Tottenham Joao Palhinha scored eight minutes from time as his side claimed a first Premier League victory in 16 games with a 1-0 win against relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday but they remain in the bottom three.
Spurs have 34 points from 34 matches but are still 18th and in the drop zone after West Ham United’s last-gasp 2-1 home win over Everton, leaving Tottenham two points from the safety zone.
It had been a frustrating afternoon for the visitors as they created little of substance until Palhinha, who also scored in the 1-1 home draw with Wolves earlier in the season, turned the ball in at the back post from Richarlison’s miscued shot.
Wolves' relegation was confirmed on Monday and so for the home fans there was no tension but for Spurs supporters it was another nervous occasion in which their team finally ended their long winless league run but remain in a perilous position.
Wolves vs Tottenham latest news
- GOAL! Palhinha prods home huge goal
Sam Tabuteau reports
17:02 , Alex YoungDe Zerbi is on the pitch and Tottenham have their win.
They avoid matching a club-record 16 game winless run and could potentially have the catalyst to steer them to safety. It is as we were at the bottom of the table as West Ham also win, but this will give Spurs so much hope.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
17:00 , Alex Young99min: THAT IS A STUNNING SAVE FROM KINSKY!
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:59 , Alex Young98min: One final chance for Wolves with a free kick on the edge of the area...
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:55 , Alex Young94min: Spurs doing well to tick the clock down.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:52 , Alex Young92min: Dragusin replaces Gallagher.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:52 , Alex Young91min: Seven minutes added on.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:51 , Alex Young90min: Heading into added time, as West Ham take the lead in London.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:49 , Alex YoungThis relegation race has just taken another twist as noise emerges that Everton have equalised at West Ham.
Spurs look re-energised, just minutes ago they looked destined for the drop.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:49 , Alex Young87min: Tchatchoua and Hwang are on for Wolves.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:47 , Alex YoungWhat a massive, massive goal that could be for Tottenham. Joao Palhinha's goal stands and they are on course for their first league win of 2026.
Huge celebrations in the away end.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:47 , Alex Young86min: Wolves prepping subs.
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham
16:45 , Alex Young82min: It’s onside, just.
Spurs are heading for their first win of 2026.
GOALLLLLLLLLLLL!
16:43 , Alex Young82min: A HUGE MOMENT FOR SPURS!
PALHINHA TUCKS HOME AT THE BACK POST!
But is he offside?
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:42 , Alex Young80min: Doherty takes the ball off Richarlison’s head inside the area.
A huge moment!
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:41 , Alex Young79min: Header from Armstrong, which is nowhere near the goal but Wolves are creating.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:37 , Alex Young75min: Spurs not creating anything. They somehow look less dangerous since the Simons injury.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:34 , Alex YoungTottenham still seem stunned by the loss of Simons.
They have not been able to play with the same freedom they were afforded in the first half, and Wolves now look the most likely to score in a game of few chances.
This is becoming desperate for Spurs.
SAVE!
16:31 , Alex Young69min: Huge Bentancur header denied by Sa. What a save!
Bentancur roars with frustration.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:30 , Alex Young68min: Shot from Tel, blocked by Bueno behind for a corner.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:29 , Alex Young68min: There is finally some energy in the game. Can Spurs use that Simons injury somehow to their advantage?
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:28 , Alex Young66min: Great save from Kinsky to push the ball away from Mane, after Danso had been caught.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:26 , Alex Young65min: We’ve restarted, but now Tel is hobbling after a tough tackle.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:24 , Alex Young62min: Wolves fans booing the delay as the stretcher is called for.
Simons and Bissouma are off, Palhinha and Bergval are on.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:23 , Alex Young61min: No, Simons is done again after just trying to job.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:22 , Alex Young60min: Simons is up, but surely he doesn’t continue.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:21 , Alex YoungTottenham just can't catch a break.
Xavi Simons, the man who looked like he could be the spark to steer Spurs to safety, is down and in some pain. He does not look like he can continue.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:20 , Alex Young57min: Oh no, Simons looks in a lot of pain after planting his foot when trying to control the ball.
That looks very, very bad.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:18 , Alex Young56min: Bit of bite in the game as Porro and Bueno are booked, after Mane is tripped.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:16 , Alex Young54min: Richarlison with a wild effort from distance.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:15 , Alex Young53min: Sa with a Cruyff turn in front of Richarlison. Not sure his manager would have appreciated that.
