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Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal with Argentine centre-back Marcos Senesi following his departure from Bournemouth.

The 29-year-old announced his departure before the Cherries' 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Vitality, which ensured European qualification for the first time in their history.

Personal terms for the three-time Argentina international are yet to be finalised with Spurs, but the deal is advancing.

Why did Senesi leave Bournemouth?

The defender turned down a third contract offer from Bournemouth in December and began talks with clubs overseas.

Senesi, who featured in all but one league game this season, now looks set to stay in the Premier League despite previous interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool and Manchester United also expressed interest in the defender earlier this month.

The centre back, who helped Bournemouth finish a club-best sixth in the top flight, made 128 appearances over his four-year spell in Dorset, having joined the club from Feyenoord in 2022.

He could feature for Argentina at the World Cup this summer having been included in Lionel Scaloni's provisional squad, with the final squad set to be announced on Saturday.

Bournemouth's search for a replacement

Bournemouth, who will be managed by Marco Rose next season, are actively looking for a Senesi replacement this summer.

As per reports, Sporting's Ousmane Diomande has been identified as a potential replacement for Senesi, with several top clubs interested in the defender.

Tottenham's summer business

Spurs secured survival on the final day of the season by beating Everton 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, finishing 17th for the second consecutive season.

Roberto De Zerbi's side are also set to sign Scottish left-back Andrew Robertson following his exit from Liverpool.

Details remain to be finalised on the deal with Tottenham, but an agreement is in place in principle.

Roberto De Zerbi was a much relieved man after his side narrowly escaped relegation following a 1-0 victory over Everton.

Tottenham came into the game needing at least a draw to stay in England's top-flight, however, a first half opener from João Palhinha, followed by a brilliant stoppage time save from Antonin Kinsky was enough to secure all three points.

"I'm happy, I enjoyed today, the beginning of the day until now.

"Football is nice because if you give your best, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, after tomorrow, you receive back everything from football. It's incredible.

"My players played a fantastic game, as a spirit, as a behaviour, as an attitude, but also as a quality of the play, especially in the first half, they played very well and I'm proud.

"We deserve this day. We deserve this game. We deserve this win. We deserve everything of today. I think we deserve to stay up, because we made 11 points in seven games and we deserved more."

Focus shifts to building a 'new' team

De Zerbi also made it clear that his new target is to begin next season with his "dream" team so that Tottenham can avoid a similar situation.

He said: "From tonight we have to start to organise and to build a new team. I don't think we have not to change too many players.

"We have 10, 11, 12 players good enough to stay, good enough, like players, like people. Then we have to complete the squad with the first level of players. The first level of players, because we suffered too much.

"I suffered a lot, but I think the fans, the club, the board, the players, they suffered too much. We are Tottenham and we can't suffer like this until the last second of the last game to stay up.

"I will be stronger. I don't want to decide alone because football is a group - sporting director, scouting, CEO - but my target now is finished, to stay up.

"My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream, my head."

For long stretches of Tuesday night, this did not feel like a normal London derby. It felt like two footballing ideologies trying to emotionally survive themselves.

Chelsea FC entered Stamford Bridge needing a result to keep their European ambitions alive. Tottenham Hotspur arrived carrying something far heavier: fear.

Fear of relegation. Fear of collapse. Fear of a season spiraling into humiliation.

That difference ultimately decided everything.

Chelsea controlled the spaces Tottenham wanted to use

Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham attempted to build through his trademark risk-heavy positional framework. Spurs lined up in a fluid 4-2-3-1 but constantly morphed into a deep 4-2-2-2 structure during buildup, baiting Chelsea’s press deep inside their own half.

The idea was simple in theory.

Invite pressure centrally, drag Chelsea’s midfield forward, then exploit the vertical gaps left behind through rapid third-man combinations into the wide areas.

But Enzo Maresca prepared for exactly that.

Chelsea did not obsess over dominating possession. Instead, they dominated territory and passing lanes. Their 3-2-2-3 buildup shape created overwhelming numerical superiority in central midfield, with Moisés Caicedo anchoring the base while Enzo Fernández pushed aggressively into the left inside channel.

That created a constant four-versus-two scenario against Tottenham’s double pivot of Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr.

Spurs were not just outnumbered. They were structurally trapped.

Chelsea’s press worked almost passively at first. Tottenham’s centre-backs were allowed to circulate possession harmlessly across the back line, but the second a vertical pass entered midfield, Chelsea exploded into aggressive pressure.

Caicedo, Cole Palmer, and Enzo Fernández locked onto Tottenham’s central options with ruthless precision.

