BBC

Two months ago questions were raised as to whether Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky would ever play for the club again.

The Czech Republic international endured a nightmare 17 minutes in their Champions League last-16 match against Atletico Madrid in March which saw him concede three goals before being substituted off by then-manager Igor Tudor.

But after making one of the saves of the season to deny Leeds a late winner on Monday - ensuring Tottenham earned a point towards potential Premier League survival - the 23-year-old may just have gone some way to redeeming himself.

Mathys Tel's 50th-minute strike had put Spurs ahead but the forward conceded a penalty for a high boot on Ethan Ampadu 24 minutes later and Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the spot to level at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Both sides probed for a winner in 13 minutes of added time and Leeds thought they had found it in the 99th minute when James Justin played Sean Longstaff through and the midfielder unleashed a powerful strike at the near post from close range.

Enter Kinsky, who stretched to get fingertips to the ball and ensure it clattered off the crossbar and not into the roof of his net.

It is impossible to say how important that save could be come the end of the season but for now it leaves Spurs two points clear of West Ham in the relegation zone with two games remaining.

"That save is one of the saves of the season," said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carrager on Sky Sports.

"Football is an absolute rollercoaster and who would have thought he would ever play for Tottenham again - and then he does that.

"You would have to have a heart of stone if you weren't delighted for him. Everyone thought his career was over but that save can be the moment that keeps Tottenham in the Premier League."

Not long after that devastating night in Madrid, where Spurs ultimately lost the last-16 first-leg match 5-2, Tottenham were forced to turn to Kinsky again with first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario sidelined to undergo hernia surgery.

He has since started five matches in the league, where Spurs have lost one match, won two and drawn two.

Kinsky has kept one clean sheet across those five matches but the save against Leeds could have ramifications far greater than his own personal redemption story and it was clear he knew that too.

"Kinsky is walking around the pitch with his chest out and with a massive smile on his face, and rightly so," said former West Ham defender Matthew Upson on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Massive game from him. He played really well, made good decisions with the ball and made some fantastic saves."

Carragher compared the save to Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's to deny Sandro Tonali and Newcastle a late equaliser earlier this season.

Had Vicario not been sidelined for this period, Kinsky may never have got his moment for Spurs.

But he has shown great resilience to produce a save that could go down as one of the biggest in Tottenham's history if they are able to retain their Premier League status.

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport chief football writer

When a disconsolate Kinsky made his way off after only 17 minutes at Atletico in March, it carried all the hallmarks of a moment that could end his Spurs career.

The 23-year-old Czech had slipped twice to give away goals and his removal by then head coach Igor Tudor was brutal.

Tudor's refusal to even console the keeper as he came off made it an awkward watch for those of us in the Metropolitano, who were left wondering if Kinsky would ever play for Spurs again.

Vicario's hernia problem has seen Kinsky thrust back in, and his redemption arc continued with a magnificent display as Spurs drew 1-1 with Leeds United.

It was a performance that was testimony to his strength of character as much as his ability, and what a joy it must have been for Kinsky to hear his name echoing around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Kinsky's first-half save from Joe Rodon's header was outstanding, diving low to his left to make the stop right on the line - but his stop from Longstaff in stoppage time was even better.

Who knows just how vital that save may be amid the fine margins of a relegation battle?

What we do know is that there can be no doubts about Kinsky's character to come through the other side of such a harrowing experience to distinguish himself in spectacular fashion.

West Ham face Newcastle away on Sunday before taking on Leeds on the last day of the season while Spurs travel to Chelsea on Tuesday 19 May before finishing their campaign at home against Everton.

"100% a missed opportunity for Spurs given the remaining fixtures," said Upson.

"If you are West Ham now you are looking at it and feeling a little better. If you look at what they have got to do and what Spurs have got to do, they are in touching distance.

"This was an opportunity for Spurs to take it out of West Ham's hands and they haven't."

Carragher said: "A real opportunity to almost put this whole season to bed, they will be very disappointed but I think the point will feel a lot better in the morning."

Spurs can take some comfort that four points from their final two games would be enough to see them safe, even if the Irons win both of their matches, thanks to their vastly superior goal difference.

The sight of Roberto De Zerbi pulling a black hood over his face as he stalked the touchline was a symbol of another night of self-destruction by Tottenham Hotspur.

New head coach De Zerbi was a picture of anguish after Richarlison squandered a chance to put Spurs in a comfort zone by blazing a simple chance over the bar as they led Leeds United by Mathys Tel's spectacular strike.

