Key Takeaways
- Joao Palhinha scored in the final minutes to give Tottenham their first Premier League win since December, ending a 118-day drought.
- Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky produced a match-saving stop in the seventh minute of added time to preserve the three points.
- Spurs remain 18th and two points from safety with four games left, fighting to avoid relegation from the top flight after nearly 50 years.
Tottenham Hotspur finally secured a priceless victory after 118 days of disappointment, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 at Molineux. Joao Palhinha’s late strike gave Spurs their first three points since late December and prevented the club from sliding deeper into the relegation battle.
The result at London Stadium had a direct impact on Tottenham’s position. West Ham United’s late winner against Everton kept Spurs in the bottom three, even though Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s equaliser for the Toffees had briefly lifted Tottenham out of the drop zone. Callum Wilson’s injury-time goal for the Hammers ensured they remained above the relegation line.
With only four matches remaining, Tottenham sit in 18th place, two points from safety. The North London club is desperately fighting to maintain its top-flight status, which it has held for almost half a century.
Spurs had not tasted league success since a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on 28 December. Manager Roberto De Zerbi stressed the importance of the Wolves fixture during the week. “I do not want to add pressure, but we must understand our situation,” he explained. “We cannot ignore the table; we cannot forget that we need victories. What we have done until now is not enough.”
The Italian secured his first win in his third game as boss, having previously lost to Sunderland and drawn with Brighton since replacing Igor Tudor following the defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The first half in Wolverhampton showed little urgency from the visitors. Safe passing without creativity revealed their nerves, with eight defeats in eleven matches across all competitions affecting confidence levels.
De Zerbi hopes the result changes his players’ mentality. “I hope this outcome can shift something in our minds,” he said. “It is already very difficult for us to win games. If we focus on other teams’ results, it becomes impossible. The players know what they can do. They must stay positive and feel full of confidence because they are good players.”
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky proved the hero. Seven weeks earlier, the 23-year-old was substituted after just 17 minutes in a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid having conceded three times. He returned to the side after Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery last month.
In the seventh minute of added time against Wolves, Kinsky produced a brilliant save from Joao Gomes’ free-kick, turning the ball over the bar and crashing into the post in the process. Earlier, he had rushed out to deny Adam Armstrong after a defensive error allowed the striker to break clear.
At full-time, Kinsky was surrounded by celebrating team-mates in a mixture of joy and relief. “We can enjoy today because he performed excellently,” De Zerbi commented. “He was crucial for the result and deserves everything. After Madrid, he deserves a day like this.”
Match-winner Palhinha praised his colleague. “Antonin saved our victory with that final stop,” he said. “This team has deserved three points for such a long time. It has not been easy. It means much more than just the points.”
New injury concerns emerged for Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons. Solanke left the pitch with a hamstring issue before half-time, while Simons was stretchered off with a knee problem in the second period after initially attempting to continue.
De Zerbi confirmed: “For Xavi it is a problem with his knee. We will assess him in the coming days. For Solanke it is muscular, which is less serious. I do not know how many games we will lose him for, but I would like to know the real situation with Xavi because knee injuries are always different to muscular problems.”
Former Wales defender Ashley Williams noted that such moments will prove vital if Spurs are to survive. “Kinsky made a great save in the final seconds,” he observed. “They celebrated the final whistle like it was an FA Cup final, which shows how much it means to them. This win gives them momentum that might carry them through to the end of the season.”