Jamie Carragher believes Roberto De Zerbi will have serious words with Tottenham forward Mathys Tel following his costly mistake that prevented Spurs from claiming all three points against Leeds United.
Tel endured a rollercoaster Monday evening — announcing himself with a stunning long-range strike shortly after the break to put Tottenham in front, before undoing his good work with a reckless challenge on Leeds midfielder Ethan Ampadu. Attempting an overhead clearance, Tel caught his opponent with a dangerously high boot, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the penalty with composure, and Sean Longstaff came agonisingly close to handing Leeds a dramatic late victory before the game eventually ended all square.
The draw leaves Tottenham perilously close to the drop zone — just two points above the relegation places with only two fixtures remaining. Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher was forthright in his assessment, labelling the decision “really poor” and noting that Tel had sufficient time to recognise the danger and alter his course of action. He went further, describing it as a “crazy decision” and pointing out that the Frenchman had also flirted with disaster earlier in the match with another moment of carelessness.
However, Carragher was balanced in his verdict. While acknowledging that De Zerbi would be deeply frustrated, he was also keen to highlight Tel’s recent positive contributions — helping Spurs to victory at Wolves, providing an assist at Villa, and then finding the net against Leeds. Carragher noted that handling the extreme highs and lows that come with managing young, talented players is precisely the kind of challenge that defines great management — and something De Zerbi is well equipped to navigate.
The evening’s unlikely hero proved to be goalkeeper Kinsky, who produced what Carragher described as one of the saves of the season to deny Longstaff in the closing moments of stoppage time. Given that Kinsky had been widely written off following a disastrous display against Atletico Madrid earlier in the campaign, Carragher’s admiration for his response was evident — and he suggested that one moment of brilliance between the posts could ultimately prove the difference between Tottenham surviving or being relegated from the Premier League.
