Tottenham Hotspur remain in relegation danger
Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 1 Leeds United
A missed opportunity for the home side?
Author | Greg S
Stadium | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham were handed the chance to pile serious pressure on West Ham in the battle for survival after the Hammers’ controversial home defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.
When Mathys Tel fired Spurs ahead with a superb finish, the hosts appeared on course to open up a four-point cushion that would have taken them to the brink of safety.
Instead, Tel’s rash attempt at an overhead kick inside his own penalty area gifted the visitors a needless spot-kick, which Dominic Calvert-Lewin dispatched with conviction.
Spurs pushed hard during a frantic closing spell
However, they also owed plenty to goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who had already produced an excellent save to deny Joe Rodon in the first half before reacting brilliantly to tip Sean Longstaff’s effort on to the crossbar.
It was a display that spoke volumes for the young keeper’s resilience after the embarrassment of being substituted after only 17 minutes following two costly mistakes in the Champions League last-16 tie at Atletico Madrid in March.
By full-time, the goalkeeper whose Spurs future appeared uncertain after being hauled off by former head coach Igor Tudor may yet have played a decisive role in keeping the club in the Premier League.
One major positive for Tottenham was the return of James Maddison, making his first appearance since suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season. He looked lively and believed he had won a late penalty after going down under a challenge from Lukas Nmecha.
The decision not to award it only deepened Spurs’ frustration as concerns over relegation continue to grow.
