The Independent

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi believes the officials “suffered the pressure” following VAR controversy in the West Ham-Arsenal game after Spurs dropped crucial points against Leeds in the battle for Premier League survival.

De Zebri felt the referee Jarred Gillet was “not calm” during the 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which featured yet more drama a day after West Ham saw a last-minute equaliser ruled out in the “biggest decision in VAR history”.

After giving Spurs the lead with a fine finish, Mathys Tel’s attempted overhead kick clearance struck Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu in the face, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring from the spot. Then, in the 13th minute of stoppage time, James Maddison went down in the box but VAR deemed Lukas Nmecha played the ball.

“I think they were not calm today, maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday's Arsenal game,” De Zerbi said when asked about the decisions from the officials. “For sure we suffered the pressure today. We didn't play with passion with the ball, too frenetic but also the referee was not calm today.”

James Maddison has declared himself ready to tackle Tottenham’s precarious Premier League position head-on, as he aims to help the club avoid relegation after a "season to forget".

The midfielder made his long-awaited return to competitive action following a year-long injury lay-off, featuring in the latter stages of Spurs’ 1-1 draw against Leeds on Monday night.

The result leaves the north London side in 17th place, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Maddison, 29, entered the pitch to a thunderous reception, making an encouraging cameo that saw him nearly win a stoppage-time penalty. He revealed that any personal concerns about his comeback quickly faded as the urgency of the situation took over.

"It’s been a tough season for Tottenham. Really tough for the fans, really tough for the players. Lots of manager changes. It’s been a season to forget really. Not being able to affect it and help the club has been difficult," Maddison stated.

He added: "Once I was out there and the first 30 seconds to a minute had gone by, it was like ‘now I’m on the pitch we need to get a winner here’. The nice moment had gone. It was almost straight down to business.

“I would rather be safe and come on and enjoy and build up slowly, but that’s not the situation we are in. When you are on the pitch you forget about anything else anyway when the adrenaline kicks in. When you get your first touch it’s just another game and I felt really good."

Maddison’s journey back to the pitch has been arduous, beginning with a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament last May during Spurs’ 3-1 Europa League victory over Bodo/Glimt.

Despite an external specialist advising against surgery, the injury did not recover properly, leading to a full rupture in a pre-season friendly against Newcastle on 3 August and subsequent surgery in South Korea.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Maddison said: "In my head it goes back to the Europa League semi-final here when I got injured, because I did a partial ACL tear against Bodo/Glimt. I was told by the (external) specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab.

“Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly and I needed the full surgery which is what happened in South Korea. That being said, that was still an amazing moment which will live with me forever that reception I got. There have been some dark days in the last year, especially since the surgery."

He continued: "It has been a really tough year for me mentally but I’m at the end of the tunnel now so I can kind of look back on that with fondness because I’m as mentally strong as I can be after going through that.

“Physically I feel really good, so the moment personally is something that will live with me forever the reception Spurs fans gave me."

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi had frequently praised Maddison’s influence within the dressing room even before his return to fitness. The England international confirmed his efforts to impress upon his teammates the gravity of their situation and what it means to the club’s supporters.

"I always try and help," Maddison explained. "Being from this country and knowing what it means for the fans, I can feel that and portray that in a way to players from other countries or who don’t speak the language so perfectly or younger players who maybe don’t understand as much as I do.

“I just try to help and say whatever I feel will help the team or the individual player."

Yet another game dictated by VAR now, rather fittingly, looks set to bring the 2025-26 relegation battle down to the tightest of margins. That, however, is only going to cause emotions to waver as wildly – and as cruelly – as we saw in this 1-1 draw between Tottenham and Leeds.

A big week for officials somehow had another crescendo. Some might say a nadir, given it makes for an even bigger season for officials.

Two successive VAR calls saw Roberto De Zerbi and most of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium quickly go from exhilaration to exasperation.

James Maddison, finally returning as a sub after Dominic Calvert-Lewin had equalised from a VAR-granted penalty, was denied what would have almost been a deus ex machina of an intervention. He ghosted into the box to be felled by Lukas Nmecha… only for Jared Gillett to quickly rule that it wasn’t a foul.

And, from all that, what must Nuno Espirito Santo be thinking?

