Spurs draw with Leeds for priceless point in Premier League survival fight

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham Hotspur took a small and potentially crucial step towards retaining its Premier League status after drawing at home with Leeds United 1-1 on Monday.

Spurs, just above the drop zone, moved two points clear of relegation rival West Ham.

Tottenham went ahead in the 50th minute with a lovely strike by Mathys Tels.

However, Tels’ foul on Ethan Ampadu with 15 minutes left led to a Leeds penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted with aplomb.

Spurs takes on Chelsea away and Everton at home in their last two games, while West Ham is away at Newcastle before facing Leeds at home on the final day of the season.

One of the two will join the already relegated Burnley and Wolves in next season’s Championship.

Spurs came into the game on a high after two consecutive victories but though they dominated the first half in terms of possession and shots on goal they didn’t break the deadlock until five minutes into the second half.

Pedro Porro’s corner kick was cleared to an unmarked Tels, who coolly struck into the far corner of the net from 20 meters out. It was the center forward’s first goal since Jan. 7.

Tels, however, turned villain 24 minutes later when his high foot was adjudged to have made contact with Ethan Ampadu’s head inside the box.

The referee pointed to the spot and Calvert-Lewin, who was denied a first-half penalty after a video review, confidently dispatched the spot kick.

Both sides suffered through an edgy last few moments and a remarkable 15 minutes of added time but there were no more goals and Spurs, for whom goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was outstanding. They will content themselves that their destiny remains in their hands.

“We played a good game but there was big pressure," Tottenham coach Roberto De Zerbi said. “We didn’t play calmly. We wanted to win immediately without passes. When you are fighting for relegation you can’t play every game calmly.

“Leeds played a good game and we hope they play like that against West Ham in the next game.”

Spurs have taken eight out of a possible 12 points since De Zerbi’s debut defeat at Sunderland on April 12.

“We deserve to stay up," he said. “We will fight until the end. . . . Even if we had won today it wouldn’t have been finished yet.”

Hull will play Southampton or Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final after second half goals from Mo Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt gave it a 2-0 win over Millwall in London.

Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.

The win means Hull have one match to secure a place in the Premier League for the first time since it was relegated in 2017.

Southampton and Middlesbrough drew the first leg 0-0 on Saturday and will play their return tie on Tuesday.

The playoff final is set for Wembley on May 23.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores their side's first goal of the game from a penalty during the English Premier League soccer match between Totteham Hotspur and Leeds United in London, Monday, May 11, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur's Mathys Tel scores during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United in London, Monday May 11, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur's Mathys Tel, right, shoots towards goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United in London, Monday May 11, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Leeds United's Joe Rodon, left, and Tottenham's Richarlison battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Totteham Hotspur and Leeds United in London, Monday, May 11, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur's Mathys Tel, right, celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United in London, Monday May 11, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys remain a popular draw for the NFL and its television partners despite struggling the past couple of seasons.

The league announced on Monday that the Cowboys will visit the New York Giants in the first NBC “Sunday Night Football” game of the season on Sept. 13 and they will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Fox on Thanksgiving Day Nov. 26.

The full schedule will be released on Thursday with other matchups revealed in the coming days.

This is the eighth time in the past 15 years the Cowboys and Giants are opening the season against each other. It also marks the 15th time the NFC East rivals are meeting on NBC's Sunday night package, the second-most played matchup since the network started the package in 2016.

Dallas is always a national television draw as “America's Team,” and New York could get more primetime exposure with Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh in his first year coaching the Giants and Jaxson Dart established as the franchise quarterback coming off his eventful rookie year.

This also could be the NFL debuts for a pair of former Ohio State teammates: Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, and Cowboys safety Caleb Downs, drafted not long after at No. 11.

This will only be the third time, and first since 2014, that the Eagles will be the Cowboys' Thanksgiving opponent.

Dallas has won its past four Thanksgiving games, including a 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last year.

The late afternoon Thanksgiving game is traditionally the most viewed of the regular season. Last year’s game averaged 57.23 million viewers on CBS, making it the most-watched regular-season game in league history.

This will be the second straight season Philadelphia will have the spotlight on Thanksgiving week. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles hosted last year's Black Friday game and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-15.

Monday's announcements mean the Cowboys know the dates for three of their 17 games. It was announced a couple of weeks ago their game in Rio de Janeiro against the Baltimore Ravens will take place in Week 3 on Sept. 27 and air on CBS.

Dallas at New York in Week 1 also means neither of those teams will be the visitor at Seattle on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, when the defending champion Seahawks unveil their Super Bowl banner and kick off the season. Chicago, Arizona, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers or a title-game rematch against New England are the remaining possibilities.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks during a press conference at rookie minicamp at the NFL football team's practice facility, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) greets Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after an NFL football game on Jan. 4, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

FILE - New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) runs with the ball past Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson (6) during an NFL football game on Jan. 4, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)