By: Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
Tottenham Hotspur wasted a golden chance to ease their Premier League relegation fears as Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty earned Leeds United a 1-1 draw in North London on Monday.
A first home win in the league since December would have put Spurs four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with two games left and in sight of salvation after a woeful season.
It looked on the cards when Mathys Tel struck with a stunning effort early in the second half, curling a right-footed shot into the top corner to raise the roof in the stadium.
‘I’m so excited, you know, that I’ve won three bronze for three events, which is my first time, and I thank my government, Kenya, for supporting us.
But Tel’s night took a turn for the worse as he conceded the penalty that Calvert-Lewin thumped home in the 74th minute.
As Tottenham’s nerves frayed, Leeds could have won it in stoppage time but Sean Longstaff’s strike was superbly diverted onto the underside of the bar by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
The result left 17th-placed Spurs on 38 points with West Ham on 36 after 36 games. Tottenham’s next game is away at bogey club and fierce rivals Chelsea on May 19, two days after West Ham go to Newcastle United on May 17.
Roberto De Zerbi has taken eight points from his first five games in charge of Tottenham but is yet to solve the club’s home form and their fate may now rest on beating Everton in north London on the last day of the season.
“We made too many mistakes,” he 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. It will be tough until the end of the season, until the last game.”
After a 15-game winless league run plummeted Tottenham towards a first relegation since 1977, successive away wins under De Zerbi changed the mood.
West Ham’s dramatic 1-0 defeat by Arsenal on Sunday had also given Tottenham the opportunity to establish a safety buffer ahead of their daunting trip to Chelsea.
But it was never going to be that straightforward, especially for a Spurs side who had won only two of their 17 home league matches this season.
NERVOUS OCCASION FOR TOTTENHAM
The nerves were everywhere in the opening stages. Tel’s panicky clearance across his own area needed a flying clearance by Kevin Danso and Kinsky somehow clawed a header by former Spurs defender Joe Rodon off the line.
Tottenham responded with Richarlison scuffing one good chance straight at keeper Karl Darlow and Palhinha then lifted a shot over the bar.
The hosts had a huge scare on the stroke of halftime as Destiny Udogie dragged down Calvert-Lewin. It would likely have been a penalty but a VAR check adjudged that Calvert-Lewin was marginally offside.
Tel was interviewed by Sky Sports before the start of the second half as part of the broadcaster’s live coverage and expressed his confidence that Tottenham would “do it”.
Five minutes after the restart those words proved prophetic as he released the tension that had gripped the stadium.
Controlling a high ball with a silky touch, the young French forward took aim and curled an exquisite shot high past the diving Darlow and into the back of the net.
Tel blotted his copybook with 20 minutes left though as he attempted an acrobatic overhead clearance but instead accidentally caught Ethan Ampadu in the head inside the area.
After a VAR check, referee Jarred Gillett went to the monitor and awarded a penalty to groans from the home fans. Calvert-Lewin smashed the ball past Kinsky and suddenly it was Leeds who looked the more likely winners.
“He is young and is a talent. I will kiss him and hug him. He doesn’t need too many words,” De Zerbi said of Tel.
Kinsky’s stunning save in the 13 minutes of stoppage time proved crucial and Spurs were then convinced that substitute James Maddison, making his first appearance of the season, should have had a penalty
