Mathys Tel went from hero to villain as Tottenham missed the chance to take a huge step towards Premier League survival as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United.
Following West Ham’s controversial 1-0 defeat to leaders Arsenal on Sunday, Spurs had the opportunity to go four points clear of the Hammers with a victory over a Leeds side already sure of their status in the top flight.
And it appeared as if Tottenham would put potentially decisive daylight between themselves and their London rivals when Tel opened the scoring with a superb finish five minutes into the second half.
But an extremely ill-advised piece of defending from Tel gifted Leeds the equaliser and West Ham a lifeline in the fight to avoid the drop.
Tel inadvertently caught Ethan Ampadu in the head with his boot while attempting to clear with an overhead kick and, after a VAR review, Dominic Calvert-Lewin thrashed home a penalty that means Spurs’ edge over West Ham is only two points.
Tottenham do have a considerable goal difference advantage over West Ham, but their failure to take all three points here leaves Nuno Espirito Santo’s side with the opportunity to leapfrog them with a win over Newcastle United on Sunday. Roberto De Zerbi’s men do not play again until a week on Tuesday, when they visit Chelsea.
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Tottenham make most of first-half let-off
Tottenham made a slow start and were grateful to Antonin Kinsky for making a superb save to prevent a Joe Rodon header from finding the bottom-right corner.
Spurs had the better of the first-half proceedings thereafter, Joao Palhinha wasting the best of their chances as he fired over from close range after bursting into the box and dispossessing Ao Tanaka.
Tottenham would have conceded a penalty before half-time after Destiny Udogie pulled down Calvert-Lewin, but the hosts were saved by the fact the Leeds striker had strayed offside by a very tight margin.
And five minutes into the second half Spurs took advantage of that let-off, Tel controlling brilliantly after Leeds only half cleared a corner and then finding the far corner in stunning fashion.
Richarlison spurned a chance to make it 2-0 when he volleyed over after excellent work from Randal Kolo Muani, and Spurs would be punished for his profligacy.
Kinsky saves point after Tel turns villain
Tel’s bizarre decision-making left Ampadu in a heap in the area, and Calvert-Lewin was ruthless in converting after Jarred Gillett was directed to consult his pitchside monitor.
A roar erupted around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when 13 minutes of injury time were announced, but it was Leeds who went closest to taking all three points in that time.
Indeed, more heroics from Kinsky were required as he produced a remarkable reflex save to tip Sean Longstaff’s drive onto the underside of the crossbar, with Jaka Bijol then wasting an opportunity to complete the turnaround moments later.
After a weekend defined by VAR controversy, Spurs were clamouring for a penalty after the returning James Maddison went down under the challenge of Lukas Nmecha. However, VAR cleared the incident, with replays suggesting Nmecha got a faint touch on the ball.
That will have caused many sighs of relief in East London, with the focus now switching to Tyneside as West Ham look to turn a compelling fight for survival back in their favour.
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