It would not have settled the game - 2-0 is no guarantee with Spurs - but it might just have settled the nerves jangling around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Italian is learning quickly that no such territory as a comfort zone exists at Spurs, and certainly not when presented with the opportunity to put daylight between themselves and West Ham United and make their lives easier in the Premier League relegation battle.

And so it proved as goalscorer Tel went from hero to zero in a moment of total recklessness after 74 minutes to concede the penalty that allowed Leeds to equalise from the penalty spot and deprive Spurs of two precious points.

Tel had already shown his erratic side in the first half when he found himself in a tight spot in his own penalty, then attempted to resolve the problem by delivering a perfect cross onto the head of an onrushing Leeds United forward, only for Kevin Danso's desperate clearance to spare his embarrassment.

This was nothing compared to a bicycle kick in his own area that connected with Ethan Ampadu's head, leaving the Leeds captain in a heap.

The Video Assistant Referee merely confirmed what everyone else in stadium knew, De Zerbi raising his eyes to the heavens as Dominic Calvert-Lewin slammed home the penalty.

After being a relatively low-key presence in his early Spurs games, which have included vital wins away at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, this was the night when the Italian's combustible temperament bubbled throughout.

De Zerbi jumped up and down on the spot in disgust at slow play from his team in the first half, then incurred the wrath of referee Jarred Gillett, who delivered a touchline dressing down as the Italian repeatedly left his technical area.

He received a yellow card as things threatened to boil over late on, with 13 minutes of added time increasing the unbearable tension around the stadium.

No wonder De Zerbi looked so frustrated at the final whistle, because the door to survival that opened wider when West Ham United lost so contentiously to Arsenal on Sunday, suddenly closed again as they missed the chance to open up a significant four-point advantage going into the final two games of the season.

De Zerbi told Match of the Day that the pressure of their situation may have had an impact on his players.

"We didn't play a great game - we played a good game," De Zerbi said.

"I think we deserved to win anyway but maybe the pressure, the crucial game, the crucial part of the season, we suffered too much.

"Anyway I am happy because I watched my players with the right spirit, with the right mentality.

"We made too many mistakes. If we want to win we have to reduce the mistakes, but we knew before this game it will be tough until the end of the season, until the last game. It is tough for us and tough for everyone."

On Tel, he said: "He is young and is a talent. I will kiss him and hug him. He doesn't need too many words. He was sorry for the mistake. It can happen to a young player."

De Zerbi added: "I think we have to consider the result, but we also have to consider the performance. We played a good game, we are making points - in the last four games we made eight points.

"Congratulations to Leeds. They played a great game. They have to play the last game at West Ham and we've no doubt that they will play the same way."

One player who deserved a hug and a kiss from De Zerbi was goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, whose redemption arc from the trauma of being taken off after 17 minutes of the Champions League last-16 first leg at Atletico Madrid continued.

Kinsky made two superb saves, one from Joe Rodon's header in the first half, and another that preserved a point when he showed stunning reflexes to turn Sean Longstaff's stoppage-time shot on to the bar.

They could just turn out to be the saves that keep Spurs in the Premier League.

And that fight now looks likely to go to the final game of the season.

If West Ham can win at Newcastle United on Sunday evening, Spurs will be back in the bottom three when they travel to Chelsea for their next game on 19 May. The Blues would take ghoulish delight in prolonging their agony to a final game at home to Everton.

If it does go to the last game, Spurs will have to reverse a worrying trend as their last home win in the Premier League was against Brentford in December, drawing their last two under De Zerbi against Brighton then here against Leeds.

In desperation to snatch a winner, De Zerbi sent on James Maddison for his first action since sustaining a serious knee injury in pre-season. He looked lively, feeling he had won a penalty when he went down under challenge from Lukas Nmecha, but the Leeds player got a touch on the ball first.

De Zerbi's body language - not exactly difficult to read - screamed frustration.

It was echoed by everyone of a Spurs persuasion and life is unlikely to get any easier as their battle to avoid an embarrassing drop into the Championship now looks like it could go to the final day of this turbulent, chaotic season.

Match of the Day - 2025/26 Highlights: Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United Highlights  BBC

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi says his players are good enough to stay up after their draw with Leeds United leaves them two points clear above the relegation zone with two games to play.

MATCH REPORT: Tottenham 1-1 Leeds United

Tottenham Hotspur squander the opportunity to take a significant step towards Premier League safety as they are held to a 1-1 draw at home by Leeds United.

MATCH REPORT: Tottenham 1-1 Leeds United

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi keeps the same side that beat Aston Villa last time out.

Antonin Kinsky is in with Guglielmo Vicario still injured while Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur are favoured in midfield after a stellar showing last time out.

Conor Gallagher will make his 150th Premier League appearance.