The effect was devastating.

Instead of manipulating Chelsea’s press, Tottenham repeatedly accelerated directly into it.

Enzo Fernández punished Tottenham’s emotional impatience

Chelsea’s opener in the 18th minute did more than give the hosts the lead. It psychologically distorted Tottenham’s entire tactical structure.

Fernández’s stunning long-range strike forced Spurs into emotional football far earlier than De Zerbi would have wanted.

Before the goal, Tottenham still attempted patient buildup patterns despite Chelsea’s pressure. After it, their circulation became visibly frantic. Vertical passes were rushed. Distances between midfield and defence stretched dramatically. The calm positional manipulation De Zerbi demands disappeared under the emotional weight of the occasion.

Chelsea immediately sensed it.

Rather than pushing recklessly for a second goal, Maresca’s side doubled down on controlling central access points. Palmer drifted intelligently between Tottenham’s midfield and defensive lines, while Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho maintained maximum width to isolate Spurs’ fullbacks.

Chelsea were not dominating through endless possession sequences. They were dominating through spatial suffocation.

Tottenham’s midfield simply stopped functioning as a connector between defence and attack.

Chelsea’s second goal explained Tottenham’s entire night

The second goal in the 67th minute was not just a defensive mistake. It was Tottenham’s tactical identity collapsing in real time.

Andrey Santos’ finish arrived from a Pedro Neto cross, but the real story was the structural chaos that created the move in the first place.

Tottenham’s aggressive buildup principles had already begun physically collapsing by the hour mark. The distances between their defensive line and midfield were becoming enormous, sometimes stretching beyond 30 yards. Their press lost synchronization. Their recovery runs slowed. Their compactness vanished.

Chelsea immediately attacked those gaps.

As Neto received possession wide, Tottenham’s defensive shape completely lost balance. One defender stepped toward the ball, another retreated toward the six-yard box, while the midfield failed to recover into the central corridor.

The result looked almost comedic from a structural perspective.

Santos arrived into the penalty area virtually untracked because Tottenham had overloaded their own defensive attention toward the wide delivery. Chelsea manipulated Spurs’ panic perfectly.

It was the football equivalent of everybody trying to fix the same problem simultaneously while creating three new ones.

So the answer to how Chelsea’s second goal happened, the answer is brutally simple:

Tottenham became so obsessed with surviving the immediate danger that they forgot to defend the actual scoring zone.

That sequence summarized the entire match.

Tottenham abandoned control and embraced chaos

Ironically, Tottenham looked most dangerous once they completely abandoned their original tactical plan.

After Chelsea’s second goal, Tottenham abandoned controlled buildup and shifted toward direct transition football and early wide deliveries.

Long balls replaced patient circulation. Wide crosses replaced controlled progression. The midfield was largely bypassed entirely.

It should not have worked.

Yet Chelsea briefly lost emotional control after Richarlison’s 73rd-minute goal, which arrived following a sharp combination involving Pape Matar Sarr.

Suddenly Stamford Bridge became nervous.

Chelsea dropped deeper. Their defensive line retreated. Palmer abandoned his advanced playmaking role to help stabilize midfield possession, while late substitutions from Maresca sacrificed pressing aggression for defensive security.

The final stages descended into pure emotional warfare.

Tottenham threw numbers into the penalty area with little positional restraint. Micky van de Ven stepped aggressively into midfield zones to launch aerial deliveries, while Chelsea accumulated yellow cards attempting to disrupt the rhythm of the game through tactical fouls and physical interruptions.

For the final ten minutes, structure disappeared entirely.

This became survival football.

Chelsea won the midfield war before they won the match

The clearest tactical truth from Stamford Bridge was Chelsea’s complete superiority in central areas.

Their midfield structure consistently overwhelmed Tottenham numerically and positionally, with Caicedo anchoring Chelsea’s buildup while Fernández and Palmer manipulated the spaces between Tottenham’s midfield and defensive line.

Spurs simply never solved the overload problem.

Bentancur and Sarr were forced into impossible defensive coverage responsibilities, constantly shifting horizontally to close passing lanes while simultaneously trying to support buildup progression.

The physical exhaustion eventually became visible.

Chelsea’s control did not come from endless possession dominance. It came from deciding where the game would be played and which players would be allowed to influence it.

That is a far more sophisticated form of control.

Tottenham’s relegation fear distorted their football

The emotional backdrop mattered enormously.

This was not just another tactical battle.

