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Jamie Carragher has a feeling James Maddison may have a role to play if Tottenham are going to avoid relegation and stay in the Premier League.

Spurs were hit with yet more injuries to attacking players in their 1-0 win at Wolves - their first victory of 2026 - with Xavi Simons ruled out for the rest of the season and the World Cup in a major blow to the north London club's survival hopes.

The absence of £52m Simons is just the latest injury blow for Spurs, who sit two points adrift of safety with four games to go, after seeing summer signing Mohammed Kudus and captain Cristian Romero ruled out for the rest of the season in the first month of De Zerbi's time in charge. They have also been without Dejan Kulusevski and Maddison, who has been sidelined since last August due to a torn ACL.

He has been included in the previous two matchday squads, but hasn't been deemed fit enough to make a long-awaited return to action, but Carragher, speaking on Monday Night Football, thinks Maddison has the ability to "produce the magic Spurs need as they bid to avoid dropping into the Championship.

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"Spurs have been really unfortunate with injuries," Carragher told Sky Sports. "If they didn't have this injury record they wouldn't be in this position.

"However, they have had ACL injuries to three players in the same position, Kulusevski, Maddison and now Simons.

"But now I feel Maddison, who is returning from injury, may have to play a role in terms of keeping Tottenham up.

He added: "He is the only one I can think of in terms of doing something special. He's got that quality I mention in terms of Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs-White.

"He is coming back from a big injury and we might only be talking about 15 to 20 minutes off the bench, but he is the only one when I look at that squad and think he could produce that little bit of magic Spurs need, especially in the away games at Aston Villa and Chelsea.

"When I think of the Spurs players and that little bit of fear of going down, and it may have gone a little after the win at Wolves, but Maddison would continue to take the ball. He'd still want to take it no matter what the situation.

"For Spurs to stay up, I feel he has a role to play."

'Who is going to score the goals for Spurs?'

It is as you were in the relegation battle after the weekend as Tottenham and West Ham matched Nottingham Forest's victory last Friday evening with all three relegation-threatened sides desperate to avoid joining Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season.

Spurs have four games left, two at home against Leeds and Everton and two away at Aston Villa and Chelsea, and Carragher believes Spurs could struggle, despite their win at Wolves, because of a lack of goals compared to Forest and West Ham, who have players with the quality of Gibbs-White and Bowen.

"It's going to be really tough for Spurs," Carragher said.

"The fans will now be thinking they have won a game of football - they haven't won a game of football all year and it's hard to comprehend that. However, their rivals West Ham and Nottingham Forest both won also.

"If you add that to the injuries they got at the weekend, even though they have won a game, they are actually in a worse position than last week because they've got the easiest game on paper out of the way.

"West Ham and Nottingham Forest have difficult fixtures on paper, there's no doubt about that, but when you look at the players they both have and with both playing with a front four, Morgan Gibbs-White or Jarrod Bowen, Spurs don't have a player in the attack that can even come close to either of those players.

"That is what worries me for Spurs."

He added: "After watching the Wolves game and also the injuries in attack, who is going to score a goal for Spurs? Who is going to create something?

"I look at the games they've got at Aston Villa and at Chelsea. They are tough games no matter how you are playing or how good a team you've got.

"But I can't see them scoring a goal. If they do score I can only see it being one so they have to then keep a clean sheet to win the game, so I find it difficult to make a case for them in those two games.

"That then puts huge pressure on the home games against Leeds and Everton."

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Xavi Simons has been left "heartbroken" after he was ruled out for the rest of this season and the World Cup in an enormous blow to Tottenham's survival hopes.

Netherlands playmaker Simons went down clutching his right knee in the 58th minute of Saturday's 1-0 win at Wolves, which earned Spurs a first Premier League victory of 2026.

After Simons fell to the floor following a collision with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, the 23-year-old attempted to run off the injury but collapsed in front of Tottenham's medical staff and subsequently left Molineux on a stretcher.

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It increased fears over potential anterior cruciate ligament damage, and while Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi acknowledged Simons was feeling "better" in the dressing room after a first league win in 16 matches, he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

In an Instagram post published late on Sunday night, Simons revealed he would not be fit enough to take part in Tottenham's final four league matches or represent Netherlands at the World Cup this summer.

"They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I'm just trying to process it," the former Paris Saint-Germain player said.

"Honestly, I'm heartbroken. None of it makes sense.

"All I've wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me, along with the World Cup."

The absence of £52m attacker Simons is a significant blow to Tottenham and De Zerbi, who has already lost captain Cristian Romero and winger Mohammed Kudus to season-ending injuries during his first month at the club.

Simons had endured a frustrating debut campaign in England, only showing flashes of his class under Thomas Frank before being bizarrely frozen out by Igor Tudor, but looked set for a key role with De Zerbi, especially after a wonder strike in a 2-2 home draw with Brighton.

Instead, Simons can play no part in Spurs' desperate efforts to overturn a two-point deficit to 17th-placed West Ham in order to avoid their first relegation in 49 years.

Simons added: "It'll take some time to find peace with this but I'll continue to be the best team-mate I can be. I have no doubt that together we'll win this fight.

"I'll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me."

'Spurs have no creativity in the squad after Simons injury'

Sky Sports News' Michael Bridge:

"The worst time possible, such a crucial time [for Xavi Simons to be injured]. It's massive. He's distraught as well, because he'll be missing the World Cup. But it's another serious injury. It is unbelievable.

"It was a big win for Spurs on Saturday because of teams around them winning again, Nottingham Forest, West Ham.

"Getting that win feels like a title race, not a relegation race. Spurs had to win on Saturday. But Xavi Simons was really sort of coming into a bit of form under Roberto De Zerbi.

