Tottenham loses opportunity to sink Hammers after Leeds' draw

The relegation fight is as intense as the title race after Tottenham missed an opportunity on Monday against Leeds United. Who goes down, Sp...

The relegation fight is as intense as the title race after Tottenham missed an opportunity on Monday against Leeds United. Who goes down, Spurs or West Ham? (Photo credit: GOAL)

Tottenham failed to take advantage of the huge favor Arsenal handed them on Sunday after the Gunners beat West Ham 1-0 in a controversial encounter; now the relegation battle will go down to the wire.

Who would have thought that Spurs, playing in front of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium fans, would drop points against Leeds United? Roberto De Zerbi and his players would cite VAR as the reason they didn't win, but the missed opportunity could come back to bite them.

Tottenham had won only two of their seventeen home games this season. The stats explain why the Spurs are battling relegation alongside the Hammers. With only a two-point advantage and two games to go, Spurs must be worried about the dark wand of relegation.

Mathys Tel scored a beauty to hand Spurs the lead in the first half, and Richarlison should have doubled it when he ballooned the ball over from a neat cutback. The half ended with the hosts leading.

Tel went from hero to villain after bringing down a Leeds player in the box. Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepped up to convert the resulting penalty kick. Spurs huffed and puffed from that point until the end of the game.

After a lengthy delay in the second half, 13 minutes went up on the board for extra time. Despite Spurs dominating in added time, it was Sean Longstaff who nearly scored the winner, but for a brilliant fingertip from Antoine Kinksy.

The draw means West Ham can dream of survival again. With Newcastle and Leeds remaining for the Hammers to negotiate with this season, you can't call the race yet. Spurs and West Ham will go head-to-head until the very end.

Tottenham will be away to Chelsea at the weekend. History doesn't favor De Zerbi's team, but Chelsea's form can excite them. Everton will visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the final day, with the Toffees likely looking for European football. Spurs will sweat for a result.