Yorkshire Evening Post

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke’s pre-Brighton press conference and key men injury updates.

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Leeds United will take in their final home game of the season against Brighton on Sunday, ahead of which boss Daniel Farke is providing injury updates on key men today.

United’s Premier League survival was secured with three games to play through Arsenal’s 1-0 win at West Ham on Sunday, after which Leeds headed for Monday night’s clash at relegation-battling Tottenham Hotspur knowing they were already safe.

Despite survival already being achieved, Leeds produced an excellent fightback at Spurs as they left with a 1-1 draw, for which key men were missing.

Six days later, United will now face their final home game of the season on Sunday through the visit of European football chasing Brighton in a 3pm kick-off at Elland Road.

Ahead of the game, boss Farke is holding his pre-match press conference this afternoon at 1.30pm from Thorp Arch and we will bring you all of the main news here including the injury updates on key men.

Leeds lost centre-back Pascal Struijk to injury in Monday’s clash at Tottenham for which Jayden Bogle and Facundo Buonanotte were also added to the list of absentees following hamstring injuries, the pair failing to make the matchday squad.

Leeds were already without Gabi Gudmundsson and Noah Okafor whilst Ilia Gruev had already been ruled out for the rest of the season with a meniscus knee injury.

Leeds United will 'roll over for no one' as they continue to play a part in the relegation battle, according to one of Daniel Farke's mainstays.

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The Whites struck a blow on behalf of West Ham United when they fought back from a goal down to level and take a point at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty cancelled out Mathys Tel's spectacular second half opener and ensured Leeds left the capital with a share of the spoils. And while Leeds, on 44 points, are safe from the drop with two games still to play, Spurs are just two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham. The good news for Tottenham is that West Ham still have to play Leeds, who made it clear on Monday night that they are still willing and able to fight for every point despite the lack of jeopardy. And Joe Rodon insists Leeds will not 'roll over' for anyone.

"I think I've said it number times, this group is really competitive, and we're professionals," said ex-Spurs man Joe Rodon after the 1-1 draw. "I think, as you've seen, we don't roll over for no one. You know what goes on in the training ground. The manager always keeps it competitive. Healthy, competitive. But we're all professionals, we want to win every game. And that's the main thing, that has to be the mindset. And this is us going forward."

Internally in recent weeks at Thorp Arch and Elland Road, eyes have turned towards the teams ahead of Leeds rather than the battle raging beneath them in the table. They are now two points behind Newcastle United ahead of a home game against Brighton and the West Ham trip. And they have momentum. Rodon wants it to continue to the very end.

"We want to push up the table in these last these last few games, because the group, everyone has worked so hard to be in this position, so there's no reason to stop," he said. "We've got two very difficult games coming, but we want to continue this momentum. We don't look that much at [West Ham yet] the next one is Sunday, Brighton are a top team, they're on fire, so go back now, recover, and we'll prepare, get ready to give our fans a great performance for our last home game."

Leeds United were awarded a penalty at Tottenham before seeing claims against them waved away.

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Dermot Gallagher believes Leeds United striker Lukas Nmecha was ‘lucky’ to nick the ball in a challenge with James Maddison - as failing to do so would have resulted in a late penalty.

Leeds’ 1-1 draw at Tottenham on Monday night came with plenty of drama attached as added-time calls for a home penalty were waved away by referee Jarred Gillett. Nmecha stretched for a tackle on Maddison and brought the Spurs midfielder down, but amid huge protests a corner was awarded.

The incident was reviewed by VAR and replays appeared to show Nmecha getting the faintest touch on the ball before making contact with Maddison. The Premier League Match Centre wrote on X that the Leeds striker was deemed to have done exactly that, with the initial decision of corner remaining.

“My first thought when I saw it was ‘blimey, they’ve got a penalty’,” former referee Gallagher told talkSPORT. “You were 13 minutes into stoppage time. When you see the replay, he does just catch the ball, there’s no doubt about that. But it’s one of them, he gets a bit lucky, because if he doesn’t get the ball it’s clearly a penalty.”

VAR had a busy night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They reviewed a potential penalty for a foul on Dominic Calvert-Lewin but eventually ruled the Leeds striker to have been fractional offside when played in by Brenden Aaronson.