Tottenham were carrying the psychological pressure of a relegation fight into one of the most structurally demanding tactical systems in modern football.

De Zerbi’s buildup principles require calmness, trust, and precise positional timing. Tottenham instead played with visible anxiety after falling behind.

That anxiety transformed calculated risks into reckless ones.

The irony is painful.

Tottenham’s tactical system is designed to manipulate pressure. Against Chelsea, pressure manipulated Tottenham instead.

The final truth

This match was ultimately decided by Chelsea’s superior midfield structure and positional discipline, which dismantled Tottenham’s risky buildup patterns and forced the defensive chaos that defined the night.

Chelsea looked like a team controlling the geometry of the pitch.

Tottenham looked like a team trying to emotionally outrun their own season.

Tottenham Hotspur had the chance to secure Premier League survival with a draw against Chelsea.

Roberto De Zerbi's side started the game in a positive way and looked to get forward and create some early openings. Mathys Tel hit the post with a header early on and it was a promising start.

However, the momentum soon shifted and Chelsea started to look the better team.

Enzo Fernandez put the home side ahead after 18 minutes when he curled a shot in from outside the box. It was a good finish but he was in plenty of space in the middle of the pitch.

At 1-0, Spurs were very much still in the game as they only needed the one goal.

Then, in the 67th minute the task became a lot harder. Andrey Santos made it 2-0 after Randal Kolo Muani conceded possession with a misplaced pass in midfield. Micky van de Ven was visibly frustrated with the manner of the goal.

It looked to be game over at that point. De Zerbi reacted and James Maddison came off the bench.

Richarlison gave them hope with 16 minutes left when he scored to make it 2-1 and set up a potentially nervous finish.

The visitors also felt as though they were denied a late penalty after Marc Cucurella was tussling with van de Ven and ended up dragging down the Spurs player at a corner, but nothing was given.

Spurs tried to create late chances but it ended in a 2-1 defeat.

Here are four takeaways from the match

It was another decent performance overall

Whilst not being an amazing performance, it was not a bad display from Spurs.

Like against Leeds United last week, they played well enough and looked like a much-improved side from the one that was taking to the pitch under Igor Tudor.

They knew what they had to do to survive and were boosted by West Ham's defeat at the weekend.

A fast start showed that they were capable of causing their hosts problems and playing on the front foot.

Then, after the positive start, they lost their way and did not recover until they scored their goal.

In the end it could have gone either way.

However, in the last week of the season, Spurs will not be able to take too many positives from a good performance because it was not good enough in the sense that they lost the match.

Defeat to Chelsea will not be the reason they are relegated, if that is to be the case on Sunday, but it will feel frustrating as it was another missed opportunity.

It could have all been over

If Spurs had won the game or come away with a point, due to their superior goal difference, they would have been guaranteed to stay up.

Therefore, it is a missed opportunity.

Chelsea are never easy opponents but they were not in good form and their season was drifting away from them.

There will now be a nervy final day of the season for Spurs and West Ham.

Had Spurs scored the first goal of the game or been able to level the scores at 1-1 then they may likely have got what they needed from this game.

The first goal, particularly after a bright start, could have been judged as a key moment. Spurs did not let their heads drop as they only needed to score one goal at that point.

However, it was likely that the second goal was the killer goal and did lead to some heads to drop.

Richarlison steps up again

At times this season, due to injuries and poor form, Spurs have struggled for goals.

It was the Brazilian Richarlison who stepped up for his side again and scored at Stamford Bridge.

He has not always hit the heights of some of his early years at former club Everton but he has delivered for his side this year.

He has played the most games in a single season for Spurs this season, since he joined the north London side in 2022. This has also resulted in one of his best seasons in front of goal for Spurs.

At a time where Spurs need players who can step up, play the physical aspects of the game and demonstrate their experience Richarlison is doing that.

He has the experience of surviving a relegation battle from his time at Everton and this weekend there will be a hope that he can net the goal against his former employers that would help keep his current side in the league.

What does it mean for the table?

Spurs remain two points in front of the Hammers. They know that if they avoid defeat against Everton then they will stay up.

It is in their hands and they do still have the advantage.

That said, Spurs have still only won two games at home all season, against Burnley and Brentford, so it will not be easy against David Moyes' team.

West Ham would have feared that their fate could have been sealed last night if Spurs had got a result. Therefore, Nuno Espirito Santo's side have now been given a lifeline and a chance to survive.

They host Leeds United at the London Stadium and the team from West Yorkshire are in great form. Whereas, West Ham have lost their last three games.

