Roberto de Zerbi cut a frustrated figure as Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 with Leeds United. Spurs led through Mathys Tel’s strike, but a late penalty allowed Leeds to equalise. The result means Tottenham’s fight against Premier League relegation took another twist.
Tel Goes From Hero to Zero
New head coach De Zerbi looked distraught after Richarlison missed a chance to put Spurs in a comfortable position. He blazed over the bar with the score at 1-0. De Zerbi is learning that there is no such thing as a comfort zone at Spurs.
Tel went from hero to zero after 74 minutes. He conceded a penalty that allowed Leeds to equalise. Tel’s moment of recklessness deprived Spurs of two precious points.
Tel had earlier been erratic in the first half. He put Kevin Danso under pressure with a header towards his own goal, forcing a desperate clearance.
The penalty incident occurred when Tel connected with Ethan Ampadu’s head with a bicycle kick in his own area. The video assistant referee confirmed the foul, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the penalty.
De Zerbi’s Touchline Temperament
De Zerbi’s temperament bubbled throughout the game, a contrast to his relatively low-key presence in earlier games. He had previously overseen vital wins away at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa.
De Zerbi jumped up and down in disgust at slow play from his team in the first half. Referee Jarred Gillett gave him a touchline dressing down as the Italian repeatedly left his technical area.
He received a yellow card as tensions rose late on. Thirteen minutes of added time increased the tension around the stadium.
Spurs Miss Opportunity
De Zerbi looked frustrated at the final whistle. The door to survival opened wider when West Ham lost to Arsenal on Sunday, but Spurs failed to capitalise. They missed the chance to open up a significant four-point advantage going into the final two games of the season.
De Zerbi told Match of the Day that the pressure of their situation may have had an impact on his players. He admitted, “We didn’t play a great game – we played a good