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There was another delay with Leeds 1-0 down when Gillett finally stopped play for Ethan Ampadu’s head injury to be seen to. The Whites skipper jumped for a header in the Tottenham box and was caught by the boot of Mathys Tel, who was attempting a bicycle kick clearance.

Dermot Gallagher on Leeds United penalty incident ‘surprise’

As Ampadu received treatment, Gillett was recommended to revisit the incident and eventually awarded Leeds a penalty. Calvert-Lewin buried it with confidence to cancel out Tel’s 50th-minute opener and eventually earn his side a point.

“I was surprised [Gillett needed VAR to intervene],” Gallagher said of the penalty. “I often talk about clues and the clue for me was the fact that the Leeds player, Ampadu, was actually jumping.

“That will show you how high the player’s foot was. It hasn’t just caught him on the face. He caught him on the face from a jump. That’s a really high boot.”

Referee Gillett endured a difficult night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, earning a -1/10 in YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth’s ratings. The many delays, particularly in the second-half, led to a whopping 13 minutes of time being added on.

A dramatic end saw Sean Longstaff come close to winning it, but for Antonin Kinsky’s world-class save, before the Tottenham penalty claims and subsequent review. “That’s the biggest one I’ve seen for a long, long time,” Gallagher added of that added-time period. “And they ended up playing 15 as well.”

Leeds United's 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur saw plenty of late drama.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Jamie O’Hara remains adamant a late penalty should have been awarded during Monday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

Daniel Farke’s side fought back from a goal down to take a point from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelling out Mathys Tel’s opener from the penalty spot. That decision was only awarded after a VAR review, with referee Jarred Gillett initially missing a clear kick to the head of Ethan Ampadu.

A dramatic 13 minutes of added-time saw substitute Sean Longstaff come within inches of winning it, but for a world-class Antonin Kinsky save, before huge Tottenham calls for a penalty. James Maddison went down under a challenge from Lukas Nmecha with replays seeming to show the Leeds striker got the faintest of touches on the ball.

“It’s a penalty. I’m sorry, I don’t care what anyone says and you could show me a million angles of this,” A furious O’Hara told Sky Sports. “Where does the ball move? I don’t believe there is enough movement from the ball and the player.

“That’s a penalty. There is no movement, that ball does not move, Maddison gets his foot in the way and there’s a foul. That is a penalty and he bottled it, the ref.

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“We saw a crazy decision the other day at West Ham, which was a foul, but they took an age over that decision. They looked at it for over five minutes to make sure they got that right. Last night, they looked at it for 30 seconds and said ‘no carry on’.”

Premier League explain why Tottenham penalty wasn’t given

Tottenham’s players surrounded referee Gillett after he awarded a corner, implying he saw a touch on the ball from Nmecha. The role of VAR is to recommend a review of any clear and obvious errors, opting against doing so on Monday night.

In the aftermath of the incident, the Premier League Match Centre explained why the initial decision of non-penalty stuck. They wrote on X: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Tottenham Hotspur was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Nmecha played the ball.”

But O’Hara remained unconvinced: “That is a penalty! I’m not convinced there’s a touch, I’m not convinced he gets the ball. This is a massive problem we have in the Premier League at the minute - referees are not giving decisions. They didn’t give the foul by Mathys Tel for the penalty, by the way.

“Referees don’t make decisions anymore, they’re relying on VAR to make decisions. But the problem is that VAR are only meant to step in if it’s a clear and obvious error. So if the referee gave it last night, is it being un-awarded? I don’t think it is.”

Good day, bad day and moments missed from Leeds United's 1-1 Premier League draw at Tottenham.

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Leeds United are unbeaten in the Premier League since the start of March and unbeaten in away league games since January, so a draw at Spurs was no surprise.

The Whites were not at their best in possession for much of the 1-1 stalemate at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, yet as they have so often this season they dug out a result from somewhere.

Here's the YEP take.

Good day: Jaka Bijol. The big Slovenian loves to see a cross coming. Much of what Spurs tried to do was meat and drink to Bijol and he feasted on crosses all night. But there was still some guile to his performance on the ball. A warrior who can pass it.

Good day: Ethan Ampadu. Played like a man who either has a dislike for Spurs or a desperate thirst for points. His body language even before the game suggested he was well up for this one, before he went snarling and snapping into the match. Argued the toss with every Spurs player who had anything to say about anything. Won the penalty. Drove his team on to the end. Showed at full-time that he really, really wanted a positive result from this one.