CHANCE!
16:14 , Alex Young52min: Simons found in space on the left, he drives at goal and tries to bend a shot into the far corner but is deflected away.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:12 , Alex Young50min: Wolves showing more fight in the early stages of this second half.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
16:08 , Alex Young47min: Wolves win an early corner off Richarlison.
Second half!
16:06 , Alex Young46min: We’re back underway, with Kolo Muani indeed making way.
Players are back out at Molineux. Tel is coming on, presumably to replace Kolo Muani.
West Ham are drawing 0-0 with Everton as the second half there kicks off.
A bright start from Spurs, which soon faded.
Solanke has gone off injured, and Andre was perhaps lucky not to be sent off.
Spurs need to improve, a lot.
Half-time!
15:51 , Alex Young51min: That’s your lot. Spurs not good enough, again.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:51 , Alex Young50min: Andre is moaning but he’s very lucky still be on. Bissouma is back on his feet.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:49 , Alex Young48min: Andre goes in two-footed on Bissouma! He gets a yellow card, which is selected and approved by VAR.
Bissouma looks in some pain.
Sam Tabuteau reports
15:48 , Alex YoungAt this stage of the season any injury is a concern, with the World Cup around the corner. Solanke did walk off the pitch unassisted, though, so hopefully it is nothing too serious.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:46 , Alex Young46min: Three minutes added on.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:44 , Alex Young43min: Corner comes to nothing.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:43 , Alex Young42min: Mane wins a corner off Porro. Wolves are pushing higher up the pitch.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:41 , Alex Young40min: Richarlison is on.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:40 , Alex Young39min: Richarlison is getting some final instructions as Solanke hobbles to the touchline.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:38 , Alex Young37min: Solanke is down receiving treatment in the centre circle.
It doesn’t look like he will be able to continue as Richarlison is told to warm up.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:34 , Alex Young34min: Spurs need to step it up, with Wolves not showing a huge amount of fight at the moment.
The longer this goes on, though, Wolves will get encouragement.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:31 , Alex Young30min: Simons’ first shot in danger, after Wolves fail to clear their lines, but it skids wide.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:29 , Alex Young27min: Pressure from Wolves to win two corners in quick succession.
The first is brilliantly charged down by Solanke, the second headed clear by the striker.
Sam Tabuteau reports
15:25 , Alex YoungSpence keeps making some really aggressive runs in behind. There is space there for Spurs if they can just get their passes right.
Lots of possession so far for Spurs, but just missing that quality with the ball right now.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:23 , Alex Young22min: De Zerbi is calm and collected on the sidelines, but does need his player to show a bit more urgency.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:19 , Alex Young18min: Wolves starting a string a few more passes together now.
Sam Tabuteau reports
15:17 , Alex YoungIt has been an encouraging start from Tottenham, who are getting after the ball and making the early inroads in attack. They are working hard in and out of possession.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:15 , Alex Young14min: Spurs have won the ball in Wolves’ half countless times already. Firmly on top, but yet to test Sa.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:13 , Alex Young12min: Wolves gift a chance to Spurs, which is picked up by Kolo Muani who blazes wide from the edge of the area.
He had more time and space.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:11 , Alex Young11min: Wolves get into the Spurs half but a sloppy pass from Armstrong sees the move break down.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:09 , Alex Young9min: Corner is wasted.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:09 , Alex Young8min: Driving run from Kolo Muani into the area, but Toti does briliantly to clear for a corner.
Spurs striker looked to have beaten him then.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:07 , Alex Young6min: Nice from Spurs, playing it around Wolves, who are not shying away from some touch tackles.
Spence wins a corner off Doherty. Simons takes short to Porro, whose cross is punched away by Sa.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:05 , Alex Young5min: Porro goes to Danso, who tries to find Solanke and Bentancur in the centre but the pair cannot get a decisive touch.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:04 , Alex Young4min: Gallagher comes off worse from a challenge with Gomes. Free kick to Spurs around 35 yards out.
Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
15:03 , Alex Young3min: Spurs pressing high again, like they did last week. Already forced Wolves into an early mistake to win back possession.
Kick-off
15:01 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
De Zerbi says his team is good enough to win all five of their remaining games.
He might need to.
Here come the teams.
It’s a very sunny afternoon in Wolverhampton, and the pitch is being watered ahead of kick-off.
Opta have crunched the numbers ahead of Spurs and West Ham playing today.