Tottenham XI: Kinsky, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie, Palhinha, Bentancur, Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel, Richarlison.

Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Bissouma, Maddison, Gray, Bergvall, Spence, Sarr, Souza.

Two changes for Daniel Farke's Leeds side, who have secured their Premier League status for next season.

Dan James and Brenden Aaronson start ahead of Jayden Bogle and Noah Okafor, who is injured.

Joe Rodon starts against his former club.

Leeds XI: Darlow, Rodon, Struijk, Stach, Ampadu, Tanaka, Justin, James, Aaronson, Bijol, Calvert-Lewin.

Until the next time

Sadly, it's time for us to go now.

You can follow tonight's live text coverage of Tottenham's Premier League match at home to Leeds on the BBC Sport website.

The build-up will begin from around 18:30 BST, with the match scheduled to kick off at 20:00.

In the meantime, use the links in the summary of this page or simply scroll down to enjoy today's best content, which has included a deep dive into Sunday's dramatic encounter at the London Stadium, as well as its impact on the title race and relegation battle.

Thanks again for joining us and hope to see you all again soon.

We must remain humble - De Zerbi

Tottenham v Leeds (20:00 BST)

Tottenham may have endured a season to forget, but have come good at the right time under new manager Roberto de Zerbi, picking up seven points from their last three matches.

That run has seen them leapfrog West Ham to move out of the relegation places.

But De Zerbi said his players "must remain humble" as they look to boost their survival hopes with a win at home to Leeds United tonight.

"First of all, we are playing against one of the best teams in the league, in this moment," the Spurs boss said.

"In the past five or six games, they won against Manchester United, they drew in Bournemouth playing well, they won at home two times - Wolves and Burnley - and for that we have a big respect.

"We can't think in a different way. We have to keep this mentality. We must remain humble. Nothing has changed. We have to prepare for an important game."

Tottenham climbed out of the relegation zone with a surprise 2-1 win at fifth-placed Aston Villa and can move four points clear of West Ham with two matches remaining, if they win at home to Leeds tonight.

Away form boosting Spurs survival hopes

Tottenham v Leeds (20:00 BST)

Back-to-back wins have alleviated the gloom for Tottenham fans, taken them out of the bottom three and put their Premier League destiny back into their own hands.

Remarkably, they go into this weekend sitting third in the away form table - only behind title chasers Arsenal and Manchester City (albeit having played a game more than a few of their rivals below them).

A whopping 70.3% of Spurs' points have come on the road, the highest proportion of away points won by any team in any Premier League season. However, a figure skewed in that direction normally ends badly.

There's no secret as to why they are where they are in the league. Their abysmal record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - in which they have won only twice, accrued 11 points and scored only 20 goals in their 17 matches - tells its own story.

They have lost 10 league matches at home in successive seasons and a further defeat would see them equal the club record of 11 set in the 1991-92 season.

They do at least have the advantage of boasting an excellent recent record against Leeds. The Yorkshire side haven't won on any of their last six visits to Spurs, dating back to 2001, and have only won two of their last 15 encounters in all competitions.

Toughest relegation battle in years

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

If West Ham go down, they will have paid the price for stronger teams around the bottom of the Premier League this season.

As mentioned, they are on 36 points with two games to play. Eeven if they lose both their remaining games, that would be the highest total to be relegated in a decade.

Newcastle went down with 37 points in 2015-16. In the past two seasons nobody got relegated with 30 points or more. Just two years ago Nottingham Forest stayed up with 32 points.

Since the Premier League moved to 20 teams in 1995-96, 36 points has been the average needed for safety.

Unfortunately for Nuno Espirito Santo and West Ham, the teams above them started picking up points at the key stage of the season.

The Hammers' own form is not poor - they are 11th in the six-game form table.

But Forest top that table - and are unbeaten in eight games - and Leeds are fifth despite only playing five games in that time. They are unbeaten in six matches.

And Spurs - in 17th place - have won their last two matches under new manager Roberto de Zerbi.

Is Newcastle away the toughest possible fixture?

Newcastle v West Ham (Sun, 17:30 BST)

What do you think of West Ham's final two fixtures, Hammers fans?

In any other season, their penultimate fixture - Newcastle away - would be regarded as one of their toughest.

The Magpies generally have a proud home record in the Premier League, but they have lost seven of their 18 league games at St James' Park this season, including five of their last seven.

In fact, West Ham won the reverse fixture 3-1 in November and claimed a 2-0 win at Newcastle in the Premier League last season.

'We never say never at this club'

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen was not sugar-coating the task facing the Hammers, but he wasn't about to shy away from it either in his post match interview on Sunday.