Good day: Daniel Farke. Leeds weren't able to mark their mathematical safety on the day it was achieved because they didn't play. It would have been a shame for them to travel to London and lose. Instead they got to have their moment with the fans at full-time, celebrating a hard-earned but deserved point as well as Premier League status for next season. The German has done the job asked of him, with games to spare. And they show no signs of slowing down.

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Bad day: Jarred Gillett. Referees have a very difficult job and VAR was introduced to help them. But it feels at times like referees now simply abdicate responsibility for certain incidents in the knowledge that VAR will make up their minds. The high boot on Ampadu was so blatant and so obvious, he had to spot it. But even if he didn't see a foul, he saw a player go down with an apparent head injury and he let play go on. Forget missing fouls, flailing reckless arms in faces or letting players away with yellow-card worthy challenges, even forget the time added on, on player safety alone his performance was poor.

Bad day: Archie Gray. The youngster would have dearly loved to get on the pitch against the club he grew up supporting. Perhaps it wasn't the right sort of game for him, though as we saw at Leeds he can be just about whatever player you want him to be, but regardless he was forced to maintain a watching brief.

Off-camera moments

Michael Bridges greeting some of the squad as they lined up on the touchline for their warm-up stretches.

Ethan Ampadu geeing up the starting outfield players as they moved into the various stages of their warm-ups, showing no signs of taking it easier with Leeds now safe.

The away end giving the players an especially loud ovation as they came over to do their last sprints before the warm-up finished.

Ao Tanaka tapping Anton Stach on the shoulder as the players huddled and making some tactical gesture about how they were to operate together.

Daniel Farke seeking an explanation on something from the fourth official just four minutes in, by which time the officials had barely had a decision to make.

Lukas Nmecha, who appears to know just about everyone in the Premier League, and Djed Spence having a lengthy chat on the touchline as they warmed up. Archie Gray shared a moment with Rhys Chadwick and Jayden Lienou too.

Fitness coach Chris Domogalla coming out from the dressing room at half-time to have words with Sam Byram, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Willy Gnonto.

James Justin shrugging his shoulders at the fourth official to indicate there was no doubt Leeds should get a penalty for the challenge on Ampadu.

Ampadu debating the decision with Richarlison behind the referee's back as he watched the monitor to see what VAR wanted him to see. The Leeds skipper took a lot of flak from home fans, despite the welt already forming on his head from Mathys Tel's high boot.

Sean Longstaff and Gray having one of those behind-the-hand conversations on the touchline while warming up.

Ampadu, sporting a cracking welt from that high boot, giving Joe Rodon some grief for nicking his number 4 crested flip flops and wearing them to the mixed zone for post-match interviews.

The Verdict on Leeds United’s comeback draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

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Leeds United's performance and result at Tottenham Hotspur told the Premier League that they will remain a problem to the very end, with or without jeopardy.

It was Monday August 18 when Leeds knew they would be competitive in the Premier League this season. At least that's what Edmund Riemer said prior to the trip to Spurs. Daniel Farke's assistant took the pre-game press conference and suggested that the very first game of the season and how Leeds played against Everton told him that they were going to be in with a fighting chance upon their top flight return. He could feel it that night at Elland Road. But feeling it and proving it are two very different things. Leeds still had to go and do the harder bit and gain enough points to make reality tally with belief.

Completing the job with three games to spare removed all jeopardy from their job at Tottenham. who of course can still go down. That's why their stadium announcer was giving it full beans before their inspirational video montage. That's why there were nerves in the air all night. That's why it would take something special from an already-safe and presumably slightly relieved Whites to deny what is still a star-studded Spurs side coming off the back of huge consecutive wins. James Justin told the YEP last week that mathematical safety would take weight off their shoulders.

Even without the financial considerations of finishing higher up the table - for both club and players - there was still plenty to play for. Joe Rodon was returning to Spurs with a point to prove. He dealt with Mathys Tel handily in his first duel and then showed his pace to get back in and deny Richarlison, after stepping out in an attempt to play offside that his team-mates failed to read. And after a pretty even opening 20 minutes, the Welshman came so close to opening the scoring. A short corner routine allowed Brenden Aaronson to deliver a beautiful ball to the back post where Rodon's header was clawed out on the line by Antonin Kinsky.