According to their ‘supercomputer’ Spurs are 61.01 per cent favourites to go down, with West Ham far safer with a 37.98% chance of being relegated.
Leeds and Nottingham Forest have less than a one per cent chance each.
Final prep ahead of the game.
It’s win or bust for Spurs.
De Zerbi is not yet feeling the pressure, he claims. He he does need a win.
“I don’t want to put pressure but we have to know the situation, we can’t forget the table and that we need to win, and maybe what we have done until now is not enough,” De Zerbi said.
“Even if we win at Wolves it’s not finished yet anyway, there are four more games. But right now I think we deserve to win a game. We played a very good game against Brighton and were unlucky.”
Wolves are having a huge say on the title race, having lost 4-0 to West Ham and 3-0 to Leeds.
Tottenham desperately need them to be as accommodating.
One in, one out for Spurs
14:07 , Alex YoungAs Sam reports, one in and one out for Spurs as Spence replaces the injured Udogie.
Maddison, as expected, is again on the bench, but don’t expect him to come on.
Wolves make five changes from the loss to Leeds as first-choice goalkeeper Sa is fit to return. Former Spurs man Doherty is also in, and captains the team.
Confirmed team news in full
14:00 , Alex YoungWolves XI: Sa; Lima, Doherty, Toti, Santi Bueno, Hugo Bueno; Joao Gomes, Andre, Mateus Mane; Rodrigo Gomes; Armstrong
Subs: Bentley, Wolfe, Hwang, Arokodare, Bellegarde, Tchatchoua, A.Gomes, Olagunju, Edozie
Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Gallagher; Kolo Muani, Solanke, Xavi Simons
Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Souza, Gray, Palhinha, Bergvall, Maddison, Tel, Richarlison
Sam Tabuteau reports
13:55 , Alex YoungYesterday, Roberto De Zerbi reinforced the fact that he did not want to make many changes to his starting XI between now and the end of the season.
So, no surprises to see just the one enforced change as Spence comes in for Udogie.
Tottenham XI
13:48 , Alex YoungAnd Spurs!
Our Spurs side at Molineux 👊
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 25, 2026
🔢 @krakenfx pic.twitter.com/Ej59qUEgUd
Wolves XI
13:47 , Alex YoungHere’s how the hosts look!
🖐 Five changes from #LEEWOL
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 25, 2026
🇮🇪 Doherty captains the team
How we line-up to take on @SpursOfficial 📋 pic.twitter.com/yc3RICQOPh
A message for the arriving Spurs team.
Line-ups to be confirmed in a few minutes.
Lay of the land
13:37 , Alex YoungWest Ham, meanwhile, are preparing to take on Everton this afternoon.
The relegation battle picture will be that little bit clearer come 5pm this afternoon.
A win for Spurs and a draw for West Ham will see De Zerbi’s side move out of the bottom three.
Predicted line-up
13:30 , Alex YoungTel is not expected to start today, either, with Kolo Muani and Simons predicted to get the nod.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Simons; Solanke
De Zerbi sends Tel message with Spurs star stuck on squad fringes
13:22 , Alex YoungRoberto De Zerbi says there is nothing more that Mathys Tel can do to stake a claim for minutes.
Tel has started just nine Premier League games this season despite Spurs suffering a number of injuries out wide.
With Spurs deciding to sanction the departure of Brennan Johnson in January, and Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski all injury, Tel is the only fit natural winger in De Zerbi’s squad.
De Zerbi tried to sign Tel while he was manager at Marseille, yet the Frenchman has been limited to just 61 minutes off the bench in his first two games in charge.
Asked what Tel had to do to force a claim for more minutes, De Zerbi admitted that while he admired the 20-year-old, he did not want to make too many changes to his starting lineup so close to the end of the season.
“Nothing more (he can do to get minutes), because I'm happy for him,” De Zerbi said in his pre-Wolves press conference.
“He has a great attitude, he has great qualities, he's very young. Kolo Muani, he has much experience, but we'll see in the next game.
“Maybe he can start in the first eleven, but I don't like to change too many players, one game, one game.
“Especially now, we have to find the connection between the players. They have to be able to communicate inside of the pitch.”
De Zerbi's big challenge is belief as Spurs enter do-or-die territory
13:10 , Alex YoungA week has passed since Tottenham last played, yet the emotional rollercoaster of this tightest of relegation battles has shown no signs of relenting as we head into the final five games of the season, writes Sam Tabuteau.
