Finally! Spurs’ first win in 2026 comes at cost; Salah may have played his last game in the red shirt

Tottenham finally recorded a victory! After almost four months without a Premier League win, Portuguese midfielder Palhinha delivered a priceless goal that earned the North London club a vital three points.

They came very close to suffering another disastrous result, but in the end, they secured the win thanks to a somewhat fortunate goal. Spurs are still in the relegation zone, but this victory serves as a much-needed boost. However, it should be noted that Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke both suffered injuries in this match, so there is a possibility that Tottenham could be significantly weakened in the final four rounds.

Meanwhile, Liverpool secured a home win against Crystal Palace and are now likely on their way to Champions League qualification. However, there was a painful setback — Mohamed Salah suffered an injury, and it remains uncertain whether we will see him in a Liverpool shirt again.

Tottenham - Wolverhampton

It was a frustrating and uneventful first half at Molineux, with neither Wolverhampton nor Tottenham managing to produce a single clear-cut chance.

The first moment worth mentioning came in the 12th minute, when Wolves lost possession in their own half. Kolo Muani picked up the loose ball and, without hesitation, struck from around 25 meters, but his effort drifted comfortably wide of the target.

Beyond that, the opening half-hour offered very little in terms of excitement. Around the 30th minute, Xavi Simons found himself in a promising position, yet his weak and unconvincing shot also failed to trouble the Wolves’ goal.

Overall, it has been a cagey and tense affair, with Tottenham clearly feeling the pressure. Their current situation in the table — and the very real threat of relegation to the Championship — seems to be weighing heavily on the players. That nervousness has translated into a lack of composure and attacking intent, leaving Spurs struggling to impose themselves on the game.

Things went from bad to worse in the 40th minute, when Dominic Solanke was left on the ground after picking up an injury, adding further concern for Tottenham. This could prove to be a significant issue not only for Roberto De Zerbi, but also for Thomas Tuchel and the England national team, given Solanke’s importance in the attacking setup.

Wolves threatened early after the break, as Armstrong met a corner with a strong header in the 47th minute, but Richarlison was well-positioned to clear the ball off its path and behind for another set-piece.

Just minutes later came the first big chance of the match. In the 52nd minute, Xavi Simons found himself just five meters from goal, but with a golden opportunity to score, he fired his effort high over the bar — a massive let-off for Wolves.

However, the game took a worrying turn shortly after. In the 57th minute, Simons went down in visible pain after awkwardly twisting his knee while chasing a long ball. The situation quickly escalated, as he attempted to continue but collapsed again on the sidelines, clearly distressed. Medical staff rushed in, and a stretcher was brought onto the pitch, casting serious doubt over the severity of the injury.

Wolves nearly punished Tottenham soon after, with Mane finding himself in space in the 61st minute, but his header sailed over the bar. Bueno also came close with a powerful free-kick from distance in the 67th minute, narrowly missing the target.

Tottenham responded with a big chance of their own in the 69th minute. From a corner, Rodrigo Bentancur rose well and directed a strong header on goal, but Jose Sa produced an excellent save to keep the scores level.

As the game opened up, Wolves continued to push. In the 79th minute, another dangerous cross from Mane found Armstrong, but his header drifted just wide — another missed opportunity for the hosts.

Then, in the 82nd minute, the breakthrough finally arrived — and it went Tottenham’s way. Following a chaotic situation inside the box, Richarlison’s effort took a fortunate deflection and fell kindly to Joao Palhinha, who calmly slotted the ball into the net to give Spurs a crucial lead. It was a moment of relief and hope for Tottenham, a goal that could have massive implications for their season.

The man who had been wronged redeemed himself! Kinsky made a superb save in the closing minutes, keeping out a direct free-kick that was heading straight for goal and preserving the win for his team.

Liverpool - Crystal Palace

It was actually the visitors who started brighter and looked far more dangerous early on. Palace caused problems from set pieces, with Lacroix and Richards both going close, while Sarr’s burst down the left created another opportunity that Johnson couldn’t keep under the bar. The Eagles were clearly the more threatening side in the opening 20 minutes, putting Liverpool under real pressure.