Just 28 hours before this, the West Ham United manager was philosophically lamenting the “duality” of Premier League directives on grappling. He now might be left musing – a little more hopefully - on the duality of VAR. It takes away. It gives. Gillet was here almost as big a character as Chris Kavanagh had been at the London Stadium on Sunday.

There should be significant mention of Antonin Kinsky, however, who here offered a brilliant save from that could yet be as important as David Raya’s - and was probably even more difficult.

For now, two successive decisions have ultimately granted West Ham a huge reprieve after Sunday’s dejection against Arsenal. The 1-1 draw from Calvert-Lewin’s penalty and that Maddison decision now leave West Ham a mere two points behind Spurs rather than four.

That can turn in one match, rather than requiring two. And next up is Newcastle United away for West Ham, and Chelsea away for Spurs.This is going to be nerve-shredding.

This one was bad enough for Spurs, if also so frustrating in its own way.

They saw glimpses of what this season could have been, what Mathys Tel might yet be, without all the immense weight of this campaign.

Leeds only added to that by not letting any satisfaction at survival dim their intensity.

That was the other twist to that West Ham result. The 1-0 Arsenal win ensured Leeds secured survival, but they looked in the mood to build on it right now rather than rest on it.

They were up for it. Their fans were even up for goading Spurs by singing “Leeds are staying up”.

This was just another game under De Zerbi, however, which showed how Spurs should never have been in this situation in the first place.

When you see how aggressive they look now, how tactically coherent they are a proper identity already, it’s impossible not to wonder why they wasted such time with the Igor Tudor experiment. Why not go bigger for De Zerbi earlier, if this was what it meant?

Long before Tel’s supreme opener, they were laying siege to the Leeds goal. Joao Palhinha burst through for a shot that was somehow blazed over. Rodrigo Bentancur had a header he should have scored. Pedro Porro was creating chaos from one side, Tel from the other.

It looked like something had to give - only for Spurs to give up space at the other end. This obviously remains a flawed and stretched squad, which is why they were always going to be stretched on the actual pitch, too.

There was already one warning when Calvert-Lewin got through shortly before half-time, only to be felled by Destiny Udogie. It looked a certain penalty - until it was shown that Calvert-Lewin had trailed offside by a toe. That’s how much there was in it.

If only the gaps in the Spurs team were as tight.

A further issue for De Zerbi was that he was fighting against time in another way. With so few attacking options on the bench beyond Maddison, the Italian essentially had to bank on his forwards producing before they significantly flagged. Just another exasperation on the night was that they did that.

On 50 minutes, Tel fulfilled some of the potential he has shown in an occasionally frustrating spell at the club. He scored a goal that would have been worthy of keeping them up. Opportunistically placed to receive the ball in plenty of space from a deflected corner, the winger still had a lot to do. And how he did it.

Tel guided a supreme shot into the top corner of Karl Darlow’s net. It was gloriously soaring, and suggested that Spurs might just keep going with it. They of course tired, however, and came down with a bang.

Or, rather, Tel did.

On 73 minutes, after a spell where Leeds had started to get on the front foot again, Ethan Ampadu looked like he might get in behind. All that was blocking him was Tel. And if the winger’s first major moment made you wonder how he did it, the question here was again what was he thinking.

Tel inexplicably tried to bicycle kick the ball away with Ampadu so close, ensuring he also made contact with the midfielder’s head.

Referee Jarred Gillett really had no choice, even though a needlessly long wait eventually saw him have to make a very definite choice by going through the protocol of looking at the monitor.

There was no such hesitation about Calvert-Lewin. He finished the penalty brilliantly, to re-ignite this survival battle.

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Liveupdated

Tottenham v Leeds LIVE: Team news as unchanged Spurs try to deliver Premier League relegation hammer blow to West Ham

Roberto De Zerbi’s improved Spurs can move four points clear of West Ham in the drop zone with just two games remaining if they beat a Leeds side who are now mathematically safe

Leeds assistant manager identifies Roberto De Zerbi impact on Tottenham

Tottenham are a team transformed since that win – and not necessarily for the better after things deteriorated under Thomas Frank before the brief Igor Tudor era/error. But Leeds assistant Edmund Riemer thinks Roberto De Zerbi has shown his quality already.

