De Zerbi: Tottenham's Survival Battle Won't Be Decided Until the Final Moments

Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that the battle to stay in the English Premier League remains open until the final rounds, following his team Tottenham Hotspur's 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Monday evening, in a match that further complicated the relegation calculations.

Tottenham was on course to secure a valuable win that would give them a comfortable advantage in the race to stay up, after Mathias Tell opened the scoring with a remarkable goal at the start of the second half, specifically in the 50th minute, bringing the team closer to extending the gap to four points over West Ham, who are in eighteenth place.

However, the match took a dramatic turn when Tiel himself caused a penalty for Leeds after attempting to clear the ball with a bicycle kick inside the penalty area, which then struck the face of Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu. After a lengthy VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Dominic Calvert-Lewin successfully converted into an equalizing goal.

After the match, De Zerbi emphasized that his team is heading in the right direction despite losing two important points, saying: "I believe we are on the right track, but things will be tough until the very last moment against Everton, that's for sure."

The Italian coach added: "Just two matches ago, no one expected us to be only two points away from West Ham, and we must not forget the situation we were in 15 days ago."

De Zerbi also praised the fighting spirit shown by Leeds United, affirming that he expects the team to maintain the same enthusiasm until the end of the season, especially in their upcoming match against West Ham.

The Italian coach defended his young player Mathys Tel despite the mistake he made, affirming his full confidence in him, saying: "I will give him a hug and a kiss, nothing more. He is an extremely talented player and scored a wonderful goal."

He continued: "What happened is due to a lack of experience, as he hasn't played a large number of matches so far, and we need to understand that."

The match also marked the official return of James Maddison after a whole year, as Tottenham appealed for a penalty in the final minutes, but the referee and VAR declined to award it.

Leeds coach Daniel Farke, for his part, confirmed that his team will not back down despite officially securing their stay, stating: "We had a great season, and we will continue to fight until the end for every point."