{"id":7539,"date":"2026-05-12T09:45:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=7539"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:45:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:45:42","slug":"three-winners-and-three-losers-as-tottenham-drop-vital-points-to-leeds-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=7539","title":{"rendered":"Three winners and three losers as Tottenham drop vital points to Leeds United"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The late heartbreaks continue at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium as Leeds fight back to earn a point thanks to penalty decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nothing ever comes easy in the world of Tottenham Hotspur.<\/p>\n

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For a blissful 24 minutes, Spurs were leading Leeds a goal to nil thanks to a Mathys Tel stunner, were four points above the relegation zone, and could even have been mathematically safe ahead of their upcoming fixture against Chelsea, if West Ham failed to beat Newcastle.<\/p>\n

But if Tottenham are to find salvation, they\u2019ll have to do it the hard way. Spurs looked fairly comfortable for most of the game, especially after Mathys Tel\u2019s exquisite effort from outside the box put them one goal up in the 50th<\/sup> minute.<\/p>\n

But a botched clearance from Tel resulted in a penalty decision against Tottenham, which Dominic Calvert-Lewin put away convincingly.<\/p>\n

Despite a late rally, aided by a James Maddison cameo, Spurs were unable to find a winning goal and ended the night with only one point.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, they are still two points above the drop zone with two games to go. A point against Leeds is not catastrophic, but West Ham certainly showed they are not yet to be counted out of the Premier League and will at least go down swinging. <\/p>\n

Roberto De Zerbi\u2019s side continues to show gradual improvement, but they\u2019ll need to show a whole lot more and a whole lot quicker if they want to survive.<\/p>\n

Here are our three winners, three losers, and a hero to zero performance from Spurs\u2019 draw against Leeds.<\/p>\n

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\"Antonin<\/div>
Credit: @thefrederikkejensen \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Antonin Kinsky keeps Spurs alive<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Antonin Kinsky\u2019s stocks just keep rising as the Czech goalkeeper made another convincing argument why he should be Tottenham\u2019s number one going forward. His quality on the ball is invaluable for the way Roberto De Zerbi wants to move the ball up the pitch, but it was his two crucial saves that made the biggest impression. Joe Rodon seemed set on sending his former club down, as his header following a corner was bound for the bottom corner, only to be denied by an off-the-line save from Kinsky.<\/p>\n

The goalkeeper again showed his much-improved shot-stopping when his unbelievable reflex save palmed a thunderous strike from Sean Longstaff onto the crossbar.<\/p>\n

With Kinsky putting in performances of this sort, it\u2019s hard to make an argument why Guglielmo Vicario should wear the number one shirt again this season.<\/p>\n

Pedro Porro gives Tottenham the on-ball quality they need<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Spanish fullback has drawn a lot of criticism this season, but Pedro Porro was invaluable tonight. With the technical floor of the squad as low as it is, thanks to the injuries suffered by Spurs\u2019 creative players, Porro remains a bright spark. <\/p>\n

He was able to find a lot of joy inverting into midfield and managed to find small pockets of space to launch attacks. His passing and deep delivery from corners proved difficult for Leeds to handle, and if Spurs had had a more competent attacker on the right flank, Porro\u2019s passing could have resulted in a goal or two.<\/p>\n

James Maddison nearly gets the hero\u2019s return and may prove invaluable<\/strong> yet<\/h2>\n

It may as well be that James Maddison\u2019s return after months on the sidelines with an ACL injury will be the most positive takeaway from the Leeds game. After 3 games on the bench, Roberto De Zerbi finally gave James Maddison his first 20 minutes in almost a year. It took a while for Maddison to find his feet again, but even a complete lack of match sharpness could overshadow the qualities the midfielder brings to the squad.<\/p>\n

After the penalty conceded in the 74th<\/sup> minute, Spurs were quite literally hanging as momentum swung completely Leeds\u2019 way. Tottenham showed their lack of resilience to setbacks many times this season, and only a few last-gasp saves and interventions spared the Lilywhites their blushes. Only when James Maddison finally made his appearance did Spurs regain some sort of control over the proceedings.<\/p>\n

Maddison demanded the ball, slowed the game down to his pace, and even created a few openings in the dying stages of the game, nearly winning a penalty. <\/p>\n