Anton Stach is playing for a place in the Germany World Cup squad having finally broken back into the national team picture in the most recent break. He was played into a great position by Pascal Struijk and fouled on the edge of the box, only for referee Jarred Gillett to let it go.

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Aaronson's season will definitely continue into the major tournament, a home one no less. His best early work at Spurs was a block that deflected Conor Gallagher's but on the ball it was hit and miss stuff. Amid the frustrating losses of the ball were a pair of lovely passes to put Justin and Dominic Calvert-Lewin into the area, the latter was perhaps a touch later than the striker would have wanted and though he was fouled in the box, the flag correctly went up.

For Ao Tanaka, a player who plainly and often visibly wears the weight of big moments and another with World Cup hopes, playing without fear did not immediately lend itself to performance enhancement. He struggled in a first half that saw Leeds come under serious pressure. The Japan international appeared to turn his back in the area, allowing Joao Palhinha to shoot mercifully over the top. And on the right-hand side Daniel James creaked in the wing-back role. Even with Rodon's help he was unable to shut down Tel, who got into good positions and delivered dangerously into the area.

But at least when the ball did come into the box, Leeds had Jaka Bijol defending as if Leeds could still go down. He shone brightest of Farke's men throughout the first 45 minutes. Next to him Struijk showed signs of the hip injury that made him a doubt for the game. Outside him Justin was unable to give Leeds attacking width.

Level at the break but not long after

Yet despite all of Spurs' possession and time in and around the area, they went in at the break level. It wasn't until the second half that they made their superiority count for something and for all the beauty in Tel's finish, Leeds' part in the goal has to be noted. The visitors were on a promising attack when Calvert-Lewin gave the ball away, not for the first time in the evening. Spurs broke, won a corner and though Bijol headed it out, Tel was on the edge to curl into the far top corner.

Farke was forced into changes. Struijk succumbed to his hip issue, replaced by Sebastiaan Bornauw, and the game required something different. Lukas Nmecha and Willy Gnonto took over from Aaronson and James. And though Leeds did start to put some passes together, it was a man playing for neither side who took centre stage next. Gillett's performance was already well worthy of scrutiny before the moment that changed the game. He pinged Karl Darlow for holding onto the ball a split-second too long, giving Spurs a corner, infuriating Farke. He missed a reckless flailing arm from Richarlison that caught Bijol in the face. And not only did he fail to spot a high boot connecting with Ethan Ampadu's face in the Spurs box, he allowed play to continue for an age with the Leeds skipper down holding his head. It took VAR to show him the error of his ways.

When Leeds were eventually awarded the penalty that was rightly theirs, Calvert-Lewin shrugged off his earlier struggles to rattle it home and rattle the nerves of the home crowd. It did little for the collective blood pressure when Leeds immediately went on the attack again, Calvert-Lewin helping Rodon's cross towards Nmecha whose shot was partially blocked and saved.

For all the urgency in the stadium each time Spurs got the ball, it was Leeds who came closest to a winner. Justin played Sean Longstaff into a wonderful position in the area and his shot screamed goal all the way until Kinsky somehow deflected it up onto the crossbar. It was the kind of save that will be remembered for years to come if Spurs do stay up. The next best chance also fell to the visitors. Stach's cross from the left made it through to Longstaff at the back post and he could only send the ball back through the goalmouth.

Much of the remainder of the game and the quite incredible 15 minutes of time added on by Gillett saw Spurs on the attack, winning corners, but the biggest threat came from Nmecha's challenge on James Maddison. Gillett signalled a corner, apparently spotting the faintest of touches on the ball by the Leeds man. Whatever it was that he saw, the stadium and the Spurs players saw something different and bayed for a spot-kick. VAR rightly backed the referee. And Leeds defended their box to the final whistle. They fought to the last, led by Ampadu who greeted the point like it mattered just as much as the 43 that made them safe.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this game, beyond Leeds managing to make it gripping and dramatic even when there's no jeopardy, is how much the players wanted a result. They battled. Tackled. Headed. They found a way to compete, even when their possession game was off. Physicality kept them in it at times. And because they stayed in it, they could have won it late on. Spurs can rest assured that this is not a Leeds team on the beach, ahead of that final day visit to West Ham. It's a team in 14th place, hunting Newcastle United above them.

Daniel Farke saw his already safe Leeds United side battle back at Tottenham to seal a 1-1 draw.