"It is not for me to judge from the outside but he has an impact on the players, they follow what he says, what he wants to do,” Riemer explained. “He gives them confidence. You see his patterns coming through, week to week, and results help. They're getting the confidence. It's becoming a different Tottenham than before."

Harry Latham-Coyle11 May 2026 19:40

What happened earlier in the season?

It feels a long, long time ago now that these two met at Elland Road, with goals from Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus giving Tottenham a win that left them two points off top spot:

Mohammed Kudus magic ends Leeds’ year-long streak

Leeds 1-2 Tottenham: Leeds hadn’t lost a league game at Elland Road since September 2024 but Kudus and Mathys Tel helped end that run

Harry Latham-Coyle11 May 2026 19:30

What is at stake for Leeds?

We’ve focused a lot on why tonight matters so much for Tottenham, but Leeds have plenty to play for, still, despite now being mathematically certain of safety. A win would likely leave them in 14th, barring an unlikely heavy margin of victory, and the resulting boost in Premier League prize money for climbing even just a couple of places is not insignificant. Credit must go to Daniel Farke, though, for his work this season – it looked very unlikely both he and Leeds would survive it, at one stage.

Harry Latham-Coyle11 May 2026 19:20

Tottenham on course for Premier League record

A Tottenham win tonight could actually harm their chances of a Premier League record. 70.3 per cent of their points so far come on the road, which according to the BBC and Opta is the highest proportion of away points won by any team in any Premier League season. I don’t think Roberto De Zerbi would mind too much if that number slips a little.

Harry Latham-Coyle11 May 2026 19:10

England’s World Cup 2026 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s almost there and who still has work to do?

The World Cup is looming ever larger into view, with plenty still to be sorted with Thomas Tuchel’s squad. Lawrence Ostlere takes an in-depth look at all of the key selections.

England’s World Cup 2026 squad: Who’s on the plane and who faces the axe?

Thomas Tuchel has plenty of big decisions to make before naming his squad to take to the World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico next summer

Harry Latham-Coyle11 May 2026 19:00

Team news

Leeds boss Daniel Farke is without the in-form Noah Okafor and Jayden Bogle with injuries, with Brendan Aaronson and Dan James coming into the starting line-up in their stead. It’s a first Premier League start since November for the latter.

Flo Clifford11 May 2026 18:52

Team news

If it ain’t broke, etc. ...

Unsurprisingly, Roberto de Zerbi has made no changes to the side that claimed a much-needed win over Aston Villa last time out.

Flo Clifford11 May 2026 18:51

Tottenham XI

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

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

Flo Clifford11 May 2026 18:46

Leeds XI

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

Substitutes: Perri, Byram, Lienou, Bornauw, Longstaff, Chadwick, Gnonto, Piroe, Nmecha

Flo Clifford11 May 2026 18:45

Team news on the way...

We should have team news from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium shortly. Noah Okafor is definitely out for Leeds, though they are hopeful the in-form forward may feature in the final game of the campaign.

“He sustained an injury after the FA Cup game in the calf,” Edmund Riemer, assistant manager, said on Friday. “It was the right calf where he got a contusion. And, in the Burnley game, the left calf.

“So likely will be out the next two games and, as I said, we are hopeful that he will be back for the last game.”

Harry Latham-Coyle11 May 2026 18:40

Tottenham vs Leeds betting tips

Tottenham host Leeds United in Monday Night Football this evening as Roberto De Zerbi’s side look to take a huge step towards Premier League survival (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

West Ham’s loss to Arsenal on Sunday means that the battle for the final relegation spot stays between Spurs and the Hammers, but De Zerbi’s men can go four points clear of their closest rivals with two games to go if they manage a win this evening.

The victory over a second-string Aston Villa last week provided a huge boost for Spurs and may well prove to be the key result that keeps them up, with the Lilywhites now priced at 9/2 to go down and betting sites slashing West Ham’s relegation odds to as short as 1/7 after their dramatic loss to the Gunners.

Elsewhere, that win for Arsenal yesterday means Leeds are now guaranteed to stay up and, with Daniel Farke’s side playing with no pressure and plenty of freedom, it could either be a far easier or much tougher game than usual for the hosts tonight.

As it goes, Spurs are heavy favourites with most football betting sites as they fight to preserve their top-flight status, with Tottenham priced around 4/5 for the win versus odds as high as 16/5 for a Leeds victory.

