Carragher: De Zerbi will be seething with Tel after costly blunders gift Leeds a point

Jamie Carragher believes Roberto De Zerbi will have plenty to say to Mathys Tel following Monday's frustrating stalemate with Leeds United, after the forward's pair of costly lapses handed the visitors a lifeline they didn't deserve.

It was a tale of two halves for Tel. The Spurs attacker opened the scoring with a stunning strike from distance shortly after the interval, seemingly putting his side on course for victory. Yet his afternoon would unravel spectacularly when he clumsily caught Leeds midfielder Ethan Ampadu with a raised boot while attempting an overhead clearance, handing the opposition a penalty kick on a plate.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin made no mistake from the spot, and Sean Longstaff went agonisingly close to snatching all three points for Leeds before the final whistle. The teams were forced to share the spoils—a result that leaves Spurs precariously positioned, just two points above the relegation trapdoor with a pair of matches still to play.

Carragher was scathing about Tel's penalty concession on Sky Sports, highlighting the attacker's culpability in the moment of madness. "It's an absurd decision from Tel," the pundit explained. "You see situations where players don't clock the opposition arriving, but he's already eyeballing him. He knows he's there, he's looked directly at him. Once you spot that danger, you have to abandon the original plan."

"He had every opportunity to think again. I initially thought he'd missed seeing Ampadu, but that's not the case. It's a genuinely dreadful bit of decision-making."

Tel had already caused De Zerbi's blood pressure to spike earlier in the proceedings with another reckless moment that nearly resulted in a Leeds goal.

Yet Carragher tempered his criticism with a dose of perspective, insisting the manager must weigh Tel's lapses against his undeniable value to the side. "De Zerbi will absolutely lose his mind," Carragher acknowledged. "But he needs to remember this is still a young attacking talent who's been crucial for Spurs lately."

"He came on at Wolves and won them the corner that led to the winner. He set up the second at Villa. Tonight he scored. They're stretched for bodies with injuries—he's a genuine difference-maker."

"That's where management comes in, and De Zerbi understands the bigger picture far better than I do. You want to tear your hair out, but weigh that against everything positive he brought in the first half and his goal in the second."

The silver lining for Tottenham came courtesy of goalkeeper Kinsky, who produced what Carragher described as "one of the saves of the season" to keep out Longstaff's stoppage-time effort.

The shot-stopper's heroics represented a remarkable redemption arc following his nightmare showing against Atletico Madrid earlier in the campaign. "Nobody would have predicted he'd ever pull on a Spurs shirt again after that catastrophe," Carragher reflected. "You'd have to be made of stone not to be genuinely pleased for him. His career here looked finished just weeks ago. That intervention might be the moment that keeps them up."