It does, however, remain all to play for on the last day and there could be some twists and turns throughout the ninety minutes in the capital at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and across town in Stratford.

Roberto De Zerbi was quick to turn his attention to Sunday after his side failed to secure their Premier League survival against Chelsea.

Tottenham came into the game needing only a draw to effectively secure their place in England's top flight for another season, however, goals from Enzo Fernández and Andrey Santos were enough to sink their hopes.

It all now comes down to the final game of the season when the North London side host Everton as they look to end their disappointing season on a high.

Focus shifts to Everton finale

"Now we have to prepare ourselves in the best way to play a final," said De Zerbi.

"Because the true final is not against Manchester United last season, the true final is this Sunday.

"And I would like it to be clear for everyone because Sunday we play for something more than a trophy.

"We play for our pride, our dignity, the history of the club.

"Every one of us will give our best."

Frustration at Stamford Bridge

The Italian coach was also critical of his side's performance at Stamford Bridge, expressing frustration with the manner in which they conceded both goals.

"I think we played a good game, not enough to win," said the Tottenham boss.

"We made too many mistakes in the last third of the pitch and we conceded two goals in a stupid way.

"The first goal from 30 metres from Enzo Fernández, and the second goal we conceded, we lost another stupid ball when we were in total control.

"In the last 20 minutes I think we played with more energy, more passion, and I want to see more of that behaviour.

"Through this very difficult moment, difficult period, difficult days, if we stay strong, we can become better.

"Better as a coach, better as players and better as a people. But we have to stay together, strong, focus on the game and play with personality and with courage."

Roberto de Zerbi delivered key updates on the Tottenham team for their visit to Stamford Bridge.

A point will effectively secure topflight status for Spurs against Chelsea on Tuesday evening, and the new head coach believes his players can turn the positive form from the last month into one big result.

‘They have to believe more in themselves’

He particularly pointed to a young forward who has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks and was heavily involved in both the goals in a 1-1 draw between Spurs and Leeds United last Monday.

There will be also a reunion for a bullish midfielder with his boyhood club while de Zerbi must prep his players to face a man in the middle of the park who was a big part of the plans at Brighton.

“They deserve to stay up, and they deserve to play in the Premier League. They are good players and maybe they have to believe more in themselves and to stop the negative thoughts.

“[Mathys Tel] is a mature guy. Maybe more outside of the pitch than on the pitch because he is not playing so many games in his career, but he has big potential. He is a lovely guy, he is a positive guy and he has strong character. In the future he can play better, and he can become a great player for us.

“Guglielmo Vicario is available to play, and I will decide tomorrow (if he plays). Dominic Solanke is not good yet. He is not available. He feels something and I don’t want to take a risk for this game. We hope for Sunday, maybe for Sunday he can be available for one part of the game.

“Vicario is number one, but we have to consider the physical condition, the moment, everything, but I have a big relationship with Antonin Kinsky and Vicario as well and there will not be any problem.

“Cristian Romero is a big player, you know he is a big player, but he is an amazing guy because he has been a great captain in my time even though he didn’t play. We are talking by phone, when he stays here, every morning he came in my office, and he was inside of the season.

“From Conor Gallagher, I expect the same performance. He’s a great player, a great personality. He doesn’t speak too much, but he speaks on the pitch with his work, with his personality, and we are lucky to have a player like this.

“Moises Caicedo is one of the best midfielders in the world because he’s a complete player, with the ball, without the ball, but also our midfielders are very good – Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Gallagher, Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr – and I'm happy.

Tottenham Hotspur could feel hard done by after Monday night's 1-1 draw with Leeds United. A win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have confirmed Premier League survival after what has been an utterly disastrous season, following West Ham's loss at Newcastle United on Sunday.

However, the question that remains unanswered is whether or not things may have been very different had some rather controversial refereeing decisions gone in their favour?

On Monday night, the result could have swung in their favour, had referee Jarred Gillett been advised to change his decision, or even go to the pitch-side monitor for a tackle by Lukas Nmecha on James Maddison in the thirteenth minute of stoppage time. Maddison, returning from a 277-day ACL injury lay-off, took to social media to voice his displeasure at the decision, claiming that Nmecha had not touched the ball.

The VAR, which was operated by Craig Pawson during that clash with Daniel Farke's side, looked at the decision for less than a minute before informing on-field referee Gillett that there was no infringement. Earlier in the clash, Gillett was sent to the pitch-side monitor to overturn his original decision of no penalty after Mathys Tel caught Leeds' Ethan Ampadu on the face, with the penalty being awarded, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to send The Whites back up north with a point.

