Nobody who saw Antonin Kinsky’s sombre exit from Madrid’s Metropolitano could have imagined he would emerge as one of Tottenham‘s heroes in their Premier League fight to survive.
Kinsky looked for all the world as if he would never play again for Spurs when substituted by interim boss Igor Tudor with only 17 minutes played and Atletico already 3-0 up.
The young Czech looked distraught. His two mistakes were compounded by the ignominy of his exit as team-mates scrambled down the tunnel to console him.
Two months on, Tudor is gone and Kinsky is a commanding presence in the Spurs goal, carving out a reputation for late saves to earn precious points and keep them above the drop zone.
On Monday against Leeds, it was a wonderful reaction to deny Sean Longstaff who burst clear in the eighth minute of stoppage time and took aim from the corner of the six-yard box.
Antonin Kinsky made a wonderful reaction save to deny Sean Longstaff who had burst clear
Kinsky threw up his right hand and pushed the searing drive against the bar to keep the game level at 1-1. Spurs had led but by this stage were happy to bank another point.
In the first half, he made another exceptional save, low to his left to stop a header by Joe Rodon on the line. The Spurs fans were singing his name.
Little more than two weeks earlier at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 23-year-old had made a flying stop to reach a swerving free kick unleashed by Joao Gomes, also in the eighth minute of added time.
This save at Molineux protected a 1-0 lead and secured the result to end a miserable run of 15 games without a win in the Premier League.
Those two saves were worth three points and without them, Spurs would still be trailing behind relegation rivals West Ham.
As it stands, they are two points clear with a far healthier goal difference and fixtures remaining at Chelsea and at home to Everton. West Ham’s last two games are at Newcastle and at home to Leeds.
‘He’s improving a lot,’ said Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi, when asked about Kinsky after the draw against Leeds. ‘He’s a good goalkeeper. I had no doubt in my first days in Tottenham because I knew him before coming here.
‘He played in Madrid, he made that mistake, and it was tough for him. He has great personality, strong character and he deserves to play a game like today.’
Guglielmo Vicario has been the Spurs No 1 since he signed from Empoli in 2023.
Italian Vicario did not start against Atletico in Madrid, in the first leg of a last-16 Champions League tie, because he had been trying to rest a nagging hernia problem.
But he started in the next three games before undergoing surgery during the international break in March, after playing in a 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest, which turned out to be Tudor’s last game in charge.
Kinsky was thrust back into the team when De Zerbi arrived because Vicario was out and, on his return, less than a month after that night in Madrid, he was involved in a collision which ruled captain Cristian Romero out for the rest of the season.
Romero was nudged in the back by Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey at the Stadium of Light and crashed into the onrushing Kinsky.
The Spurs captain suffered damage to medial knee ligaments and left the pitch in tears.
Kinsky, who cut his head in the impact, was not at fault in any way but hardly an auspicious return. To add insult to the injuries, Spurs lost.
Since then, however, his confidence has soared and he has grown in stature. He is also more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Vicario, who De Zerbi insists remains his No 1 ‘keeper but is still not ready to return.
Kinsky had a nightmare away at Atletico Madrid but now deserves to keep his place
With fixtures running out, it seems increasingly unlikely Vicario will play again this season. In fact, there is a chance he will not play again in Spurs colours if a proposed £20million move to Inter Milan comes off.
Kinsky meanwhile deserves to keep his place in the team.
It is an incredible reversal of fortunes, because he was resigned to finding for a loan move in the summer to find the regular football required to rebuild his reputation away from Spurs and the scrutiny of the Premier League.
Instead, Kinsky has passed a stern examination under intense pressure. Spurs have taken eight points from five games since he returned to the team, and he has conceded only five.
With Vicario in goal, they conceded 13 in the five previous Premier League games albeit those came during the chaos of the brief Tudor tenure.
If he continues in this form until the end of this season, Kinsky cannot have made a stronger claim to start next season as the Spurs number one.