The game’s first major turning point came in the 23rd minute when Mohamed Salah won a penalty after going down under Johnson’s challenge. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned as Johnson had made contact with the ball — much to Palace’s relief.

Liverpool slowly began to grow into the game, with Salah at the heart of everything positive. The Egyptian came close himself in the 31st minute, firing over after a clever move, but the breakthrough finally arrived shortly after.

In the 35th minute, Alexander Isak ended his goal drought in style. Mac Allister’s effort was drifting wide, but Isak reacted brilliantly to control and volley the ball into the net, giving Liverpool a somewhat undeserved lead based on the flow of the game.

Palace had a huge chance to respond almost immediately, but Woodman produced two excellent saves to deny Mateta — a moment that proved crucial.

Just a minute later, Liverpool punished them on the counter. Following Woodman’s save, the Reds broke at speed, and Robertson finished off a superb move to make it 2-0 — a clinical blow that completely shifted momentum.

Despite the setback, Palace kept pushing and nearly pulled one back before the break, with Lacroix hitting the post after another dangerous set-piece situation.

Palace looked livelier after the break, and their intent was clear early on. In the 50th minute, substitute Sosa found space inside the box but dragged his left-footed effort just wide of the post — a warning sign for Liverpool.

A major moment followed shortly after, as Mohamed Salah went down in the 57th minute clutching his left hamstring after a sharp burst forward. The Egyptian was unable to continue and was substituted, raising serious concerns — not just about the remainder of the match, but potentially marking the end of his Liverpool appearance if the injury proves significant.

Palace continued to grow into the game and nearly found a way back in the 64th minute. A quick counter saw Sarr played through inside the area, but despite heavy pressure from Van Dijk, his effort was well held by Woodman.

Then came the most controversial moment of the match in the 71st minute. Liverpool initially seemed to have survived again, with Woodman producing an excellent one-on-one save to deny Sarr. However, in making the stop, the goalkeeper went down injured, clutching his knee. Despite this, play continued — much to Liverpool’s frustration — and Munoz reacted quickest, lifting the ball over the stricken Woodman and into the net.

Liverpool players and manager Arne Slot were furious that the game wasn’t stopped, especially as the defense hesitated and failed to recover back to the goal line with their goalkeeper clearly in distress.

Crystal Palace came incredibly close to scoring, but were denied in dramatic fashion. Wharton won the ball off Szoboszlai and quickly played Strand Larsen through on goal. The striker slid his shot past Woodman, only to see it strike the inside of the left post and somehow stay out, with the ball rolling across the line without going in.

It was a huge let-off for Liverpool — although there was a possibility that Strand Larsen may have been just offside, meaning the goal might not have stood anyway.

Wirtz wrapped up the game in stoppage time, sealing all three points for Liverpool and moving them up to fourth place. It was a brilliant finish from the German midfielder. Mac Allister set him up inside the box after controlling Gomez’s throw-in, and Wirtz struck a clean half-volley that went in off the left post.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 34

Friday

Sunderland - Nott. Forest 0-5 (0-4)

/Hume 17 og, Wood 31, Gibbs-White 34, Jesus 37, Anderson 90+5/

Saturday

Fulham - Aston Villa 1-0 (1-0)

/Sessegnon 43/

Liverpool - Crystal Palace 3-1 (2-0)

/Isak 35, Robertson 40, Wirtz - Munoz 71/

West Ham - Everton 2-1 (0-0)

/Soucek 51, Wilson 90+2 - Dewsbury-Hall 88/

Wolverhampton - Tottenham 0-1 (0-0)

/Palhinha 82/

19.30: (1.50) Arsenal (4.30) Newcastle (6.50)

Monday

22.00: (1.90) Man.Utd. (3.85) Brentford (3.80)

***odds are subject to change***