Now, obviously, the penalty being awarded to Roberto De Zerbi's side would not guarantee a goal or the points, but it would have provided a huge opportunity for Spurs, as well as being their first penalty of the season.

Based on the fantasy that those decisions went in their favour, the results in matches that they have not won may have painted a totally different picture of their poor campaign, which sees them needing one point from their final two matches to maintain their top-flight status. In fact, without VAR, they would already have secured safety, and had the correct decisions on the pitch been made originally, it begs the question that they may have found themselves even higher in the standings.

Gillett at the centre of controversy

The controversy surrounding the game with Leeds will not be the first time that The Lilywhites will feel hard done by when Jarred Gillett has taken charge of their matches throughout the 2025/26 season.

Rewinding to November, Tottenham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in a game which ultimately turned out to be the beginning of the end for Thomas Frank. However, in the second half of that London Derby, Enzo Fernandez was lucky to escape a red card for endangering the safety of an opponent, as the Argentine put his studs on Joao Palhinha's knee.

In January, in what now looks to be a pivotal match in terms of who may come out of the relegation battle on top, Spurs lost against West Ham at home, as Gillett struck again. A 94th-minute goal from Callum Wilson dramatically sealed the points, but in the 84th-minute, it was simply ludicrous that a penalty was not awarded to the hosts for a handball by Ollie Scarles. His arm was fully outstretched as he prodded the ball away from Conor Gallagher, but VAR James Bell checked and cleared the on-field decision.

Even in the reverse fixture in September, which saw Tottenham win 3-0, there was a highly questionable decision to disallow a first-half header from Cristian Romero following the slightest of collisions between Micky van de Ven and Kyle Walker-Peters. Gillett was also the referee that day.

And it all circles back to the Australian, where Spurs will again feel disappointed that The Hammers' loss at St James' Park wasn't more severe. Before the opener, Tomas Soucek clearly handled the ball to block a Bruno Guimaraes cross-cum-shot, whilst the Brazilian was then the subject of another judgment that went Soucek's way in the second half. Having been fouled by the Czech international, Guimaraes was already on the floor, and the whistle had already been blown, when Soucek booted him twice. But Gillett, his assistant and the VAR all failed to spot it.

Coincidentally, Pawson was the official operating the VAR, and those decisions will feel like a kick in the teeth to the onlooking Spurs fans, who feel the pair should have awarded their side a spot kick in the dying embers of the draw with Leeds.

Are Spurs refereed differently?

Cristian Romero was rightly sent off for his studs-up challenge on Casemiro during their 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford in February. Nevertheless, just a few hours later, Brian Brobbey did not see red for a similar tackle against Arsenal, whilst just three weeks earlier, Manchester United were able to count themselves lucky as Diogo Dalot remained on the pitch despite an arguably worse challenge than the two mentioned above.

In December, Xavi Simons was rightly sent off for his tackle on international teammate Virgil van Dijk in the 2-1 loss against Liverpool, but yet again, other decisions for very similar challenges were treated differently and far more leniently. Hwang Hee-Chan committed what could be considered a worse offence than Spurs' Dutchman as he planted his studs onto the calf of Everton's Harrison Armstrong, whilst Phil Foden also avoided red for a carbon copy of Simons' tackle just a matter of weeks later.

However, the pick of the bunch will come from the North London Derby dismantling under Igor Tudor. Six minutes after falling behind for the second time on the night, Randal Kolo Muani was adjudged to have fouled Gabriel as he scored what would have been an equaliser, and Peter Bankes disallowed the goal.

The introduction of 'Match Officials Mic'd Up' has allowed PGMOL Chief Howard Webb to shed light on the thinking behind each decision, whilst the release of audio, which shares the conclusions drawn by the match officials, has allowed fans to understand the difficulty of their job.

However, in a rare scenario, just days after that decision in the defeat against Arsenal, the show saw match referee Bankes exclusively highlight the thought process of his decision, as opposed to the usual analysis by Webb. Audio released by PGMOL captured Bankes telling the complaining Tottenham players that it was a "clear foul, end of." But just a week later, Tudor's men fell to defeat at Fulham and found themselves on the wrong side of the exact same call.

Radu Dragusin was pushed in the back by Raul Jimenez, but the goal was allowed to stand. It sparked fury from within the Spurs fanbase, as well as their Interim Head Coach, who subsequently received a fine by the FA for his comments surrounding consistency, after The Lilywhites had a goal chalked off seven days prior for Kolo Muani placing two hands onto the back of Gabriel.

