Tottenham player ratings vs Leeds: Tel's swing leaves Spurs stranded

Mathys Tel gave Tottenham the lift they needed with a superb finish, then handed Leeds the opening that cost them the win. The 50th-minute goal should have settled the game. Instead, a VAR review for contact with Ethan Ampadu turned into a penalty, and Tottenham played 13 minutes of added time without finding another goal.

Tel's night contained the sharpest swing

Sam Tabuteau described Tel's outing as a 7/10, and the rating fits the mood of the night. He scored once, played 85 minutes, and did enough in attack to look like the decisive figure for a while. Then came the incident in his own box, and that is what will stick.

Goal.com's ratings desk put it plainly: "Mathys Tel (6/10): Almost caused his side a huge problem with a wayward ball across his own box. More than made amends with a sublime finish, but ruined his good work with the bizarre attempted clearance that saw him connect with Ampadu." That is harsh, but not unfair. A goal and a penalty concession in the same match leaves very little room for a generous reading.

Kinsky kept Tottenham in it

If Tottenham had a player who looked in control, it was Antonín Kinský. He finished with an 8/10 rating and three saves, and Sam Tabuteau said he "ensured the scores remained level" after superb stops from Sean Longstaff and Joe Rodon. He also had no chance with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty.

Kinsky was even called on in added time, when he saved Longstaff's effort onto the crossbar. That mattered because Tottenham had 13 minutes of stoppage time to chase a winner and could not produce one. Richarlison was among the names involved in the final push, but the night belonged to the goalkeeper as much as it did to the mistake at the other end.

The draw leaves Spurs exactly where the brief says they are, 17th with 37 points from 35 games. West Ham are 18th with 36 points from 36 games, so the cushion is one point, not two, and there is no reason to dress that up. A win would have helped, but the table still looks tight, and the remaining pressure is real.