He brought the calming presence and technical ability that Tottenham were desperately crying out for. If Spurs can start relying on Maddison again in this crucial run-in, things suddenly start looking a lot brighter.<\/p>\n

Mathys Tel is everything right and everything wrong at Tottenham right now<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mathys Tel was Tottenham\u2019s hero until he became the villain.<\/p>\n

His solid first-half performance was one typical of Tel\u2019s personality. His vigour, willingness to run and try things were bright sparks in many a bleak performance put in by Tottenham this season. <\/p>\n

His penchant to keep his head down and drive into the box can be frustrating at times, especially when there are alternative passing options, but Tel just as often has been a difference maker in times of need. <\/p>\n

After somewhat fortuitously a clearance from a corner made its way to Tel, the Frenchman took a deft touch outside the box and curled the ball into the top corner, past the Leeds keeper.<\/p>\n

But when Spurs needed to keep pressing their advantage in a controlled manner, Mathys Tel seemed to have lost his head and nearly took off Ethan Amapadu\u2019s too. His attempted bicycle kick clearance struck the Leeds player in the head, and the subsequent penalty was converted by Calvert-Lewin.<\/p>\n

In many ways, Mathys Tel embodies this squad\u2019s inability to control games and deal with adversity. After the penalty, Spurs were unable to retain possession and start dictating play again and needed their keeper to even stay in the game. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s a young player and will learn from his mistakes, but every mistake made now could have unimaginable consequences.<\/p>\n

And what about the three losers\u2026?<\/p>\n

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\"Joao<\/div>
Credit: Tottenham Hotspur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joao Palhinha puts in a shift wherever he goes, but Tottenham need more<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Joao Palhinha showed his pressing qualities in Spurs\u2019 away performance to Aston Villa last week, but this game demanded a different set of qualities from the midfielder, which he just might not possess. For as good a tackler as he is, his lack of technical ability to keep possession and slow down the pace of the game was keenly felt tonight.<\/p>\n

In a game where Leeds were fully content to punch the ball long and compete in duels, there was not a lot of play in the middle of the pitch for Palhinha to break up. Spurs desperately need someone to take control of a game and dictate play.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Palhinha\u2019s lack of confidence on the ball leads him to try and offload it to another player as quickly as he can, which too often ended up in attacks not materialising or Spurs losing the ball to Leeds\u2019 press.<\/p>\n

In a time where Spurs need cool heads to prevail, Joao Palhinha\u2019s fiery spirit might not be what the doctor ordered.<\/p>\n

Randal Kolo Muani, how many more breakfasts with Roberto De Zerbi will it take?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Randal Kolo Muani is a curious case. De Zerbi said he\u2019ll keep taking out Kolo Muani to breakfast to try and instil some sort of confidence in the player and remind him that once upon a time, he was a French football prodigy and one of the most in-demand strikers in the world.<\/p>\n

Perhaps fry-ups aren\u2019t valuable currency in France because it was another game where Kolo Muani struggled to impose himself on the opposition defence. Despite a few threatening runs, the right wing was a dead end for Spurs tonight as Kolo Muani kept running into blind alleys and hasn\u2019t produced anything of note again.<\/p>\n

But with no alternatives in the attacking department, Roberto De Zerbi probably has no choice but to keep playing Muani and hope that one of the caffs finally sticks and the winger rediscovers his form.<\/p>\n

Roberto De Zerbi, where does the draw leave the Tottenham boss?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After tonight\u2019s game, it\u2019s difficult to call Roberto De Zerbi a loser with a straight face. Under his stewardship, this underpowered Tottenham side managed to scrape 8 points from their last 4 games and remain undefeated in that period, when just a few weeks ago it was impossible to see where Spurs\u2019 next point would even come from.<\/p>\n

But when the curtain close on the 2025\/26 season, the Tottenham boss might look back at this game as a costly missed opportunity. De Zerbi waited until the 80th<\/sup> minute to make his first changes, despite a few players on the pitch running on empty since the hour mark.<\/p>\n

Whether earlier changes could have rescued the three points for Tottenham will forever remain a moot point, but with two games to go, the margins are razor-thin and consequences might not be clear until it is too late.<\/p>\n