LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to boost their Premier League survival hopes by opening up a four-point gap to West Ham as they were held to a 1-1 home draw with Leeds United on Monday.
In a match short on quality, Mathys Tel went from hero to villain after he put Spurs in front with a sumptuous strike into the top corner from the edge of the area, only to give away the penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted to ensure the points were shared.
But in a weekend of VAR drama, there was more to come as James Maddison, introduced as a late substitute, looked to have been tripped in the box by Lukas Nmecha in the 14th minute of second-half stoppage time, but the officials felt there was a slight touch on the ball by the Leeds man.
Referee Jarred Gillett had decided against awarding the spot-kick on the field, awarding a corner instead.
The result leaves Spurs on 38 points, two above West Ham with two matches remaining.
Spurs miss golden opportunity to pull clear of West Ham
There were plenty in this part of north London who paid no notice to the seemingly cast-iron belief from some quarters that West Ham's defeat to Arsenal marked the end of the relegation battle.
Despite the uptick in form and results that Roberto De Zerbi's arrival has inspired, this Spurs team find winning at home a near-impossible task.
Only Burnley (11) have earned fewer points at home than Spurs this season (12) and they are without a Premier League win on home turf in 2026. You can't blame the Spurs fans for turning up and expecting the worst.
The 24 minutes in which Spurs were leading caused almost guttural delight. But then came the familiar pang of disappointment as Ampadu snuck in behind Tel and put his head where the Frenchman's right foot was travelling.
Perhaps this result was payback for West Ham's failure to move four points clear of Spurs on April 20 when a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace created the necessary conditions for De Zerbi's men to leapfrog them last week.
With a trip to Chelsea next, you feel Spurs have to record a home win when they face Everton on the final day if they are to have a chance of staying in the Premier League.
Tel sums up Spurs' season
It had seemed fitting that perhaps the most pivotal moment within Spurs' late-season redemption arc was delivered by Tel, a player lost in the wilderness of the Thomas Frank era that got Spurs into this mess.
Twice dropped from the Champions League squad in favour of more experienced teammates, he could have been forgiven for not having the stomach for a relegation scrap.
Instead, Tel has been one of Spurs' most committed players -- as well as being the only member of the first-team squad who has not missed a game through illness or injury this season. In this Tottenham team, that's some achievement.
The home fans fell silent when the ball dropped kindly to his feet on the edge of the penalty area 10 minutes into a tense second half, before transforming into a swarming mass of clenched fists as his shot curled into the top corner.
Tel's moment in the sun was undone when, perhaps too full of confidence, he later inexplicably tried to clear his lines with a needless bicycle kick that made contact with Ampadu's clever run on his blindside.
The stadium fell silent once again as referee Jarred Gillett punished the Spurs attacker for his act of hubris.
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How much might Kinsky's late save turn out to mean?
With Spurs' focus trained on the opposite end of the pitch as they searched in vain for a late winner, it might end up being an intervention in their own box that proves to be the difference between relegation and survival.
If Tel's resurgence requires a chapter in the story of Spurs' season, Antonin Kinsky's shift from out-of-favour back-up to Champions League embarrassment, to first-team saviour could have its own separate volume.
Full of promise after his arrival from Slavia Prague in January last year, the goalkeeper was a forgotten man in the latter days of Ange Postecoglou and the reign of Thomas Frank, with both preferring Guglielmo Vicario between the sticks.
He was thrust into the limelight by Igor Tudor in that ignominious display at Atlético Madrid in which he was hooked before half-time after giving away two slapstick goals.
After Vicario's hernia operation during the March international break gave Kinsky a second chance in the team, he has not looked back and his reaction save in the ninth of 14 minutes of second-half stoppage time was remarkable.
Sean Longstaff must have been sure he was stealing all three points for Leeds as he lashed an effort towards the near post from close-range, but for Kinsky's right hand somehow pushing it onto the underside of the bar, off the turf and away from goal.
Spurs may not have opened up the four-point gap from West Ham they were dreaming of, but they have Kinsky to thank for it being two, rather than one. And with just two games remaining, that might prove the difference in this relegation dogfight.
Key stats
Tottenham Hotspur's 19 points dropped from winning positions is tied for the 4th-most in the Premier League this season, only Newcastle (27), West Ham (20) and Bournemouth (20) have more
Tottenham have 17 goals from corners in the Premier League this season tying Arsenal and Inter Milan for the most this season in Europe's Top 5 Leagues
Opta projections give Tottenham a 19% chance of being relegated after their 1-1 draw against Leeds United today (West Ham: 81%)
Information from ESPN's Global Sports Research contributed to this story
