Palhinha Sees Wolves Win Could Change Tottenham Hotspur Seasonnewsline24

Tottenham ended a 15-game Premier League winless run with a tense 1-0 success at Wolves, a result Joao Palhinha believes can reshape the club’s troubled campaign and keep survival hopes alive after months of pressure.

Palhinha diverted a mishit shot from Richarlison into the net in the 82nd minute at Molineux, delivering Tottenham’s first league victory of 2026, before goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky preserved the points with a crucial 98th-minute save from Joao Gomes.

The dramatic finish ensured Tottenham avoided equalling the club’s longest winless streak in the top division, while also finally beating a side that started the day in the relegation zone at the fourth attempt, after two draws and one defeat earlier this season.

The league table still shows the scale of the task, though, as West Ham’s 2-1 victory over Everton kept Tottenham 18th, two points short of safety, while injuries to Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons further clouded an otherwise vital evening.

Reflecting on the significance of the result, Palhinha told BBC Sport: “Hopefully it changes something. This victory is much more than that for me, the fans, and the whole club; it’s not a normal season that we have been living until today. We all have responsibility in this season. We have four finals [remaining]. We need to do our jobs. Hopefully, this win can change things, give us a bit more motivation as well, as it’s been a long time without victories. What we can control right now is doing our job until the end of the season and keeping the club where it belongs, which is the Premier League. We will give everything we have until the end of the season because it means a lot for us to keep [Tottenham] in the Premier League.”

Molineux had a subdued feel for long spells, with home fans still processing confirmation of Wolves’ relegation earlier in the week, and the final whistle brought loud boos after another defeat in a difficult campaign.

This latest reverse was Wolves’ 23rd league loss of the season, matching their highest total in a 38-game top-flight schedule, a mark previously reached in 2011-12 and as far back as the 1905-06 campaign.

Wolves Premier League response from Rob Edwards

Head coach Rob Edwards said he understood the frustration from the stands but chose to underline the commitment shown by the squad after a draining few days, describing how the group tried to compete with Tottenham’s intensity.

Edwards told his post-match news conference: “We’re bottom of the league, and we’ve just lost three in a row. It’s not as easy as just turn and beat Tottenham because they’ve been having a bad time. They’ve got a lot of good players, and their motivation level is incredibly high. It’s been really challenging this week for us, being officially relegated. For the players to give everything and match Tottenham’s work rate, the lads deserve a lot of credit. We lacked a bit of a cutting edge, but that’s where we’re at, at the moment. Everyone’s giving their all, and it’s going to take some time to turn this around. We’re working really hard to put things right, and in a few weeks we’ll be able to action that.”

The match therefore left Tottenham celebrating a lifeline in the battle to stay in the Premier League, while Wolves, already condemned to the drop, looked ahead to rebuilding after a season that exposed limitations at both ends of the pitch.