Tottenham 1-1 Leeds United: Spurs miss huge chance in relegation battle after late controversial VAR call | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation battle took a massive hit after throwing away a valuable lead in a 1-1 draw against Leeds United.

Tottenham forward Mathys Tel was at the centre of a dramatic evening in North London, going from hero to villain in an end-to-end second-half contest.

Spurs came into this game with plenty riding on the fixture, especially after West Ham United’s 1-0 defeat against Arsenal over the weekend.

A win here would have taken Roberton De Zerbi’s side four points clear of danger and stretched their winning streak to three games on the bounce for the first time this season.

However, Tottenham somehow failed to capitalise on a crucial opening and were lucky to come away with a point, with Antonin Kinsky pulling off a remarkable save late on.

Despite the situation, it was Leeds who started the game on the front foot.

They controlled much of the early stages and almost opened the scoring when Joe Rodon powered a close-range header towards the bottom corner.

However, Tottenham goalkeeper Kinský produced an excellent save to keep the score level.

That warning seemed to wake Tottenham up. Richarlison tested Karl Darlow with a deflected effort, while Pedro Porro saw a dangerous strike blocked by Pascal Struijk.

Spurs continued to push forward before the break, but Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur were unable to make their chances count.

Tottenham finally found the breakthrough five minutes into the second half. A loose ball fell kindly to Tel on the edge of the area, and the French attacker curled a superb finish into the top corner.

Spurs tried to build on that momentum, with Richarlison wasting a good chance from close range after impressive work from Randal Kolo Muani.

However, a costly error from Tel late on completely turned the game on its head in the closing stages.

Attempting an overhead clearance inside his own penalty area, the forward accidentally caught Ethan Ampadu in the face.

The referee immediately pointed to the spot, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin picked his spot to draw Leeds level.

Leeds almost completed the comeback late on when Sean Longstaff fired a powerful effort towards goal, only for Kinský to produce another outstanding save and tip the ball onto the crossbar.

Tottenham pushed for a late winner, with James Maddison making his long-awaited return from injury.

The England international had a controversial last-minute penalty claim shrugged off by the on-field referee, who was backed by VAR.

Tottenham were ultimately forced to share the spoils, setting up a nervy season finale with just two points keeping them above West Ham.

Spurs are up against Chelsea next, but they could kick off that game from the bottom three if West Ham beat Newcastle United at St. James’ Park two days before.