apply huge pressure to West Ham United in the race to avoid relegation from the Premier League after the Hammers’ controversial loss at home to Arsenal on Sunday.

And when Tel put them ahead with a spectacular finish, Spurs looked on course to open up a four-point gap that would have put them close to safety.

Instead, Tel’s reckless attempt at an overhead kick in his own penalty area gave away a needless penalty, which Calvert-Lewin put away emphatically.

Spurs pressed in a frantic finale, but they were grateful to keeper Kinsky, who had saved superbly from Joe Rodon in the first half, for a stunning reaction stop to turn a shot from a disbelieving Longstaff on to the bar.

It reflected great credit on the character of the young keeper, who suffered the ignominy of being taken off after only 17 minutes after two early mistakes in the Champions League last-16 game away to Atletico Madrid in March.

In the final reckoning, the keeper whose Spurs career looked in jeopardy when he was hauled of by then-head coach Igor Tudor, may have made a significant contribution to keep his side in the Premier League.

One huge positive was the return of James Maddison for his first action since a serious knee injury suffered in pre-season. He looked sharp and thought he had won a late penalty when he went down under challenge from Lukas Nmecha.

The fact it was not given only added to Spurs frustration as their relegation fears continue.