In December, as they lost against Liverpool, Hugo Ekitike's eventual winner was aided by his two-handed push on captain Romero, but that goal was also allowed to stand.

Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel disagreement

Introduced during the 2022/23 season, every refereeing decision is evaluated by an independent body known as the Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel. The body is made up of three former players or coaches, as well as one individual from the PGMOL and one from the Premier League.

On New Year's Day, it was ruled by the KMI Panel that a penalty should have been awarded to Tottenham in their 0-0 draw with Brentford for a foul on Archie Gray. With the game finishing goalless, a chance to open the scoring from twelve yards out may have seen The Lilywhites two points better off than they currently are.

In February, it was judged that Rodri should have been shown a second yellow card, having committed both a high challenge on Gallagher and then a cynical foul on Wilson Odobert, despite already walking the tightrope. Spurs did come back from 2-0 down to pick up a point in that game, but again, it remains unforeseen as to whether or not Manchester City being reduced to ten men would have allowed them to register an additional two points on the board.

Arguably, the worst of them all came in De Zerbi's first game as Head Coach, as they lost 1-0 at Sunderland. Brian Brobbey should have been shown a second yellow card in the second half, with the final factor being his needless push on Romero, which led to the Argentine's season being brought to an abrupt end in April.

Coincidentally, Rob Jones was the referee in both the draw with City and the defeat against The Black Cats, with both games seeing both guilty parties get away with multiple fouls having been booked already.

De Zerbi disgust

The Italian Head Coach, who was given just seven games to save Spurs' season, looks set to achieve that now, and they could wrap it up with a game to spare when they travel to Chelsea on Tuesday night. A win will ensure it is guaranteed, whilst a draw all-but-confirms it, with a mammoth swing in goal difference needed for West Ham to stand any chance of surviving the drop on the final day.

But the former Brighton tactician may believe it could have already been secured had decisions gone in their favour, even in his short time as Spurs boss. They could have secured a different result against Sunderland had they been reduced to ten men, but there is also an argument that Regis Le Bris' side could have had a second man sent off.

Luke O'Nien appeared to catch Destiny Udogie on the calf as the Italian raced through one-on-one with Robin Roefs, but referee Jones and the VAR, operated by James Bell - the same official who failed to award a penalty to Spurs for handball in the loss at home to West Ham in January - remarkably saw nothing wrong with the challenge.

Factoring in the decision not to give Spurs a penalty in the matchup with Leeds, there could be a case that, under De Zerbi, they could be, at the bare minimum, four points better off. That would have secured Premier League survival by now.

Even in his first couple of months at the helm, De Zerbi has appeared visibly frustrated by the way Tottenham are refereed throughout the course of matches. Whether that be through different levels of leniency shown by referees to his team compared to the opposition, or the poor decisions officials are making.

This could also be directed to the Italian himself, who has already been booked twice in just five matches since being appointed. Meanwhile, other Premier League bosses appear to get away unharmed despite their regular, frustrating antics on the sideline. Roberto De Zerbi was warned about his behaviour in the technical area by referee Jarred Gillett after just eleven minutes in the draw with Leeds, before he was shown a yellow card after Ethan Ampadu clattered into both James Maddison and Joao Palhinha and was not shown a card.

He was visibly upset with the refereeing performance on display in that game. Speaking after the full-time whistle against Leeds, De Zerbi said, "The first minute until the end of the game, the referee went to me, ‘if you go out (of the technical area), yellow card,’ and I think they were not calm today.

"Maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday, the West Ham-Arsenal game and VAR. For sure, we suffer the pressure today for the speed of the ball, for the order of the pitch, and we didn’t play with patience on the ball, frenetic, we were rushed, but also the referee was not calm. I don’t know, I can’t understand the polemic about yesterday's VAR because it was a foul, 200 per cent, not 100 per cent, if you want to talk about football."

Again, it makes you think whether or not there is a different, far-lower level of tolerance shown towards Tottenham than other teams in the Premier League.

The impact

The decisions aforementioned do not even begin to scratch the surface.

In the 2-2 draw with Newcastle in December, Rodrigo Bentancur conceded a penalty despite being placed in a headlock by Dan Burn. When Spurs drew 1-1 with Sunderland in January, Brobbey could have easily seen red in that game too - he later scored the equaliser. Virgil van Dijk was lucky to remain on the pitch after a possible DOGSO (Denial of an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity) offence when The Lilywhites drew 1-1 at Anfield in March.

