Tottenham's first Premier League victory of 2026 ultimately kept their survival hopes in tact, but Saturday's slender triumph at Molineux wasn't without caveats.
Of course, no ground was gained on our nearest rivals after Nottingham Forest thrashed Sunderland on Friday night and Callum Wilson struck late on in east London. For a few minutes, the Lilywhites had escaped the bottom three, but João Palhinha's back-post poaching wasn't enough to see Roberto De Zerbi's side end the day in a rosier position than how they entered it.
The psychological impact of merely claiming a domestic victory can't be understated, especially after we came so close against Brighton & Hove Albion last week.
Still, there is plenty of work to do, with another uptick needed at Villa Park next Sunday. Moreover, there are fears that Spurs could be without one of their brightest sparks.
Spurs sweating over extent of Xavi's knee injury
An innocuous sequence down Wolves' left-hand side culminated in Xavi Simons writhing in pain just off the pitch. Clutching his knee, the signs were ominous from the outset. A stretcher was called, and the stricken Dutchman made use of it.
After starring against the Seagulls, Xavi was less decisive in the West Midlands and perhaps guilty of holding onto the ball too long in a first half that started promisingly but fizzled out.
He's been underused or misprofiled during his debut season, but has offered glimpses of his potential. His strike last week could've been the moment that catapulted us to safety, but Georginio Rutter's 95th-minute equaliser meant the post-match discussion centred around his vociferous celebration, rather than the quality of his goal.
His absence for the final third of Saturday's game was felt, with Spurs seemingly slogging their way to a point that would've done very little. However, we were able to coax something from a couple of set-pieces, with Palhinha's poke enough to escape with a critical victory.
Now, though, there's a nervous wait as we learn the extent of Xavi's knee injury.
âWe go to see in the next days, Monday or Tuesday," De Zerbi post-match (via The Athletic). "I would like to know the situation with Xavi because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.
âHe felt pain. I spoke to him two, three minutes ago. He feels better than the beginning of the injury," he added.
Assuming it's some form of ligament issue, Spurs will be pleading that he's only suffered a sprain, which likely won't end his season. Anything more significant... well, our survival hopes dwindle and Xavi's worrying about his World Cup prospects.