Tottenham 1-1 Leeds: Calvert-Lewin punishes goalscorer Tel’s foul in huge twist at the bottom | OneFootball

A costly foul from goal-scorer Mathys Tel meant Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty prevented Tottenham from going four points clear of the Premier League drop zone with two matches remaining, earning Leeds United a 1-1 draw.

The visitors, whose own top flight status was confirmed when Arsenal beat West Ham on Sunday, were dominated throughout and fell behind when Tel curled home a brilliant effort following a corner.

But his overhead clearance caught the head of Ethan Ampadou, before Antonín Kinsky tipped Sean Longstaff’s effort onto the bar deep into 13 added minutes, as a third win under Roberto De Zerbi evaporated to plunge his side’s future back into serious doubt.

As it happened

Spurs were the dominant force in the first half and had their first sight of goal 10 minutes in when Pedro Porro’s neat pass found Richarlison, but the Brazilian was beaten for pace by Leeds centre-back Joe Rodon.

Mathys Tel, who has been involved in all 36 Premier League matchday squads this season, was forced back torwards his own goal by Daniel James and played a highly risky pass across his own penalty area from the byline just left of goal.

The Leeds forward would’ve had a clear shot on goal had Kevin Danso not headed it just over him, in a hearts-in-mouths moment from the ever-present Frenchman that brought gasps out of the home support.

Daniel Farke’s men sensed the nerves at the back and almost took full advantage when Rodon’s free header to connect with Brendan Aaronson’s cross from the left was clawed away brilliantly by Antonín Kinsky, diving to his left to keep the score level.

Karl Darlow was caught holding onto the ball beyond the eight second window just after the half-hour mark and it almost proved a fatal error as Porro’s strike from distance following the resulting corner was blocked on the line, with the goalkeeper well beaten.

A good spell of possession for Tottenham shortly after the half-hour mark ended in Tel’s cross into Joao Palhinha, whose tricky feet managed to get the ball under his spell no more than 10 yards from goal only for him to fire well over.

The offside flag raised against Dominic Calvert-Lewin in first half stoppage time despite his claims that Destiny Udogie was pulling him from behind inside the box, yet VAR confirmed the on-field decision.

It seemed as though the hosts would need something special, and Tel was the provider six minutes into the second half with an audacious effort into the top right corner after Leeds only managed to head a corner into his path 20 yards out.

Goals have been hard to come by for the 21-year-old this season, registering just four all campaign, but his latest was the moment he would likely have dreamt about and the kind that seemed unlikely just a few short weeks ago.

Needing to clear the ball away after Richarlison failed at the first attempt, Tel’s overhead kick clear caught the Leeds captain Ampadou in the head and a VAR review penalized it with a penalty just 15 minutes shy of full time.

Calvert-Lewin powered the penalty past Kinsky to silence a stunned Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and potentially deny Spurs a huge win in their fight against a first relegation since the mid 70s.

The game was flipped on its head as Leeds now seemed the more likely to score again, and Micky Van de Ven made an important sliding block to deny Nmecha what would likely have been a winner from a tight angle as his side continued to dial up the pressure.

Tottenham narrowly avoided complete collapse as Kinsky pulled off a remarkable reaction save to tip substitute Longstaff’s thunderous effort onto the crossbar deep into a mammoth 13 minutes of stoppage time.

De Zerbi’s men were screaming for a penalty after a challenge on James Maddison by Leeds striker Lukas Nmecha, as Tottenham fell just short of a priceless winner in their fight for Premier League survival.

Spurs analysis: survival hopes dented as Tel goes from hero to zero

Tottenham had done everything but go ahead in the first half. It seemed to suggest that Roberto De Zerbi’s call for his side to “remain humble” had gotten through.

“We can’t think in a different way”, he told BBC Sport. “We are playing against one of the best teams in the league in this moment.

“We have to keep this mentality. We must remain humble. Nothing has changed, we have to prepare for an important game.”

Indeed, Spurs were industrious and, despite still being on level terms, looked a much different side than the one from previous weeks. At half time, Mathys Tel had a simple message for his teammates that echoed his manager’s comments.

“We had to move the ball quickly, make them move. Mentality: we have to give more energy, we have to sprint more, run more. It’s always important. I’m confident about the second half.”

He has been involved in all 36 Premier League matchday squads this season, and had his moment with a beautiful effort from distance to give Spurs hope.

But then followed a moment of sheer madness, in a reflection of their season as a whole up until this point. An overhead clearance. Inside his own box. Ethan Ampadou baring down.

Spurs mentality has come leaps upon bounds since De Zerbi’s arrival in north London, but they are still prone to errors in split-second decisions during play – only this time, it could cost Tel and his colleagues more than they’ve known thus far.

With just two points separating them from rivals West Ham, who face a down on their luck Newcastle United at the weekend, there are no guarantees that Spurs avoid disaster.

They failed to do so on this occasion, after all.