LONDON – TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v LEEDS UNITED PREMIER LEAGUE WILL POWELL FOR CUVA SPORTS
SPURS HELD TO DRAW AS PREMIER LEAGUE STATUS IN THE BALANCE
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-2-3-1) Kinsky – Porro Danso van de Ven Udogie (85, Spence) – Joao Palhinha Bentancur (81, Bergvall) – Kolo Muani Gallagher Tel (85, Maddison) – Richarlison Subs unused Austin (G) Dragusin Bissouma Gray Sarr Souza
Yellow (3) 41, Danso 66, Joao Paulinho 82, Porro
Red (0)
Goals (1) 1-0 (50, Tel)
LEEDS UNITED (3-5-2) Darlow – Rodon Bijol Struijk (55, Bornauw) – Aaronson (63, Nmecha) Stach Ampadu Tanaka (90+3, Longstaff) Justin – Calvert-Lewin James (63, Gnonto) Subs unused Lucas Perri (G) Longstaff Piroe Byram Chadwick Lienou
Yellow (1) 79, Rodon
Red (0)
Goals (1) 1-1 (74, Calvert-Lewin pen)
Crowd 60,000 TBC
Referee Jarred Gillett 4th Official Thomas Kirk VAR Official Craig Pawson
Match Report
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR knew coming into the important game with Leeds United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium meant they were likely to survive in the Premier League with a four point difference between them and West Ham United with two games remaining of the season to be played if they won but they had to be happy with a 1-1 draw in front of over 60,000 fans so only lead by 2 points on West Ham United with both sides having two games remaining of the 38 game Premier League season to play.
Tottenham Hotspur opened the scoring through a Mathys Tel right footed shot from inside the penalty area after Leeds United only half cleared a corner to give the home side a 1-0 lead and send the home fans wild with delight in the 50th minute. Mathys Tel fouled Ethan Ampadu inside the Tottenham Hotspur penalty area after kicking him in the head and after VAR the decision for a penalty was awarded. Dominic Calvert-Lewis took the penalty and fired home to make it 1-1 in the 74th minute, which was a huge moment in the relegation zone as Leeds United pegged Spurs back.
Sean Longstaff almost nicked it in the 90th+8 minute after being put through by James Justin but Kinsky denied him with a fantastic save. hen in the 90th+9 minute Longstaff missed another gilt edged chance at the back post, but it was not to be – two massive moments for Spurs to stay in the match.
Tottenham Hotspur had won eight of their last nine Premier League games against Leeds United, including the last five in a row since a 3-1 loss in May 2021. After winning three of their four away league games against Tottenham Hotspur between 1997 and 2001 (drawn one).
Leeds United had now lost each of their last six visits. Following victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, both away, Tottenham Hotspur was looking to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2025.
Since the start of December 2025, only six teams have picked up more Premier League points than Leeds United (thirty-two) and only Manchester City (one), Manchester United (three) and AFC Bournemouth (three) have lost fewer games than the Whites (four). In their four games under Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham Hotspur had won possession in the final third nearly five and half times per game on average – that’s the most of any manager with four plus games at a single club in the Premier League this season, and much higher than they managed to do so under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
Leeds United scored three or more goals in eight different Premier League matches this season, the most by a newly promoted team since Leeds United themselves did so in 2020-21 under Marcelo Bielsa (ten times, a record in a thirty-eight game season). Leeds United was unbeaten in their last six Premier League games (won three, drawn three) and have already had a seven-game unbeaten run this season from December to early January. The last newly promoted team to have two runs of 7 plus unbeaten games in a season were Middlesbrough in 1998-99.
No team has won fewer home Premier League points this season than Tottenham Hotspur (eleven), who had lost 10 home games for a second consecutive season. Only in 1991-92 had they lost more home league games in a season (eleven).
Among players to play two hundred plus Premier League minutes since the start of February 2026, Leeds United’s Noah Okafor has the best minutes per goal ratio, netting six goals in just 408 minutes (one every 68 minutes). Across the last three seasons, Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison had scored or assisted on average every 109 minutes in the Premier League (twenty-five goals, nine assists) who there were two leading marksmen on the field.
Among players with 3,000 plus minutes in that time, only Mohamed Salah (goal/assist every 91 mins), Erling Haaland (ninety-one) and Alexander Isak (one hundred and two) had done so at a more frequent rate.
Tottenham Hotspur came into the game off the back of three wins against Aston Villa (away) 2-1 last time out, Wolverhampton Wanderers (away) 1-0 and Atletico Madrid (home) Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg 3-2, a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion (home) 2-2 and two defeats against Sunderland (away) 0-1 and Nottingham Forest (home) 0-3.
Leeds United came into the game off the back of three wins against Wolverhampton Wanderers (home) 3-0, Manchester United (away) 2-1 and Burnley (home) 3-1 last time out, two draws against AFC Bournemouth (away) 2-2 and West Ham United (away) FA Cup 6th Round 2-2 (won 4-2 on penalties) and one defeat against Chelsea (neutral at Wembley) FA Cup Semi-Final 0-1.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Antonin Kinsky in goal, then with a back four of Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, captain Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie then Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur the three attacking midfielders Randal Kolo Muani, Conor Gallagher and Mathys Tel with Richarlison up front. Tottenham Hotspur was unchanged from last match.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke started with a 3-5-2 formation with Karl Darlow in goal, then a back three of Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk then a five man midfield with two wing backs in Jayden Bogle, Anton Stach, captain Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, and James Justin then two strikers up front in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Daniel James. Leeds United made two changes with Daniel James replacing Noah Okafor up front and Jayden Bogle replaced by Max Aaronson.