It is factually impossible to predict the exact outcomes of these games had decisions gone Tottenham's way. But one thing that is for certain is that there is a maximum of twenty points that could have been handed out differently, and may have landed the North Londoners in a very different position ahead of their final two matches of the season.

There is also the overarching issue of the overall standard of refereeing, which is affecting every team in the league and stirring up a talking point every single week. With that being considered, the table may also look rather different, but it does feel as though no one has been affected to the same level as the sheer scale that Tottenham have.

In an alternative universe, Spurs sit on 58 points and are in a favourable position to secure the final UEFA Champions League spot. In a realistic alternate, they are safe and have been for several weeks, even if just half of the decisions went their way.

Tottenham Hotspur are fighting for Premier League survival, along with West Ham. They do still have a two-point lead over the Hammers, but missed the chance to extend that gap.

Leeds United and Nottingham Forest were both guaranteed to stay up on Sunday, after Arsenal beat West Ham.

Therefore, Leeds arrived in London with a sense of freedom and the fact that they were unbeaten in their last four league matches.

Spurs had recorded back-to-back wins against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa but still had work to do.

They started the match well against Daniel Farke's side and Mathys Tel gave them the lead in the 49th minute.

Tel was then involved again in the 74th minute when he gave away the penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the equaliser from.

Both sides had chances in the final stages of the game as thirteen additional minutes were played.

Antonin Kinsky made a great save to deny Leeds' Sean Longstaff.

Spurs had a potential penalty shout when James Maddison, making his return after ten months injured, was tackled in the box. It was checked by VAR, but nothing was given, and the game ended level.

Here are four takeaways from the game.

Not necessarily a bad performance

There will be some frustration that Spurs could not hold on and get the win because, at this stage in the season, it would have been a huge three points.

However, the performance at Villa last week was strong and this was not a bad showing either.

De Zerbi has the team looking far more organised and more of a threat, so he deserves great credit for that.

Igor Tudor's reign did not do anything to help Spurs' season, but De Zerbi is having an impact.

It could be said that their attack is still lacking some conviction and that could still be due to the number of players they are missing.

In the closing stages, they delivered several balls into the box from corners and crosses but were never really able to trouble the Leeds backline too much.

Goalscoring may be a concern still but there are positives. Mathys Tel took his goal well and he may be one of the players that their survival hopes are pinned to. It was unfortunate that he was the player who conceded the penalty.

At the end of the game, it may have been a case that Spurs did not want to risk losing the game in place of winning it.

They remain in danger, but there are far more positives than there have been in the last few months.

Antonín Kinsky's redemption

Under former manager Igor Tudor, Antonin Kinsky endured a difficult night away in Madrid when he conceded three goals in the opening minutes of a UEFA Champions League game with Atletico Madrid.

He was subbed off early on, and many may have thought that it would be the end of his Spurs career.

However, Guglielmo Vicario is currently recovering from surgery, and Kinsky has been filling in.

In the recent game at Wolves, he made an excellent last-minute save from a free-kick to ensure his side got the win.

Against Leeds, he stepped up with a good save in the first half and then in stoppage time at the end of the match, he reacted quickly to get a strong hand on Longstaff's shot.

It was an important save and possibly one of the best saves of the season by a Premier League keeper.

The player also looks as though he is growing in confidence and relishing these big moments.

Does James Maddison still have a part to play?

The former Leicester City midfielder has been named on the bench in several recent games but made his first appearance of the season against the side from West Yorkshire.

He has been out injured all season and has clearly been missed by Spurs.

He came on in the closing stages, but due to the lengthy amount of time added on, he probably played more minutes than he may have been expecting.

In the time he was on the pitch, he was able to have an impact.

He delivered several corners, looking to get his side up the pitch and had a late shout for a penalty.

It is unlikely that the England international will make a starting appearance this season, but in the final two games, he may still be able to help out his side.

Maddison appeared emotional at full time after making his return and there may be a hope that his return to fitness could have come at the ideal time.

Is it a missed opportunity?

Spurs play Chelsea and Everton in their final two matches.

Whereas West Ham play Newcastle United and Leeds.

The concern will be that Nuno Espirito Santo's side play at the weekend against Newcastle, before Spurs take on Chelsea next Tuesday.

If the Hammers win at the weekend, then they will go ahead of Spurs and have a one-point advantage, but having played a game more.

Despite the Blues not being in good form, it will not be an easy trip to Stamford Bridge for De Zerbi's side.

Therefore, the battle remains very much on and there could be one more surprise result or twist in the tale.

