It has not taken long for Roberto De Zerbi to become acquainted with the anxiety that grips Tottenham whenever they play at home. It does funny things to the mind. It makes the crowd fidgety and with composure in short supply it makes De Zerbi’s erratic side prone to the kind of rush of blood to the head Mathys Tel suffered when he turned what should have been a night of lift-off into one of despair and regret.
Tottenham were leading Leeds 1-0 and were closing in on their first home win in the league since 6 December when their shootout for survival with West Ham took another dramatic twist.
It was all going so well. Tel had opened the scoring, a sumptuous strike showcasing the ability that took the French forward to Bayern Munich when he was a teenager. The tension lifted and it seemed that a third straight victory for Tottenham was about to move them four points clear of West Ham with two games to play.
West Ham would have gone to Newcastle on Sunday knowing that only a win would be enough to keep them alive. Instead, thanks to a moment of madness from Tel, West Ham have a chance to jump out of the bottom three before Tottenham visit Chelsea next Tuesday.
Another mood shift. And for De Zerbi, whose other home game had ended in Brighton snatching a last-minute equaliser, there will surely be concern about how Tottenham fizzled out after Tel’s wild foul on Ethan Ampadu allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to draw Leeds level with a penalty.
There was no rolling over from Leeds, even with their battle against relegation already won. Daniel Farke has performed wonders this season. Leeds were honest and twice went close to grabbing the points during 13 minutes of added time.
Sean Longstaff, the Leeds substitute, had the chances. One effort went off target and the other was tipped on to the bar by Antonin Kinsky. Tottenham hung on and will hope that Kinsky’s redemption arc has meaning. The young goalkeeper was hung out to dry by Igor Tudor but his save from Longstaff could be big. This could still be a vital point.
Yet it did not feel like it at full time. The atmosphere was deflated and there were boos for the officials. Tottenham had screamed for a penalty when James Maddison, who came off the bench to huge acclaim after returning from a knee injury to make his first appearance of the season, tumbled in the 113th minute. Unlike when they lost to Arsenal on Sunday, though, this time the late VAR call went West Ham’s way. Replays showed Lukas Nmecha, the Leeds substitute, touched the ball before catching Maddison.
Tottenham, who host Everton on the final day, took a while to hit their stride against awkward opponents. There was an early hint of Tel’s lack of defensive nous when an attempted clearance from the winger almost turned into a cross for James Justin, forcing Kevin Danso to intervene.
Leeds pressed against those vulnerabilities. Joe Rodon drew a fine save from Kinsky with a low header. Destiny Udogie fouled Calvert-Lewin in the area, but replays showed that the striker was offside when he received the ball.
Tottenham played in fits and starts. After two consecutive away wins there were reminders that they lack imagination when they have to play on the front foot at home. Randal Kolo Muani bustled down the right but struggled to pick a pass. There was little evidence of De Zerbi’s expansive football. The Italian, who became Tottenham’s third manager of the season when he replaced Tudor last month, has not had much time with his squad and is missing key players in attack.
De Zerbi’s frustration boiled over at times. He was booked during the first half. The Italian thought the officials were not calm enough but the bigger problem was Tottenham’s finishing. Richarlison snatched at a chance and João Palhinha shot over.
With Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur and Palhinha not the most creative of midfield trios, thoughts turned to whether De Zerbi would turn to Maddison. Six minutes into the second half, though, inspiration arrived in the form of a majestic finish from Tel. The winger was lurking on the edge of the area when Leeds failed to clear a corner from Pedro Porro and, after killing the ball with one touch, there was something effortless about the way Tel curled a shot with no backlift beyond Karl Darlow.
The noise was deafening. Richarlison almost made it 2-0 but Tottenham were too pumped up. Palhinha earned a caution for fouling Nmecha and it was not long before Tel showed he had more than one way to hurt Leeds.
Lost in his own little world, Tel decided an overhead kick was the best way to clear the ball. He failed to check his wing mirrors and booted the onrushing Ampadu in the head.
It was a blatant foul. The referee, Jarred Gillett, missed it and was sent to the pitchside monitor. After review, he pointed to the spot and Calvert-Lewin scored. Leeds, who visit West Ham on the final day, had kept the relegation battle alive.
