Tottenham defeat relegated Wolves in crucial Premier League clash.
Tottenham finally ended their agonising wait for a Premier League victory in 2026, grinding out a 1-0 win at Molineux through Joao Palhinha’s 82nd-minute goal to claim three points that could yet prove season-defining. The performance was far from convincing, and further injuries to Solanke and Simons added fresh concern to an already stretched squad. But in a relegation battle, winning ugly counts for everything, and Tottenham have at least demonstrated they are capable of doing exactly that.
Palhinha Must Start
The argument was compelling before Saturday. After it, it is unanswerable. Joao Palhinha came off the bench in the 63rd minute and won the game. His aerial dominance, his composure in possession, and his neat finish in the 82nd minute were the actions of a player operating at a level above almost everyone else on the pitch. With just 13 touches, he made more impact than players who had been on the field for over an hour.
De Zerbi cannot continue to leave a player of this quality and influence on the bench when Tottenham are fighting for their Premier League lives. The remaining four fixtures against Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea, and Everton demand his best starting lineup, and the evidence from Molineux makes clear that Palhinha belongs in it.
Injuries Are Becoming a Crisis Again
The season-long injury nightmare that has defined Tottenham’s campaign under three different managers has resurfaced at the worst possible moment. Losing both Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons in the same match, with four games remaining, is a devastating blow to a squad already operating with minimal depth.
Simons, in particular, has been Tottenham’s most creative and dangerous player in recent weeks. His absence for any of the remaining fixtures would represent a significant loss of quality at a time when every attacking contribution counts. De Zerbi must now plan for the final stretch with even fewer options than before.
Winning Ugly Is a Skill This Squad Has Learned
For much of this season, Tottenham have been a team that concedes late, drops points from winning positions, and collapses under pressure. Saturday showed a different side entirely. When the goal would not come and time was running out, this squad found a way. Palhinha’s late intervention reflected a team that kept believing rather than retreating into the anxiety that has characterised so many performances this year.
That mentality shift, however modest, is genuinely significant. Four games remain, and survival is still not secured, but a squad that knows how to win ugly is considerably better equipped for a relegation fight than one that does not.