As it stands, the sides have played the same number of games and Spurs have a two-point lead. They are not in a bad position and, with West Ham losing this weekend, they have been able to strengthen their position.

Their London rivals have lost their last two matches, so they may not be in good form, but they did push Arsenal very close on Sunday, narrowly losing 1-0.

At the end of the Leeds game, the Spurs players had given it everything and many fell to the floor in tiredness, possibly physical and mental fatigue.

As a standalone result, and forming part of a four-match unbeaten run with two draws and two wins, a point against a good Leeds side is not a bad outcome.

It is just that in the context of the season, the Spurs would have really benefited from a win.

Time will tell if it was an important point on the road to survival or a costly night and one that got away from them.

Roberto de Zerbi spoke about a 1-1 draw between Tottenham and Leeds United.

The Whites were already safe, so all focus was on whether or not Spurs could pull away from West Ham, who were defeated 1-0 by Arsenal on Sunday. They took the lead through a brilliant effort from Mathys Tel, but an attempted overhead kick from the forward in his box led to an infringement that allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to equalise in the final twenty minutes of normal time.

‘When you fight relegation, you need to stay strong’

The head coach commented happily on the return of the team’s ten, who has been missing from action since the start of August with an ACL injury from preseason against Newcastle United. However, he cannot afford to relax too much, looking to take points from their clashes with Chelsea and Everton.

"We didn't play a great game. We played a good game. I think we deserved to win anyway but maybe the pressure, the crucial game, the crucial part of the season, we suffered too much. I am happy because I watched my players with the right spirit, with the right mentality.

"We made too many mistakes. If we want to win, we have to reduce the mistakes, but we know before this game it will be tough until the end of the season, until the last game. It is tough for us and tough for everyone.

“We have to consider the result and the performance. We played a good game. We are making points. The last four games we made eight points. Congratulations to Leeds, they played a great game, they have to play the last game at West Ham and we've no doubt they’ll play the same way.

“I did not see honestly. I didn't watch the Maddison penalty, maybe yes, maybe no. I heard my assistant, but I don't want to come inside a polemic. The referee was not calm today. Maybe he felt the pressure of yesterday? He is human and it can happen, but no problem. He was good on the pitch. We prepare the next two games.

"I am sorry for the penalty we conceded because Mathys Tel scored a great goal. He is very young and it is not a problem for me. I am happy for the attitude and mentality.

“[James Maddison] is a different player. We have had a lot of injuries, but we are good enough to stay up with these players.

"We didn't play well but fighting relegation is like this, you cannot play all games calm. We have to improve and change the habits, fighting relegation is different to fighting for the Champions League.

“[Mathys Tel] is young and is a talent. I will kiss him and hug him. He doesn't need too many words. He was sorry for the mistake, and it can happen to a young player.

"We deserve to stay up, and we fight until the end. When you fight relegation, you need to stay strong not with the legs but with the head."

Daniel Farke felt proud of his players after their 1-1 draw between Leeds United and Tottenham.

A 1-0 loss for West Ham against Arsenal meant that the Whites were already confirmed to be safe in the topflight. They still would have wanted to crown the campaign with a strong end to the season, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin levelled from the penalty spot to respond to the Mathys Tel opener.

‘We stepped up and deserved to equalise’

Farke was happy to see an opposition player whom he coached at Norwich City come back to the field after a 9 month layoff from an ACL injury, but he was happiest about the efforts of his team.

“During the long season there are sometimes games that you don't win just with the quality football-wise. Of course it was a difficult game, Tottenham were highly motivated with the back to back wins, the stadium was on it. For us the big pressure was off us with the results but it was a difficult week, we had to play without many key players and also during the game some setbacks.

"It was another setback early in the second half to concede but the mentality that the players showed, we stepped up and fully deserved to equalise. Then we didn't stop we wanted to go for it, and in the end the chances with Sean Longstaff nearly won this game. It says a lot about the team.

“I'm so happy and delighted for him. It's great to see him back because if you love football and you love a baller then you also love James Maddison. He can be unbelievable and is one of the most creative players in this country.

"Of course, it was difficult for him after being out for so long to come into this crunch moment, but the affect he can have, he has shown in the last minutes. He was smart, he knows how to win a free-kick or what he has to do in the box, perhaps to win a penalty. Great set pieces, great delivery, a top character. Fingers crossed he can stay fit and healthy.

“We are a promoted side so we won't win games in this league because of our quality. We also need a top fitness level, a top game plan, we need to be versatile in the tactical approach, and we can play a three man or four man formation, change during the game too.