Over the last seven days, Spurs’ supporters have lurched to and fro before eventually landing back right where they started - two points from safety and without a league win this calendar year.
Georginio Rutter’s stoppage-time equaliser for Brighton, which came a matter of hours after Leeds had put three past Wolves, felt like a death knell for Spurs’ survival hopes as players sank to the ground in despair at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday.
There was then no respite on Sunday, as Nottingham Forest came from behind in style to seal a 4-1 win over Burnley and move five points clear of the bottom three.
A win for West Ham away to Crystal Palace on Monday evening, and even the most optimistic of Spurs supporters would have begun to fear the worst.
The Hammers, though, were unable to seize their opportunity as they were held to a goalless draw on a frustrating evening at Selhurst Park. Leeds have long looked safe, and a late leveller at Bournemouth has all but secured their top-flight survival.
Fast-forward to Friday night, as the Spurs squad travelled north to Wolverhampton, Forest to put five past Sunderland to move themselves out of danger.
We are down to two, and there are no more second chances for Spurs.
Score prediction
12:58 , Alex YoungSpurs simply must win this game. There is no two ways about it.
They have not won in the Premier League since December, but they have to snap that rotten record if they are serious about staying in the top flight.
Wolves are wounded after their own relegation was confirmed, and they could be motivated knowing that Spurs could provide them with a huge away day in the second tier next term.
Tottenham to win, 2-1
How about Maddison?
12:50 , Alex YoungJames Maddison was last weekend named in a matchday squad for the first time this season, and will again be involved today.
But don’t expect him to get on the pitch.
Maddison notably did not warm up with the other substitutes at half-time of the Brighton draw, though, and headed straight down the tunnel before the full-time whistle as Spurs conceded a 95th-minute equaliser from Georginio Rutter.
Maddison was back out on the pitch to console his team-mates after the game, but with De Zerbi noting that he was keen not to push the 29-year-old too hard after more than eight months out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, he added that while he will travel with the squad, he will not play any part against Wolves.
“No, he's not available yet, especially this week, he felt pain, but it's not such an important problem,” De Zerbi said of Maddison.
“Tomorrow, he'll come with us on the bench because it's important if he plays or not. It doesn't matter, it's better if he plays for sure, but also as a guy, as a leader, as a positive guy.
“Inside my dressing room I want to see nice people, positive people, and it's important also for his team-mates.”
Early Tottenham team news
12:43 , Alex YoungTottenham will be without both Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario for today’s must-win clash with Wolves in the Premier League.
Left-back Udogie, who only recently returned from a hamstring issue, has picked up a new muscle injury.
First-choice goalkeeper Vicario, meanwhile, has missed Spurs’ last two games after undergoing hernia surgery during the March international break.
Pape Matar Sarr missed out against Brighton, and De Zerbi confirmed he would also be unavailable for selection against Wolves as he continues to battle with a shoulder injury first picked up during the international break.
Xavi Simons, who scored and assisted on a frustrating afternoon against Brighton, is expected to be fit despite being seen hobbling through the mixed zone at full-time.
Rodrigo Bentancur is also likely to start for the second successive game following his return from a hamstring injury.
The Uruguayan provided energy and dynamism to Spurs’ midfield against Brighton, and De Zerbi is likely to opt for the same combination for the trip to Wolves.
Early Wolves team news
12:37 , Alex YoungWolves have seven players out for this game.
Sam Johnstone, who had established himself as first-choice goalkeeper, is likely out for the season with a shoulder injury, while Jose Sa is also struggling with a shoulder problem of his own.
Should both be ruled out, it could mean that third-choice shot-stopper Daniel Bentley keeps his place after starting in the 3-0 loss at Leeds.
Matt Doherty could return after he missed the last two matches with a niggle, while midfielder Angel Gomes is touch and go with a toe injury.
Ladislav Krejci suffered whiplash at Leeds, and Enso Gonzalez is out for the remainder of the campaign with a knee problem. Yerson Mosquera is suspended.
Wolves vs Tottenham LIVE
12:29 , Alex YoungThis is Tottenham’s most important Premier League fixture since, well, the last one.
With five games to go in the season, and without a win in 2025, Spurs simply must leave Molineux today with all three points.
Wolves are rock bottom, and were last week thumped by Spurs’ relegation rivals West Ham. More of the same today needed for Spurs.
Kick-off is at 3pm. Stick with us.
