Tottenham failed to pull further away from the Premier League relegation zone after Mathys Tel’s display swung from hero to villain in a 1-1 draw against Leeds United.
Tel had earlier fired Spurs ahead with a brilliant strike, but his high challenge on Ethan Ampadu resulted in a penalty, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to convert and earn Leeds a point.
Spurs looked uneasy from the opening stages in what was arguably one of their most important matches of the campaign, with Antonin Kinsky producing a crucial save in the 21st minute to deny Joe Rodon’s back-post header.
As the first half progressed, Roberto De Zerbi’s men settled into the game, while Richarlison and Pedro Porro both saw efforts blocked following a corner that came after Karl Darlow held the ball for more than eight seconds.
The atmosphere inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lifted in the 50th minute when Tel controlled the ball before bending a superb effort from the edge of the box into the top-right corner.
However, the forward was involved again defensively when his attempted clearance caught Leeds skipper Ethan Ampadu high in the area, prompting referee Jarred Gillett to award a penalty after a VAR check.
Calvert-Lewin powered home the spot-kick with 16 minutes remaining, and both sides later had opportunities to grab all three points during 13 minutes of added time.
Kinsky then made an outstanding stop to push Sean Longstaff’s strike onto the crossbar, while James Maddison’s penalty claims after Lukas Nmecha’s dangerous challenge were dismissed.
Data Debrief: Tel’s moments of madness
Tel experienced a game of highs and lows during his second straight Premier League start. His excellent goal means he has now contributed to goals in back-to-back league appearances (one goal, one assist) for only the second time in the competition, and for the first time since April last season.
Yet the Frenchman’s mistake at the opposite end proved costly, with Spurs surrendering what may become two vital points. Tel became the first Tottenham player since Robbie Keane against Bolton Wanderers in February 2007 to both score and concede a penalty in the same Premier League match.
Spurs also failed to protect another winning position. Only Newcastle United (27), West Ham United (20), and Bournemouth (20) have dropped more points from leading situations in the Premier League this season than Tottenham’s 19.
Still, De Zerbi’s team created chances of their own, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.32 from 16 shots, though just three were on target, compared to Leeds’ 1.26 from 11 attempts.