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