North Londoners failed to take advantage of West Ham’s earlier defeat
Sam Tabuteau
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Tottenham were unable to put daylight between themselves and the relegation zone after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds.
Following West Ham’s defeat to Arsenal, Spurs had the chance to move four points clear of the bottom three, and they looked to be on their way to a rare home win when Mathys Tel scored five minutes into the second-half.
Spurs were good value for their lead, but were pegged back after Tel conceded a penalty for a kick on Ethan Ampadu.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the spot and Leeds came close to stealing all three points when Sean Longstaff hit the crossbar.
Spurs’ relegation fears continue
Spurs’ relegation fears are by no means over after they squandered a glorious opportunity to put daylight between themselves and the bottom three.
They were the better team in the first-half and deserved the breakthrough when Tel finished superbly after the ball broke to him from a corner.
But they let Leeds back into the game and only had themselves to blame when Tel’s haphazard defending handed the visitors the chance to equalise from the penalty spot.
Spurs still seem clouded by anxiety, despite an upturn in results in recent weeks. Their home form is an issue they can’t seem to shake.
Nervy: Roberto De Zerbi
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In their first two home games under De Zerbi, it has been mistakes from Tel and Kevin Danso that have seen them squander leads and ultimately leave precious points out on the pitch.
Tonight was the perfect moment to take control of the relegation race, but once again, they came up short and were lucky not to concede deep in stoppage time when Antonin Kinsky saved superbly from Longstaff.
Spurs now go to Stamford Bridge, a stadium they have a famously poor record at, next Tuesday, without the comfort of a four-point buffer.
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Win tonight, and West Ham would have been relegated had they lost to Newcastle this weekend.
Instead, they have left the door open for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who will have been reinvigorated after a crushing defeat to Arsenal yesterday.
Spurs’ winless home run drags on
De Zerbi has hurdled almost every challenge put in front of him since taking charge of Spurs a little over a month ago.
However, with just two league wins at home all season heading into tonight, the Italian will have known the pressure that was on him to make the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a fortress again.
He spoke up the atmosphere inside the stadium in his pre-match comments, suggesting that his side should relish the “heat” and the pressure that comes with playing in front of more than 60,000 supporters.
It was a rallying cry, full of confidence and daringness, that went down well with both players and supporters as Spurs started with intensity.
Hero to zero: Mathys Tel
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Roared back onto the pitch at half-time, Spurs picked up where they left off to take a deserved lead just five minutes into the second half.
After Leeds equalised from the penalty spot, the nerves soon began to creep back in, though, as the visitors sensed they could get another goal.
De Zerbi has worked wonders to change the narrative around the club and get his players believing in their own ability again.
But there is still clearly a mental hurdle, a nervous energy that can engulf them at any given moment, and visiting teams know they will always have a chance.
Tel goes from hero to zero
If Mathys Tel was determined to make his mark on this game, then he certainly managed to do that.
De Zerbi had said that Xavi Simons’ season-ending injury could be the moment for Tel to finally nail down a starting berth in Spurs’ side.
The French winger has struggled for regular minutes this season, but started for the second game running against Brighton and initially made a positive impact.
His goal was a moment of magic, and a fine reward for a performance that had to that point been full of intensity and directness.
Curling a wonderful right-footed strike past Karl Darlow, Spurs looked on their way to a hugely important three points.
That was until Tel unwittingly kicked the onrushing Ampadu in the head as he acrobatically attempted to clear the ball inside his own area.
Overall, the former Bayern Munich forward was the hosts’ brightest spark going forward, but it was ultimately his costly decision that means that Spurs remain mired in relegation trouble.
Tel must recover. Spurs have too much still to play for.
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