Tottenham Edge Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 As Palhinha Nets Late Winner In 2026 Clash

Tottenham finally claimed a Premier League win in 2026, beating Wolves 1-0 at Molineux, yet still staying in the relegation places. Joao Palhinha struck in the 82nd minute to end a 15-match league run without victory and deliver Roberto De Zerbi a first success as head coach, but Spurs remain 18th with four fixtures still to play.

The result did not lift Tottenham out of danger because West Ham scored late as well, winning 2-1 against Everton. That comeback leaves Spurs two points short of safety despite this narrow victory. Wolves, already consigned to the Championship earlier in the week, stay bottom after a 23rd league defeat in this campaign.

Palhinha came off the bench and settled the match from close range, taking advantage of rare slack defending. Pedro Porro’s corner dropped to Richarlison, who reacted first and nudged the ball towards the unmarked midfielder. Matt Doherty played Palhinha onside, allowing a calm finish from inside the six-yard box for a fourth league goal this season.

That strike continued Palhinha’s habit of scoring from set pieces, with seven of 11 Premier League goals arriving from corners. Only Richarlison, with nine goals, has more league strikes for Tottenham this season. Palhinha also became the first Spurs substitute to score a Premier League winner since February 2024, when Brennan Johnson secured a 2-1 victory over Brighton.

The game had been tense and scrappy before the late drama, with Tottenham short of creativity for long spells. Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons both departed with knee injuries, further limiting attacking options. Simons earlier wasted a clear chance, lifting the ball over the bar, while Jose Sa faced little serious work until the final half-hour.

Sa’s first major save arrived on 69 minutes, when Rodrigo Bentancur met a cross with a strong header. The Wolves goalkeeper dived low to the left and pushed the attempt away. That moment briefly lifted Spurs, yet Wolves also grew in confidence before being undone at a corner, which finally broke the deadlock.

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Tottenham still needed a standout stop from Antonin Kinsky deep into stoppage time to preserve the points. In the 98th minute, Joao Gomes curled a free-kick towards the top-right corner. Kinsky leapt across and clawed the ball away, producing one of the decisive saves of Spurs’ season so far in their survival battle.

For Wolves, this loss added another unwanted record to a difficult year. Their 23rd league defeat matches the club’s highest total in a 38-game top-flight season, previously reached in 1905-06 and 2011-12. Their relegation had been confirmed on Monday, and the team remains stranded at the bottom of the Premier League table.

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Spurs avoided matching one of the club’s longest winless runs by securing this result. Their previous league victory came on 28 December, a 1-0 success against Crystal Palace. Avoiding another failure here ensured they did not equal their worst top-flight winless sequence since 1935, underlining the scale of their recent struggles.

The performance still leaves De Zerbi’s side under pressure heading into the final four games, with no margin for error. However, the end of a 15-match wait for a league win, a clean sheet, and Palhinha’s continued scoring form from corners offer some encouragement as Tottenham chase survival in the closing weeks.