"It's going to be tough," agreed the England winger, echoing the sentiments of manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

"We never say never at this club. We have two games left. We did a lot of good things on Sunday. We have to win."

'It's going to be tough'

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

Back to West Ham...

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo conceded after Sunday's defeat at home to Arsenal that his side now faces an uphill battle to remain in the Premier League.

"It's going to be tough," the Hammers boss told BBC Sport.

"It's not in our hands. We fight for it and we will keep on fighting. It is our responsibility - we represent a huge club and it's our obligation to go for it in these last two games."

West Ham's last season outside the top flight was 2011-12.

Post

Craig Nelson

BBC Sport reporter

Our poll shows that 71% believe West Ham will be relegated, while the remaining 29% believe Tottenham will go down.

Click here if you want to take part in the poll, then click 'Get Involved' on this page to send us your thoughts on why that is.

Whether you are going for West Ham or Spurs, we want to know why. And maybe you could also tell us where it has gone wrong for each club?

How soon could West Ham be relegated?

Emlyn Begley

BBC Sport reporter

West Ham could feasibly be relegated on Sunday - with a week of the Premier League season to go.

That would happen if Tottenham beat Leeds tonight (Monday) and the Hammers lose at Newcastle next weekend.

Spurs, who are one point above the Hammers with a game in hand, will be safe if they win two of their final three games.

After playing Leeds, they face Chelsea away and then Everton at home on the final day.

West Ham, who host Leeds on the final day, will need to pick up at least two points more than Spurs because of a significantly inferior goal difference.

Recap - Did VAR get it right in Arsenal win?

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

We took a deep dive into Sunday's crucial VAR decision this morning, and have since been looking at Arsenal's dramatic win against West Ham and its implications at both ends of the Premier League table.

The game - and perhaps this season's title race - was defined by a Hammers equaliser that was disallowed following VAR intervention - and there's been no shortage of debate on the call.

Here's a look at everything we have looked at so far:

West Ham request PGMO explanation on VAR call

Ex-assistant referee Darren Cann dissects the incident on MOTD

'What a responsibility, what a big call' - Mikel Arteta

'What's allowed and what isn't should be addressed' - Nuno

'Where's the consistency?' - Jarrod Bowen

'Foul is clear and obvious' - John Murray

'You won't get away with holding onto a goalkeeper's arm'

'Similar incidents weren't seen the same way' - Thomas Hitzlsperger

'One time I actually think VAR did a good job' - Wayne Rooney

If you don't want to scroll through all those links, then there is a selection of video analysis and reaction at the top of this page.

Right, let's continue by looking at the relegation battle in more detail...

Away form boosting Spurs' survival chances

For the first time in a long while Tottenham fans have hope. Back-to-back wins have alleviated the gloom, taken them out of the bottom three and put their relegation destiny back into their own hands.

They were excellent in victory against Aston Villa, tearing into Unai Emery's men from kick-off in a committed performance that had fans scratching their heads as to where it had been all season. Roberto De Zerbi's impact on players and fans alike has been huge and the new-found belief in his players is clear to see.

Remarkably, they go into this weekend sitting third in the away form table behind only title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City (albeit having played a game more than a few of their rivals below them).

A whopping 70.3% of their points have come on the road, the highest proportion of away points won by any team in any Premier League season. However, a figure skewed in that direction normally ends badly.

There's no secret as to why they are where they are in the league. Their abysmal record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - in which they have won only twice, accrued 11 points and scored only 20 goals in their 17 matches - tells its own story.

They have lost 10 league matches at home in successive seasons and a further defeat would see them equal the club record of 11 set in the 1991-92 season.

They do at least have the advantage of boasting an excellent recent record against Leeds. The Yorkshire side haven't won on any of their last six visits to Spurs dating back to 2001 and have only won two of their last 15 encounters in all competitions.

Leeds close to sealing safety

Not so long ago this fixture was ringed as a huge relegation six-pointer by Leeds fans. However, their superb run of form has propelled them to the verge of safety. No team has ever been relegated with 43 points in a 38-game Premier League season and they could officially be safe by Sunday evening if West Ham lose to Arsenal.

Daniel Farke's side are unbeaten in their last six league matches and another game without defeat would see them become the first newly promoted side since Middlesbrough in 1998-99 to have two runs of seven or more matches without defeat in the same top-flight season, having done similar from December to early January.

Only six Premier League teams have won more points than Leeds' 32 since the start of December and only Manchester City, Manchester United and Bournemouth have lost fewer top-flight games than their four in the 22 matches within that time. Quite the turnaround after losing eight of their first 13 matches on their top-flight return.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Kevin Danso says he will not be defined by racist abuse after being targeted on social media.

