Key Takeaways
- João Palhinha slid home an 82-minute winner to end Tottenham’s 15-game winless league run.
- The 1-0 victory at Wolves lifts Spurs above the relegation places on goal difference, level on points with West Ham.
- Roberto De Zerbi’s side still need four more wins from their last four matches to hit the manager’s survival target.
João Palhinha struck from close range with eight minutes left to hand Tottenham a priceless 1-0 win at already-relegated Wolves and keep their Premier League status alive.
The Portugal midfielder, introduced as a second-half substitute, reacted fastest after Richarlison miskicked Pedro Porro’s corner, steering the loose ball past José Sá to end the club’s record run of 15 league games without victory.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi sprinted onto the Molineux pitch in celebration, aware that the three points briefly lifted his side out of the bottom three. News that West Ham had regained the lead against Everton later pushed Spurs back into 18th place, but the gap is now only two points with four matches remaining.
De Zerbi had challenged his squad to secure five wins from the final fixtures; this was the first. Injuries continue to mount—Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons joined a list that now totals 11 absentees—yet the visitors controlled long spells against a Wolves side playing for pride alone.
Wolves, condemned to the Championship last weekend, showed flashes through João Gomes and Adam Armstrong, but Antonin Kinsky saved their best chances, including a 98th-minute drive from Gomes. At the other end, Rodrigo Bentancur’s first-half header was tipped over before Palhinha’s decisive intervention.
The result sets up a nerve-shredding finish for Tottenham, who visit West Ham next in a direct relegation shoot-out. De Zerbi insists belief has returned to the camp; survival remains unlikely, but Molineux witnessed the first heartbeat of a potential great escape.
