Calvert-Lewin denies Spurs with Leeds equaliser to leave survival in balance

There was no lack of effort from the hosts. However, after two consecutive away wins there were reminders that they can lack imagination when the onus is on them to play on the front foot at home. The football was brisk and energetic but there was little flair. The best early moment came from Pedro Porro sliding a pass to Richarlison. The striker was onside but his touch was heavy and allowed Rodon to mop up.

Richarlison spurned another chance, snatching at a cross, and Tottenham tried to go through the gears. The pressure grew, although the anguished howls that followed a glaring miss from João Palhinha were matched by the sighs of relief when the VAR checked for a possible Leeds penalty and deemed Dominic Calvert-Lewin was offside by a toenail before being brought down by Destiny Udogie.

Mathys Tel fouls Ethan Ampadu to concede a penalty. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

With Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur and Palhinha not the most creative of midfield trios, thoughts turned to whether De Zerbi would gamble on bringing on James Maddison. Six minutes into the second half, though, inspiration arrived in the form of a majestic finish from Tel. The winger was lurking on the edge of the area when Leeds failed to clear a corner from Porro and, after killing the ball with one touch, there was something effortless about the way Tel curled a shot with no backlift beyond the dive of Karl Darlow, who brushed the ball with his fingertips before it flew into the top corner.

The noise was deafening. The tension lifted, Tottenham flew forward again. Randal Kolo Muani, persistent on the right, almost got behind Leeds. Richarlison missed another chance, shooting over from close range. The ball almost broke to Palhinha on the edge of the area but he stayed true to himself and leapt into a meaty challenge instead of trying a shot.

Tottenham began to make silly decisions. Palhinha earning a booking for catching the Leeds substitute Lukas Nmecha was a sign that Tottenham were losing their cool. Then Tel demonstrated that he had more than one way to hurt Leeds. A magician at one end and an accident waiting to happen at the other, he decided the best way to get the ball away from his area was with a needless bicycle kick.

Lost in his own little world, Tel had no idea that he was about to kick Ampadu in the head. It was a blatant foul, although apparently not quite clear enough for Jarred Gillet. The Australian was seemingly incapable of refereeing the actual game and had to be taken to the pitchside monitor to confirm that Tel had almost decapitated an opponent.

After review, a penalty was awarded and Calvert-Lewin equalised emphatically, giving West Ham fresh hope. Tottenham were frazzled. De Zerbi eventually turned to Maddison, on to huge acclaim after returning from a knee injury to make his first appearance of the season, but Leeds have kept the relegation battle alive. They almost even nicked it during 13 minutes of added time, only for Sean Longstaff to hit the bar and then skew a shot wide.