João Palhinha keeps Spurs’ survival hopes alive with late winner at Wolves

João Palhinha taps home Tottenham’s vital 82nd-minute winner. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Wolves have looked like a decent mid-table team for much of this second half of the season, but their disastrous start has left relegation a formality for some while. After resounding home results against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool, the long break from mid-March seemed to suck the life out of them with so little in the table to play for. Having overcome Derby’s record low Premier League tally of 11 points, pipping Burnley to 19th place only holds so much glamour. They have lost three successive games to bottom-six sides since, West Ham, Leeds and now Spurs playing with the edge of teams with much more to play for.

Wolves belatedly realised they had to produce some fighting spirit in this game, with João Gomes showing the class on the ball in tight spaces that has led to strong interest from Atletico Madrid. The South Bank relished the prospect of playing “[West Bromwich] Albion away, ole ole”. They later edited this to “Tottenham away” as Spurs slipped back into the bottom three with West Ham winning.

Either side of half-time, Solanke had to go off, possibly with a hamstring injury, while Randal Kolo Muani was replaced by choice, before Simons went down, as Hugo Bueno saw the ball out for a goal-kick, and even the Wolves players were calling for medical help.

Good luck to Sebastian Kehl, the former Borussia Dortmund sporting director, or whoever comes in as Spurs’ new co-sporting director charged with helping rebuild the playing squad.

Meanwhile, Wolves started to show some goal threat: Mateus Mane headed over; Adam Armstrong almost cashed in as Kevin Danso dithered over a difficult ball back to Antonin Kinsky. Hugo Bueno curled one free-kick just over, while Kinsky saved superbly from João Gomes’ effort in the 98th minute. Even though Wolves were no great shakes, it felt as if Spurs had been getting worse before the late charge.

RodrigoBentancur had come as close as anyone to scoring when he produced a powerful header from Porro’s free-kick, José Sá saving superbly, before Doherty flicked the ball away just as Richarlison looked about to head home. Then came Palhinha’s decisive intervention.