The Whites were safe after the West Ham United loss to Arsenal at the London Stadium yesterday afternoon. So, it was very much Tottenham Hotspur who oversaw their own destiny going into the game. A win would leave them 4 points ahead of West Ham United with two matches to play. A draw would leave them 2 points ahead with two matches to play and a defeat would leave them a point ahead with two games remaining to be played.
Leeds United kicked off the first half wearing a changed strip of all blue with white trim. Tottenham Hotspur started well and took the early play to Leeds United. Tottenham Hotspur forced a corner in the 15th minute taken by Mathys Tel to the back post where the ball came off Ethan Ampadu for another corner. The Spurs crowd were quiet for what was a big match. Tel took the corner again to the near post which was poor and was headed away by Daniel James for the visitors.
Leeds United came forward on a counterattack with pace in the 20th minute through Ethan Ampadu who found Max Aaronson, but he played the ball behind James Justin and Pedro Porro put the ball out for a corner. From the resultant corner Antonin Kinsky saved a headed from Joe Rodon with a brilliant save as the Spurs fans sung “Oh Antonin Kinsky” after the goalkeeper kept the Spurs in the game with a top save in the 21st minute.
Kevin Danso launched a long throw in into the Leeds United penalty area, but Karl Carlow punched the ball away from danger for the visitors in the 24th minute. Tel came forward in the 26th minute after a good dribble but his shot was blocked by Jaka Bijol as all went out for another corner in the 27th minute. Tottenham Hotspur continued to press Leeds United back into their penalty area with a couple of set pieces and another long throw in from Danso, but the visitors survived.
Tottenham Hotspur had not worked the Leeds United goalkeeper in the opening half an hour of the game. The game was very much an end of season game not one with one team fighting to remain in the league. In the 31st minute Richarlison saw a right footed shot from inside the penalty area saved by Darlow. Darlow was picked up for holding onto the ball for 8 seconds and Tottenham Hotspur were given a corner. From the corner Spurs went close through a right footed shot from Pedro Porro which was cleared off the line by Pascal Struijk in the 33rd minute.
With 35 minutes gone by on the clock Tottenham Hotspur looked the most likely to score and in the 36th minute Joao Paulinho saw a left footed shot go narrowly over the cross bar from 10 yards out after a great ball into the box by Tel.
Randal Kolo Muani who was purchased by Paris Saint German for 95 million Euros earlier in his career needed to up his game for Spurs. Tottenham Hotspur forced a corner again in the 38th minute, which was crossed into the penalty area by Pedro Porro, but Rodrigo Bentancur headed wide.
There was more anxiety from Tottenham Hotspur the longer the game was goalless. Kevin Danso was yellow carded in the 41st minute for a foul on Aaronson. Tel was fouled in the 43rd minute in a dangerous position and Pedro Porro took the free kick in the 44th minute which went three yards wide of the far post as another chance was wasted. the teams went in level at half time at 0-0.
Tottenham Hotspur kicked off the second half with score at 0-0. The stadium came to life in the 50th minute when Tottenham Hotspur opened the scoring through a Mathys Tel right footed shot from inside the penalty area after Leeds only half cleared a corner to give the home side a 1-0 lead and send the home fans wild with delight.
Leeds United replaced central defender Pascal Struijk with Sebastian Bornauw in the 55th minute due to injury. Tottenham Hotspur should have gone 2-0 up in the 57th minute but Richarlison shot wide from close range from an assist by Kolo Muani.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke made a double substitution in the 62nd minute with Lukas Nmecha and Wilfred Gnonto coming on for Max Aaronson and Daniel. James. Joao Paulinho was yellow carded in the 66th minute for a stupid challenge and Jarred Gillett pulled another card.
Leeds United came back into the game after 67 minutes and pushed forward in search of an equaliser as they started to take more control of the match despite being a goal behind. Mathys Tel fouled Ethan Ampadu inside the Tottenham Hotspur penalty area after kicking him in the head and after VAR the decision for a penalty was awarded.
Dominic Calvert-Lewis took the penalty and fired home to make it 1-1 in the 74th minute, which was a huge moment in the relegation zone as Leeds United pegged Spurs back. Joe Rodon was yellow carded in 79th minute. Pedro Porro was yellow carded in the 82nd minute.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi brought on James Maddison for Mathys Tel and Djed Spence for Destiny Udogie in the 85th minute. There was 13 minutes of added time at the end of the 90 minutes.
Leeds United brought on Sean Longstaff for Ao Tanaka in the 90th+3 minute. Roberto De Zerbi was yellow carded in the 90th+5 minute. James Maddison forced a corner in the 90th+6 minute as Tottenham Hotspur went all out for a winner in the time remaining.
Sean Longstaff almost nicked it in the 90th+8 minute after being put through by James Justin but Kinsky denied him with a fantastic save. hen in the 90th+9 minute Longstaff missed another gilt edged chance at the back post, but it was not to be – two massive moments for Spurs to stay in the match.
Tottenham Hotspur’s season is still in the balance after a 1-1 draw as the home side failed to win. They had still not won at home in the Premier League since Brentford way back in December. There was a penalty shout in the 90th+13 minute for foul on Maddison but after VAR a corner was awarded.
Tottenham Hotspur now plays Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge and at home to Everton on the last day of the season with West Ham United going away to Newcastle United at St James’ Park and hosting Leeds United at the London Stadium on the last day of the season. For the record Leeds United’s other remaining game is against Brighton & Hove Albion at Elland Road next up ahead of West Ham United. It is still all to play for in the last two matches of the season for Tottenham Hotspur nothing is ever easy for Spurs!
Half Time Tottenham Hotspur 0 Leeds United 0 (5 minutes added time)
Full Time Tottenham Hotspur 1 Leeds United 1 (15 minutes added time)