Tottenham vs Leeds betting preview: Hosts to take huge step towards survival?

Tottenham and West Ham are separated by just a point going into tonight’s game, though Spurs can go four above the Hammers by clinching a potentially vital win this evening.

Thankfully for Spurs, this pivotal game comes against a Leeds side who are now guaranteed another season in the top flight after results elsewhere went their way this weekend. What this means for the Leeds performance this evening is anyone’s guess, but considering that relief, the potential of Farke’s side being mentally “on the beach” and Spurs’ impressive win last time out against Villa, it’s easy to see why the hosts are the favourites.

Spurs’ win over Villa was their second league victory since the start of February, though they’ve now won two on the trot after beating Wolves at the end of April. However, they had conceded at least one goal in each of their last 12 games before that Wolves win, last keeping a clean sheet against Frankfurt at the end of January and conceding 29 times in that period.

As for Leeds, they come into this match in decent form having won three of their last five league games, though they have kept just two clean sheets in their last 10 matches in all competitions, while scoring 15 in that time.

With the pressure off they may start to play even better. However, at the same time it is hard to see Spurs not putting in a decent performance as they fight for survival, and this game might be the one that shows whether or not De Zerbi has managed to truly improve his failing side.

With that in mind – as well as both teams’ penchant for leaking goals – we think a wager on Spurs to win and both teams to score is a sensible bet.

Tottenham vs Leeds prediction 1: Tottenham to win and both teams to score - 9/4 Betfred

Richarlison to drive Spurs’ survival bid?

Tottenham forward Richarlison appears to be one of those players who has immediately benefitted from the change in manager, with the Brazilian getting the assist for the winner against Wolves and then scoring the eventual winner himself last time out against Villa.

The 29-year-old has just 10 goals for Spurs this season from 29 games, but he played his first full 90 since March last week and has been tasked with carrying the side’s goalscoring burden due to the injury to Dominic Solanke.

After some time out with a hamstring injury at the start of the year, Richarlison has now scored three goals in his last seven games, though with a more important role in the team – being deployed as a striker rather than a winger – he will likely find goals easier to come by at the end of the season.

Richarlison is 11/10 to score at any time on some betting apps, while those bettors wanting to play it a little safer can get odds of 3/4 on his registering a goal or assist.

Tottenham vs Leeds prediction 2: Richarlison to score anytime - 11/10 Betway

Tottenham vs Leeds team news

Tottenham vs Leeds predicted lineups

Tottenham: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

Leeds: Darlow; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Ampadu, Stach, Tanaka, Justin; Calvert-Lewin, Okafor

Free bets for Tottenham vs Leeds

New customers can claim £50 in free bets by signing up for Betfred and betting on Tottenham against Leeds on Monday.

To unlock the betting offer, customers must sign up using the link below and use the Betfred promo code BETFRED50 before depositing £10 and betting £10 on any Tottenham vs Leeds market with odds of evens or greater.

Once your qualifying bet has settled, you’ll receive £50 in free bets paid out in 5 x £10 instalments. Free bets are active for seven days.

If you’re having a bet on this weekend’s football, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your gambling, whether you’re using online bookmakers, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other gambling platform.

Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

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Tottenham could take a huge step towards Premier League survival as they host Leeds on Monday night.

West Ham’s dramatic defeat to Arsenal ensured that they remain a point behind their relegation rivals, and Roberto De Zerbi’s side will hope to widen the gap as they fight to stay up.

That result at the London Stadium yesterday means that Leeds are mathematically safe, though Daniel Farke will want a strong finish to a season in which he has done fine work.

Can they give West Ham a major boost by taking points off the home side?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Tottenham vs Leeds is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Monday 11 May at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 6.30pm BST. A live stream will be available via Sky Go and NOW.

Tottenham have no fresh injury concerns. Dominic Solanke and Guglielmo Vicario are among those out, though the striker could return before the end of the campaign, and James Maddison will be carefully managed as he continues his comeback from a long lay-off.

Pascal Struijk is a doubt for Leeds with a hip issue. Daniel Farke will be without Gabriel Gudmundsson and Noah Okafor.

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

Roberto De Zerbi has scoffed at suggestions Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is too nice and is adamant Spurs can end their poor home on Monday against Leeds.

Tottenham’s survival prospects have been significantly lifted by back-to-back away wins, but they remain without a home victory in the Premier League since December 6.

