Tottenham missed the chance to distance themselves from the Premier League relegation zone as Mathys Tel went from hero to zero in their 1-1 draw with Leeds United.
After opening the scoring with a stunner, Tel’s high boot on Ethan Ampadu saw a penalty awarded, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepping up to seal a share of the spoils.
Tottenham made a nervy start in arguably one of the biggest games of their season, and they had Antonin Kinsky to thank in the 21st minute as he got down low to his left to save Joe Rodon’s header at the back post.
But Roberto De Zerbi’s side grew as the half went on, and only a pair of blocks denied Richarlison and Pedro Porro’s efforts on goal from a corner, which was rewarded after Karl Darlow held onto the ball for longer than eight seconds.
The tension inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was eased in the 50th minute through Tel, who took a touch before curling a sensational strike from the edge of the penalty area into the top-right corner.
However, Tel was involved again at the other end as his attempted clearance caught Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu high inside the box, with referee Jarred Gillett pointing to the spot following a VAR review.
Calvert-Lewin lashed in the resulting spot-kick 16 minutes from time, and both teams had the chance to snatch victory in the 13 additional minutes.
Kinsky produced a sensational save to tip Sean Longstaff’s shot onto the crossbar before James Maddison’s appeals for a penalty after Lukas Nmecha’s risky challenge were waved away.
It ends level. pic.twitter.com/O4irD0Woe1
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 11, 2026
Data Debrief: Tel’s moments of madness
Tel endured a mixed match during his second consecutive Premier League start, with his fine strike meaning he has now been involved in goals in successive top-flight matches (one goal, one assist) for just the second time in the competition and the first since April last season.
However, the Frenchman’s costly error at the other end saw Spurs drop what could be a crucial two points. Tel became the first Spurs player since Robbie Keane against Bolton Wanderers in February 2007 to score and concede a penalty in the same Premier League game.
And in what was a huge game for Spurs, they could not make their lead count yet again. Only Newcastle United (27), West Ham United (20) and Bournemouth (20) have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than their 19.
But De Zerbi’s side had their chances, as they finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.32 from their 16 shots, though only three of which were on target, compared to Leeds’ 1.26 from their 11 attempts.