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Leeds United boss Daniel Farke wants his players to 'spoil' their supporters with results from the final two games after a battling point at Tottenham Hotspur but insists nothing can spoil their season.

The Whites were made mathematically safe by West Ham's defeat by Arsenal on Sunday but the way they battled against relegation-threatened Spurs on Monday night suggested they will continue to fight to the end.

"I wouldn't allow it in a different way," said Farke. "If you put the white shirt on to represent this amazing club you have all to play for. If you're not highly motivated you're choosing the wrong club. I would never allow one per cent less."

Farke had to ring changes due to injuries, losing Noah Okafor and Jayden Bogle to calf and hamstring injuries, with Gabriel Gudmundsson already out. Pascal Struijk played through injury but was forced off in the second half.

And Tottenham were roared on by an expectant crowd after back-to-back wins. Yet after going a goal behind, Leeds fought back to level through Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty, awarded after VAR helped referee Jarred Gillett see a high boot connect with Ethan Ampadu's face.

"It was of course a difficult game, big pressure was a bit away [from us] but Spurs in good shape, back to back wins and I expected them to play with confidence and the stadium was on it," said Farke.

“I like that we went for it”

"It was difficult for many reasons. If you go 1-0 down you can crumble sometimes but my players showed unbelievable fighting spirit. We fully deserved to equalise this game. I like that we went for it.

“A point is a better result for us than Spurs but we wanted to win this game. We were very close with two big chances for Sean Longstaff, one great save from the keeper, to win it. Definitely a good night for us."

And Farke wants Leeds to finish the season in similar fashion. They host Brighton on Sunday and then travel to West Ham on the final day of the season. However nothing can take Premier League status from Leeds now, nor the satisfaction of an objective achieved.

"Nothing will take away that we've played an unbelievable season and how big an achievement this is for the club," he said.

“Though we haven't spent as much”

"To be the first team along with Sunderland to break the curse of newly promoted sides, though we haven't spent as much as sides in the past, to be safe with three to go is massive.

“Unbeaten in the league against Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, got to an FA Cup semi, couldn't be much better. I couldn't be prouder of my players. We want to show this and to spoil our supporters even a bit more in our final home game and final game day. If we can extend our unbeaten run it would be great and we'll fight for every point."

Farke revealed that Bogle picked up his hamstring issue in an activation session in the gym, while Facundo Buonanotte suffered a similar problem in the last training session prior to the game. But his side found a way to compete.

"This team always has an answer when questions are asked and show resilience and mentality whatever is in their way," he said. "This is what makes us so successful by our standards."

Calvert-Lewin's penalty took him to 14 for the season and with Lukas Nmecha's eight, Leeds have enjoyed a 20-goal return from free signings this season.

"Outstanding," said Farke. "We had to be a bit creative because we didn't want to risk the sustainability of the club. We've spent less than many teams promoted in recent outcomes. We've spent less and got a better outcome. Everyone involved deserves praise."

Roberto De Zerbi saw Leeds United fight back against his relegation-battling Tottenham side to take a 1-1 draw.

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Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi has questioned the composure of the officials after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

Referee Jarred Gillett missed the foul that was spotted by VAR to hand Leeds a penalty and a leveller at Tottenham Hotspur, enraged both sides at various points and then added on 13 minutes.

Though De Zerbi did not comment specifically on incidents during the game, other than the yellow card he got for encroaching on the pitch near the end, the Italian pondered whether the officials were impacted by the controversy 24 hours earlier when West Ham's equaliser against Arsenal was ruled out by VAR.

"The first minute until the end of the game the referee went to me if you go out yellow card," he said.

“Maybe they suffer the pressure of yesterday”

"They were not calm today. Maybe they suffer the pressure of yesterday, the West Ham Arsenal game, VAR. We suffered the pressure today, the speed of the ball, the order on the pitch. We didn't play with passion with the ball. We were irrational but also the referee was not calm. I don't know, I can't understand the polemic about VAR yesterday because it was a foul 200 per cent."

Spurs had a big penalty shout in the final seconds, though Gillett did not see Lukas Nmecha's challenge on James Maddison as a foul and VAR spotted a slight touch on the ball by the Leeds attacker.

"I haven't seen it and I don't want to come inside the polemic," said De Zerbi. "Ask me about football if you want. I don't know."

The penalty that was given at the other end was given away by Mathys Tel, who had earlier produced a wonderful strike to put his side ahead. De Zerbi absolved the youngster of blame and expressed pride at how his side battled.