The north London club have won only twice at home in the division all season and were seconds away from a third victory in De Zerbi’s debut in N17 before his old team Brighton produced a last-gasp equaliser.

Asked if the atmosphere at their ground might be part of the problem, De Zerbi insisted: “No, because there are a lot of big stadiums and very nice stadiums, like theatres in the Premier League.

“Tottenham’s stadium is hot. When I was in this stadium with Brighton, in the bench of Brighton, or against Brighton two weeks ago, the stadium was very, very hot.

“And for us, we are lucky to play in this stadium.

“The atmosphere against Brighton was amazing. The bottom of the (table), 60,000 fans to support you, to push you, to stay before the game, during the game, after the game, we have been very close with the (fans) and I think it’s luck for us.”

De Zerbi also pointed to Spurs’ 25-match unbeaten home record in Europe as evidence this season is a one-off.

He added: “I think it was a coincidence, because against Atletico Madrid, they won at home. Against Borussia Dortmund in January, they won at home.

“If you ask me against Brighton? We won, but we didn’t take three points. We took one point, but we won in my head as a performance and if we analyse the game against Brighton, it’s like a win. I think it’s a mistake if we keep the focus on this (poor home form) part.”

For Spurs to secure safety after a terrible campaign they will have to exorcise any demons at home in a similar manner to goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who suffered a nightmare display in Madrid last month but has bounced back admirably.

With Guglielmo Vicario still sidelined after hernia surgery, Kinsky will continue against Leeds and De Zerbi cited him as an example to the whole squad.

“He has a big character, a big personality, a great guy, a great professional and a great keeper. He’s playing very well. He has to stay focused and don’t take risks in any situation, but he’s playing very well. He’s very important for us now,” De Zerbi explained.

“Of course he is an example. Of course what he felt after Madrid, for sure was a big motivation for him.”

De Zerbi described Vicario as still “first choice”, but the Italian could miss the rest of the season and that is almost certainly the case for Dejan Kulusevski, who has targeted a place in Sweden’s World Cup squad despite making no appearances in 12 months after a right patella injury.

“For me it is difficult to understand how he can play the World Cup if he didn’t play any game this season, but I texted him after (Aston Villa),” De Zerbi said.

“He told me the next week I think he will come back (in the country) and I hope he can be available to stay with us (to watch) in the last game because he’s an amazing player.”

Tottenham midfielder Conor Gallagher has lauded the “personal touch” of new manager Roberto De Zerbi, crediting his one-to-one approach for igniting the club's Premier League survival bid.

The north London side climbed out of the relegation zone on Sunday following consecutive victories against relegated Wolves and Aston Villa, offering renewed hope for their top-flight status.

Gallagher, who netted his first goal for Spurs since his January move from Atletico Madrid during Sunday's 2-1 win at Villa Park, highlighted De Zerbi's individual-focused management style.

"The gaffer has been brilliant with us. He has brought the team together," the 26-year-old told reporters.

"He is really worked on players individually with one-to-one meetings and one-to-one chats, trying to get that belief and confidence back in the players. He has done that with me and it has made a big difference. I know he has done that with a lot of the other lads."

Gallagher revealed De Zerbi's specific encouragement, which reminded him of his past form.

"He just reminds me of when I was at my best. He said that second season at Chelsea, when I had a really good season, he just reminded me of that player," Gallagher explained. "He wants me to be like that again and to not forget how good I can be."

This personalised motivation, Gallagher added, has been extended to many within the squad, aiming to restore players to their peak form.Beyond individual attention, De Zerbi's impact has fostered team cohesion.

"As a team as well, all the work he has done on the training pitch and the meeting rooms, it has been fantastic and everyone is on the same page," Gallagher stated.

Despite the recent upturn, Gallagher remains grounded about the task ahead.

"There is a lot of work to do," he cautioned. "We are fully focused on the next game, hopefully do the same performance and another win."

Tottenham face Leeds at home next Monday, a crucial fixture in their bid for safety.

Tottenham looked like a team destined to secure Premier League survival after they beat a dire Aston Villa 2-1 to move out of the bottom three.

Spurs put in their best performance of the season to claim three crucial points at Villa Park, thanks to first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.

They look a different side under Roberto De Zerbi, registering back-to-back league victories for the first time since August, and are now favourites to beat the drop.

