Kinsky's save, Palhinha's relief and - finally - a Tottenham win

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It has taken 118 days but Tottenham finally have a win and hope to cling to.

Joao Palhinha's late goal at Wolves gave Tottenham their first Premier League victory since December and stopped them slipping into deeper despair.

The drama 151 miles away at London Stadium did not go unnoticed at Molineux as West Ham's late winner against Everton kept Spurs in the bottom three.

Tottenham had briefly climbed out - following Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's equaliser for the Toffees - before Callum Wilson's stoppage-time strike for West Ham kept the Hammers above the drop line.

Two points from safety with four games to go, Tottenham remain 18th and are fighting to keep the spot in the top flight they have held for nearly half a century.

'I hope this result can change something in our head'

Tottenham had not won in the Premier League since a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on 28 December, and De Zerbi had underlined the importance of their trip to Molineux.

"I don't want to put pressure but we have to know the situation," he said in the week. "We can't forget the table; we can't forget we need to win.

"What we have done until now is not enough. If we win at Wolves, it's not finished."

It is certainly not finished, but with games running out there was little urgency from Spurs in the first half in Wolverhampton.

Safe passing with little creativity showed their nerves, and eight defeats in 11 in all competitions explained a lack of confidence.

It was something De Zerbi picked up on and he wants to see the victory affect his players' mentality.

"I hope this result can change something in our head," he said. "For the other results, it's already very tough to win a game for us. If we put our heads in the other teams it will be too tough for me.

"The players know what they can do on the pitch, especially this season. We didn't win a game in 2026 but in the Champions League [league phase] they finished fourth.

"They have to be positive and they have to feel full of confidence because they are good and [should not look at] the other results."

It was De Zerbi's first win in his third game as Tottenham boss, having lost to Sunderland and drawn with his former club Brighton.

Tottenham will go to fifth-placed Aston Villa on Sunday, 3 May with De Zerbi confident survival can be achieved.

"I believe we can stay up. If I am here it's because I am positive. The most important thing is the quality of the players and human level of the players," De Zerbi said.

"It was a surprise for me because I didn't know them. When I knew the players better I understood we have the chance to stay up.

"When you watch the game from the TV or the stands you can't understand if they have the right spirit or attitude. I work with them every day and all the players are professional, good guys. They are suffering from the situation.

"We need to stay strong in the head."

Kinsky takes his chance for redemption

Nearly seven weeks ago, Kinsky was substituted after just 17 minutes in a high-stakes Champions League game, having conceded three goals at Atletico Madrid.

The ignominy was something he could have carried with him, but the 23-year-old has been forced back into action after Guglielmo Vicario had hernia surgery last month.

He has played in all of De Zerbi's three games since the Italian replaced Igor Tudor following the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

But when Joao Gomes lined up a Wolves free-kick in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time there was a sense of anticipation for the home side's last chance to salvage a point.

The midfielder's effort was good, but Kinsky's save was better as he turned it over the bar, clattering into the post in the process.

Kinsky had earlier rushed out to stop Adam Armstrong reaching a long ball after Kevin Danso dithered and allowed the striker to sprint ahead.

At the final whistle, Kinsky was mobbed by team-mates in a mixture of euphoria and relief.

De Zerbi said: "We can savour the day because he played very well, he was crucial for the result and he deserves everything. He is a good guy, a good keeper. After Madrid he deserves one day like today."

Match-winner Palhinha, who scored Tottenham's last-minute leveller against Wolves in September, also praised his team-mate.

"Antonin Kinsky saved us the victory with this last save," Palhinha told the BBC's Match of the Day.

"This team has deserved the three points for such a long time. It's not been easy. It means a lot, much more than the three points.

"I think the pressure, you cannot control. It's about mentality. Focus on what we can control, not thinking bad thoughts. Focus on the present.

"We know if we are on the right form in the present we will achieve our goal – to keep Tottenham in the Premier League."

Injury concerns cloud winning feeling

Image source, Getty Images

The new concern for Spurs will be the fitness of Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons, with both forced off injured at Wolves.

Striker Solanke limped off with an apparent hamstring blow before the break before Simons was carried off with a knee injury in the second half.

Simons in particular looked in distress after initially getting to his feet and jumping up and down before going down again.

Both look major doubts for the Aston Villa game and will be assessed in the coming days.

De Zerbi said: "For Xavi it's a problem of his knee. We are going to see in the next days.

"For Solanke it's muscular, it's not a big problem. I don't know how many games we'll lose him for, but I would like to know the real situation of Xavi because the knee is always different to a muscular injury.

"He feels better than at the beginning of the injury."

"I wouldn't like to lose any other players because [Cristian] Romero, [Mohammed] Kudus and now Solanke and Xavi. I want to be positive."

Spurs still won without the pair on the pitch, Palhinha one of four second-half substitutes, and former Wales defender Ashley Williams knows they have to take their big moments.

"Antonin Kinsky made a great save in the last few seconds of the game and that is what it is going to take if they are to stay in the league. They're going to have to do everything they can to get a win," pundit Williams said on Final Score.

"They celebrated the final whistle like it was an FA Cup final which shows how much it means to them. They have been waiting for this win for so long.

"A 1-0 win against Wolves means a lot. Gives them a bit of momentum that now might propel them until the end of the season."

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