“They are doing a great season”

"A big hug and a big kiss, nothing more," said the Spurs boss. "He's a young player, a big talent, he scored a great goal and he made a mistake for the experience.

“He has not the right experience, he has not played too many games and we have to accept. I'm proud, I'm happy for the mentality we showed.

“We didn't play a great game like in Villa Park. Enough to win. We couldn't lose the game in the end. Before the last 15, 20 minutes they didn't shoot on our goal. Just one in the first half. We had 14 corners against two. Five chances to score against two. We came inside of the goal area 50 times against 27. But we didn't score two goals."

And along with his confidence in his players' ability to get the points they need to stay ahead of the Hammers, De Zerbi has faith that Leeds will have a strong say in what happens when they go to London Stadium on the final day.

"We can't forget their last [league] defeat was the third March at home I think," he said. "And West Ham has to play with Leeds and I think Leeds will play like today with the same spirit, the same qualities. They are doing a great season."

Leeds United extended their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games following Monday’s 1-1 comeback draw at Tottenham Hotspur. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half penalty cancelled out a Mathys Tel opener to take the Whites back above Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest in the table.

Tottenham had the better of the first-half, dominating possession and creating a handful of half chances which Richarlison, Joao Palhinha and others squandered. The home side got their opening goal just after the break with a moment of quality, Tel curling beyond Karl Darlow after a corner was cleared his way.

But the mood inside the stadium changed when Leeds got a penalty for a wild high boot from goalscorer Tel on Ethan Ampadu, with Calvert-Lewin burying his effort from 12 yards to level the scores. Substitute Sean Longstaff came within millimetres of an added-time winner but saw his powerful effort incredibly saved by Antonin Kinsky.

YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch the action. Here are his Leeds United player ratings...

Leeds United went into Monday night’s clash at fourth-bottom Tottenham already mathematically safe from relegation.

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A Leeds United side already mathematically safe from the drop delivered a hammer blow to relegation-battling rivals Tottenham Hotspur as a second half fightback and double VAR joy gave them a 1-1 draw.

Unlike Tottenham, Leeds went into the contest with their Premier League survival already mathematically guaranteed after Arsenal’s 1-0 win at third-bottom West Ham on Sunday.

Boss Daniel Farke, though, had already declared the importance of finishing the season as strongly as possible although news emerged of two new Leeds injuries before kick off with Jayden Bogle and Facundo Buonanotte both missing with hamstring injuries.

Noah Okafor, Gabi Gudmundsson and Ilia Gruev had already been ruled out and Leeds then lost Pascal Struijk to injury in the game itself.

Struijk was forced off after the Whites had fallen behind to a stunning strike from Mathys Tel but the intervention of VAR gave Leeds a penalty for a high boot from Tel on Dominic Calvert-Lewin who rifled home a clinical spot kick to make it 1-1.

A wonder save from Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky then denied United’s Sean Longstaff deep in in second half stoppage time but even more drama followed as VAR denied Spurs a penalty in the 104th minute after Lukas Nmecha had taken down the returning James Maddison.

The point for Leeds took them back above Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace into 14th place, Spurs squandering the chance to move four points clear of West Ham who are just two points behind them with two games left.

Leeds chance in first minute

Leeds began brightly and created a chance within the first minute as a Dan James cross picked out Struijk who had gone into the box for an Ethan Ampadu long throw but Struijk sent his header well wide.

Spurs were slow to get going although a through ball would have had Richarlison in behind the back line but for a heavy touch from the striker which allowed Joe Rodon the chance to get back and brilliantly usher the ball back to Karl Darlow.

Spurs gradually began to push Leeds back but without creating much and at the other end Tel just got away with an incredibly risky ball across his own area which almost set up James Justin, Kevin Danso just getting ahead of him for a crucial headed clearance.

A lovey Leeds counter led by Ethan Ampadu then won the Whites a corner which led to the best chance of the game so far in the 22nd minute.

Outstanding save to claw the ball off the line

Leeds played the corner short and Brenden Aaronson's delivery found Rodon whose powerful header was somehow clawed away by keeper Kinsky who made an outstanding save to claw the ball off the line beneath his right hand post.

Spurs had offered very little but a mazy run took Tel past several men and into the box, his rising shot blocked by Jaka Bijol and sent behind for corner.