The north London club leapfrogged West Ham in the table and with a home game to come against Leeds, after the Hammers host Arsenal, their position could be even rosier next week.

The way they pressed and won back possession all over the pitch was reminiscent of De Zerbi’s Brighton, giving every indication Spurs will be a top flight team next season.

They were fortunate to come up against a Villa side who produced their worst display of the season, with their attention clearly on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, Villa were so bad they scored in the sixth minute of time added on with their only effort on target, with Emiliano Buendia heading home.

Unai Emery’s men still have their league business to look after, though, and missed the chance to all but seal a Champions League spot for next season.

Tottenham came into the game buoyed by West Ham’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday and they will have been further enthused when they saw a Villa side featuring seven changes from their midweek loss to Forest in Europe.

They were the better team from the off and had a great chance to open the scoring inside two minutes.

Gallagher pressed well and forced Villa into a mistake playing out from the back, with the ball finding Richarlison 12 yards out, but his shot was blocked.

A deserved lead came in the 12th minute as Gallagher scored his first goal for the club.

A long throw was headed out to the on-loan Atletico Madrid midfielder, who slammed a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner.

Spurs were within inches of making it 2-0 five minutes later. Paulinha shot from distance and his low 20-yard shot was heading into the bottom corner until Emiliano Martinez tipped it onto the post.

Villa were abject and were again reliant on their Argentinian goalkeeper to keep the deficit at one as he palmed Randal Kolo Muani’s far-post effort over the crossbar.

However, from the resulting 25th minute corner, Spurs doubled their advantage.

Tel’s cross was begging to be converted and Richarlison obliged, nodding into an empty net after Martinez went walkabout.

Spurs were in dreamland and deserved every bit of their success.

They were quicker, stronger and smarter than their opponents, who looked like their hearts were not in it.

Villa did not improve after the break either and failed to test Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky until late on, when Buendia headed home Matty Cash’s cross.

But this was to be Tottenham’s night as they made a big move towards securing survival.

PA

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Liveupdated

Aston Villa v Tottenham LIVE: Team news as Spurs battle for Premier League survival

Spurs are desperate for points in the relegation battle, while Unai Emery’s Villa look to clinch a Champions League berth in a crunch Premier League clash at Villa Park

Tottenham's run-in

Position: 18th | Played: 34 | Points: 34 | GD: -10

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? Having not won for 16 league matches, with their last Premier League triumph coming against Crystal Palace back in December, Tottenham have finally found three points at once. Their trip to Wolves was a must-win and they did just that. Now, a potentially pivotal clash with Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium three matches from the end of the campaign will also be a golden opportunity. But every fixture is tough currently.

Tricky contests? Sidestepping the obvious quip of ‘every single one’, given their recent form, away games at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and Chelsea in May don’t look too fruitful.

Final straight? Leeds at home as the third-last game is absolutely huge. Should that game go awry and Spurs head into the final two matches in the relegation zone, then a trip to Stamford Bridge and clash with Everton to finish up appear unlikely to provide succour.

Luke Baker3 May 2026 16:16

Premier League relegation battle: Do Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest or Leeds have the best run-in?

It’s going down to the wire:

Premier League relegation battle: Who has the best run-in?

Spurs are looking to avoid a shock Premier League relegation, while Nottingham Forest are almost clear and West Ham are aiming to pull off a great escape

Harry Latham-Coyle3 May 2026 16:10

Tottenham vs Aston Villa

Tottenham visit Aston Villa in desperate need of a result to boost their Premier League survival chances.

Spurs could be lifted by relegation rivals West Ham losing 3-0 to Brentford yesterday, which means three points would move Tottenham out of the relegation zone with three game to play.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side ended their long winless run at Wolves last weekend but suffered a couple of big injury blows with Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke ruled out.

Aston Villa’s focus may be on overturning Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-finals, given Unai Emery’s side look to have wrapped up a place in next season’s Champions League.

Mike Jones3 May 2026 16:00

Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE

A very good afternoon, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of a Premier League clash with significance at both ends of the table. Aston Villa look to take a step towards securing Champions League football next season as they host Tottenham, who would climb out of the relegation zone with victory this evening.

Kick off at Villa Park is at 7pm BST.

Harry Latham-Coyle3 May 2026 13:23