Spurs condemned the "vile, dehumanising racism" aimed at Austria international Danso after their 2-2 draw against Brighton on 18 April.

The club reported the abuse to the police.

The 27-year-old player told ITV News he had experienced racist abuse when playing in Germany but did not tell anybody at the time.

"The last time I did experience it, I was very young and I didn't tell anybody about it," Danso said.

"I feel like this time it was important to say something, just address it and make sure that people are aware I've seen it.

"It's not going to make me play any different and definitely there's no need for it and basically you're wasting your time."

Danso was abused during the Premier League's No Room For Racism campaign, which is aimed at promoting diversity and tackling discrimination in football, in April.

In a statement released at the time, the Premier League said discriminatory abuse has "absolutely no place in football or wider society".

"Anybody who chooses to abuse others is not welcome in our game and they are not a true fan," they added.

"It is clear that more needs to be done to address this issue and we will work alongside clubs, football bodies, law enforcement and social media companies to ensure this remains a priority for all."

Danso, who played for Augsburg and Lens before joining Tottenham permanently in May 2025, said he tried not to let the abuse affect him.

"I just try to not let it have as much of an effect on me and how I feel about myself and my performance in order to continue to play at a very high level," he added.

"I grew up in Austria, facing racism quite a bit, being in a predominantly white country. But again, I think I've learned how to deal with it in a way.

"It just doesn't define me and it doesn't belong in the world of football."

Earlier in May, Merseyside Police arrested an Everton fan during his side's match against Manchester City for alleged racist abuse towards Antoine Semenyo.

A 47-year-old man was previously arrested and charged by Merseyside Police after Semenyo faced racist abuse while playing for former club Bournemouth earlier this season.

Four players were previously targeted during a single weekend in February.

The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) investigated abuse of the four players in February, including Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida, Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare.

When the dust settles on the West Ham United goal that was controversially ruled out against Arsenal, the cold reality is they are now probably facing relegation.

Data experts Opta give West Ham only a 12% chance of survival, with Tottenham Hotspur the only team they can now catch.

The Hammers thought they had rescued a draw at home to Arsenal on Sunday - with Callum Wilson firing home in added time.

But after a seismic video assistant referee review, the goal was ruled out for a Pablo foul on goalkeeper David Raya - a decision West Ham were furious with.

It meant Leandro Trossard's 83rd-minute goal was the winner.

As well as edging the Gunners closer to the title, Mikel Arteta's side did a favour to fierce rivals Tottenham.

Spurs now have the chance to move four points clear with two games to go when they host Leeds United, who can now relax as they as well as Nottingham Forest are safe, on Monday (20:00 BST).

"It's going to be tough," Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo - who started the season at Forest - told BBC Sport.

"It's not in our hands. We fight for it and we will keep on fighting. It is our responsibility - we represent a huge club and it's our obligation to go for it in these last two games."

West Ham's last season outside the top flight was 2011-12.

West Ham could feasibly be relegated next Sunday - with a week of the Premier League season to go.

That would happen if Spurs beat Leeds on Monday and the Hammers lose at Newcastle United next weekend.

Spurs, who are one point above the Hammers with a game in hand, will be safe if they win two of their final three games.

After playing Leeds, they face Chelsea away and then Everton at home on the final day.

West Ham, who host Leeds on the final day, will need to pick up at least two points more than Spurs because of a significantly inferior goal difference.

Wolves and Burnley's relegations have already been confirmed.

"We played well," said Nuno after the Arsenal defeat.

"The character of the boys, the noise of the stadium. We knew the position that we are in and the boys gave it a proper fight.

"This is what we will try to do until the last minute of the season. Two games to go, it is our job to bounce back and fight and know that anything can still happen.

"Of course it is hard but we have been competing well, especially at London Stadium. The energy of the crowd was contagious for the boys. We're going to give it a go. This group of players will react."

There was a bit of a managerial merry-go-round at the bottom of the table too.

Forest axed Nuno in September, with the Portuguese quickly taking over at West Ham, who had sacked Graham Potter.

Forest then appointed Ange Postecoglou, who had been with troubled Spurs last season, but dismissed him before replacing him with Sean Dyche - who was then shown the door too.

The man who kept Forest up was Vitor Pereira, who had been sacked by Wolves in November.

Spurs replaced Postecoglou in the summer with Thomas Frank, but he was sacked - and interim Igor Tudor also left - before they landed on De Zerbi, who has guided his new team out of the relegation zone.

Rob Edwards could not keep Wolves up, while Burnley did not part ways with Scott Parker until after they were relegated.