A few moments later, Darlow's attempt to punch clear a long throw fell to Conor Gallagher whose shot hit Ampadu and also went behind for a corner which Leeds survived.

Arguably Tottenham's best chance yet then arrived just after the half hour mark as a Pedro Porro cross teed up Richarlison in the middle of the box but his shot on the turn was partially blocked by Rodon and Darlow saved.

Darlow, though, was then punished for holding on to the ball for too long which led to Spurs being given a corner from which two shots were blocked.

Tottenham's best chance yet then arrived moments later as Ao Tanaka lost the ball in a packed area, Joao Palhinha surging through the box but rifling a shot over the bar.

The Spurs chances were starting to stack up and from yet another corner, Rodrigo Bentancur sent a free header wide.

Leeds had not threatened for a while and Tanaka's attempt to change that with a shot from the edge of the box proved wayward and swerved well wide.

Back up the other end, a foul by Anton Stach on Tel gave Spurs a free-kick to the left of the box but Pedro Porro ambitiously went for goal and whipped his shot well wide.

Judged marginally offside by VAR

But as the half drew to a close, Spurs survived Leeds shouts for a penalty, Aaronson playing in Calvert-Lewin who was brought down by Destiny Udogie but Calvert-Lewin judged marginally offside by VAR.

There were no changes during the break and Tottenham's Richarlison survived a reckless challenge on Jaka Bijol seconds after the restart.

The Spurs forward caught Bijol on the forehead with a trailing elbow as the pair competed for a high ball but no foul was given and VAR did not intervene.

A few minutes later Tottenham were ahead, yet another Spurs corner headed clear by Bijol but only to Tel who took one touch to set himself on the edge of the box before curling home a beauty into the right corner of the net.

Leeds were then dealt another blow as Struijk was forced off injured, the defender having been a doubt for the game with a hip injury and going to ground for treatment having been struggling earlier in the first half.

Should have led to Tottenham doubling their lead

Sebastiaan Bornauw was brought on to replace him and a Bornauw mishap should have led to Tottenham doubling their lead, the Leeds defender losing his footing and skinned by Randal Kolo Muani who squared the ball to Richarlison who blazed a wild effort over from the middle of the box.

Spurs were pushing hard for a second although Leeds looked to respond, the quiet Dan James firing well wide from the edge of the box.

It proved James' last contribution, the winger and also Aaronson taken off just after the hour mark as Willy Gnonto and Nmecha were introduced.

Leeds started to push Spurs back a bit and a poor decision from goalscorer Tel then led to Leeds being awarded a penalty.

Very high boot caught Ampadu

The Spurs star chose to clear a high ball into the Leeds box with an overhead kick with his back to goal and in doing so his very high boot caught Ampadu.

VAR intervened and instructed referee Jarred Gillett to look at his monitor.

Only one outcome looked likely and sure enough Gillet returned to point to the spot, Calvert-Lewin stepping up to take a penalty and rifling a tremendous effort into the left of the net.

Leeds quickly pushed for a winner, the very bright Gnonto slipping in Nmecha who was blocked out by an excellent challenge from Micky van de Ven.

Desperately looking for a way back, Spurs brought on James Maddison who returned from injury for his first appearance this season.

Tottenham’s response was initially limited but the announcement of a baffling 13 minutes of added time not surprisingly put a spring in their step.

An absolute wonder save

Yet Leeds were then denied a second goal by an absolute wonder save from keeper Kinsky who somehow managed to tip a piledriver shot from substitute Sean Longstaff on to the crossbar after a rapid counter down the left.

Leeds then squandered two more chances to bag a winner, Longstaff skewing an attempt across goal at the far post from a cross and Bijol also flashing a shot across the box.

But the drama was still not done and Tottenham looked destined to be awarded a penalty in the 103rd minute as Nmecha took down the quickly effective Maddison down the right side of the box.

VAR looked at the incident as Spurs held their breath but Nmecha had got the slightest touch on the ball, much to Tottenham’s frustration but United’s joy as the hosts had to settle for a point.

Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Darlow; Justin, Struijk (Bornauw 55), Rodon, Bijol, Ampadu, Stach, Tanaka (Longstaff 90); James (Gnonto 64), Aaronson (Nmecha 64), Calvert-Lewin. Subs not used: Perri, Byram, Lienou, Chadwick, Piroe.