Antonin Kinsky's glorious redemption continued in ambivalent Leeds draw

There will be a prevailing sense of relief for those leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight, but not because Roberto De Zerbi's side took a giant step towards safety.

Instead, Spurs will have to feel relatively content with a point, even if the surrendering of their initial advantage was all too avoidable.

Leeds United certainly didn't perform as if they were mathematically safe in N17. The grit and physicality Daniel Farke finally embraced midway through the season was laid bare against the desperate but suddenly confident Lilywhites, who encountered far more difficulties in and out of possession that they did at Villa Park last Sunday.

For much of the game, both teams were able to keep the other at arm's length. The first goal felt definitive, but thanks to Mathys Tel's hero-to-zero moment in the Tottenham box, it wasn't. However, things could've been worse for Spurs if it weren't for their once-humiliated goalkeeper.

Outstanding Kinsky save prevents Doomsday scenario

Antonín Kinsky's revival has been one of the most satisfying positives from the De Zerbi era so far. Guglielmo Vicario's hernia offered the young goalkeeper the chance to rid himself of the Metropolitano nightmare, and Kinsky has performed with the swagger and assurance of a shot-stopper who'd never dream of enduring such a night.

A big stoppage-time stop at Molineux helped Spurs to their first league win of 2026, but his two mammoth saves on Monday night were of even greater quality, particularly the second from Sean Longstaff.

Leeds had barely penetrated the final third before Kinsky saved smartly down low to prevent a Joe Rodon header from breaking the deadlock. Had the stubborn visitors got themselves in front, Spurs, would've found it mightily difficult to land a punch back. They've toiled against poorer defenses with superior options available in attack.

After parity was restored thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin's emphatic penalty, the hosts struggled to wrestle back momentum. Leeds looked the more likely, and they'd ought to have stolen all three points, and thus hugely damage our survival hopes, when James Justin picked out a surging Sean Longstaff in the Spurs box.

The substitute's left-footed effort was crisp, with Micky van de Ven a step too late in his recovery. There was no sense of "time slowing down" for a potentially fatal moment. It was over in the blink of an eye. The crossbar: rattled. Longstaff: disbelieving.

In real time, it was impossible to discern Kinsky's influence, but replays showed the most remarkable of reflexes and a critical right hand to lift the shot onto the underside of the bar. It was an extraordinary save, and one that may be looked back on in tandem with David Raya's from Mateus Fernandes in east London as utterly decisive in shaping the dynamics at both ends of the table.

For now, I don't know what to feel.

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