"Spurs don't have any creativity at the moment."

'Up and down first season for Simons'

"We forget how young he is and how difficult it is to move to the Premier League. So it's been a bit of an up and down first season for him.

"He's been in the side, out of the side, he showed more glimpses when he was playing in the Champions League for Spurs this season.

"But, over the last few weeks, under Roberto De Zerbi, he's really coming into his own. He scored that absolutely stunning goal against Brighton.

"It really was a brilliant goal out of nothing. And this is what Spurs are going to miss over the next few games, just that individual bit of brilliance which he's capable of.

"The players, they've got to step up, but they don't really have that kind of creativity in the side, so he's going to have to mix it and match it a bit more now.

"He hasn't got many to call back from the bench, so it's going to be a difficult few weeks. That injury list is just absolutely ridiculous."

Chelsea closed in on Champions League qualification for next season as Sam Kerr's double helped the Women's Super League champions to a 4-1 win at Everton.

Kerr opened the scoring early on at Goodison Park with a trademark finish, only for Yuka Momik to bring the home side level with one of the goals of the season.

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Chelsea then took control of proceedings after half-time, scoring through Kerr again before goals from Ellie Carpenter and Erin Cuthbert completed the win for Sonia Bompastor's side.

Those three points keep Chelsea in second place, six points behind leaders Man City, but more crucially now four clear of third-placed Manchester United after Marc Skinner's team were held to a frustrating goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur to hinder their hopes of Champions League football next season.

It could have been worse for the visitors, with Spurs having 22 attempts at goal in the game. United now look certain to slip out of the top three in the league with Arsenal sitting one point behind with three games in hand on their rivals, the first of which is at home to Leicester City on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports.

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Joao Palhinha poked in a late winner for Tottenham as they picked up their first Premier League victory of 2026 in a 1-0 win at Wolves that gives them hope of survival.

It was a dramatic finale at Molineux even after the substitute put Spurs in front as Everton equalised against West Ham to briefly lift Roberto De Zerbi's team out of the relegation zone before Callum Wilson's late winner for the Hammers muted the celebrations somewhat.

But it just made the three points even more important for Tottenham on an afternoon when they lost Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons to injury. They remain two points behind West Ham but retain hopes of staying in the Premier League - thanks to Palhinha.

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Spurs started brightly but were able to create little of note in a first half that was played at a tempo that belied the urgency of their situation. Injuries to Solanke and then Simons, soon after missing a good chance, added to the nervousness from away fans inside the ground.

Wolves grew in confidence once news of West Ham's opener against Everton heaped the pressure on their tentative opponents and twice went close through Adam Armstrong. But the game turned on a corner that was well won by Mathys Tel.

Pedro Porro's ball in found Richarlison who was able to force it goalwards where fellow substitute Palhinha was waiting to stab home. There were still an awkward moments to endure when Antonin Kinsky dived to keep out Joao Gomes' 98th-minute free-kick.

But Spurs held on for a win that could yet prove to be a huge one in their history if it provides the turning point for them, a catalyst for staying in the Premier League. Without this win, they would be four adrift with four games to play. Finally, they have some hope.

More than a win, says Palhinha

Tottenham match-winner Joao Palhinha asked if this changes things for Spurs:

"I don't know, hopefully it changes, that's the reality, but this victory is much more than that. For me, for my team-mates and especially for all the club, for the supporters as well. It's not a normal season that we have been leading until today.

"We all have responsibility in this season, but the reality is we have four finals into the final of the league and we need to do our job and hopefully this win can change what happened in the past, give us a bit more motivation as well, because it's been a long time without victories. Especially in some of the games that we should have taken some more points, much more.

"I think it happened a lot, but sometimes it's the details. But what we can control right now is making our job until the end of the season and try to keep the club where it belongs, which is the Premier League, and it's much more than that.

"We all want to give something and we will give everything that we have until the end of the season, because it means a lot for us to keep the Premier League."

De Zerbi: I hope result can change mentality

Tottenham head coach Robert De Zerbi speaking in the press conference:

"In the first half, in the first 35 minutes, we played well. We didn't create big chances to score but anyway we had the control of the game, total control of the game.

"And then [in the second half], I don't know, the pressure, maybe that we didn't win any game in 2026, maybe this pressure, maybe because we played against Wolverhampton, [already] relegated, and we lost distances, we lost order on the pitch.

"I hope this result can change something in our head, in our mentality. And as for the other result, it's really very tough to win a game for us, if we put our head on the other teams, it becomes too tough."

He added: "The most important is the qualities of the players, and the human level of the players. It was a surprise for me, because I didn't know them, and when I knew better my players, I understood that we have the possibility, the chance to stay up.

"If you watch the game on the stand or TV, you can't understand if they have the right spirit, they have the right attitude, and [now] I work with them every day.

"All players are professional, good guys, they are suffering for this situation. [I want] to give them confidence and order on the pitch, because I didn't like the second half at all. We could play better, we have to play better, much better than the second half."

On the injuries to Solanke and Simons:

"Solanke is a muscular injury, I don't know what level of injury, and for Xavi it's a problem of the knee. We're going to see in the next days, Monday or Tuesday.

"For Solanke it's not a big problem, I don't know how many games we lose him, but I would like to know the situation of Xavi, because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.

"I spoke with him two minutes ago, he feels better than at the beginning of the injury."

On Kinsky's key save at the end:

"He deserves this day because he played very well, especially today, he was crucial for the result. He deserves everything, because he's a good guy, he's a good 'keeper, and especially after Madrid, he deserves one day like today."

Edwards defends team after latest defeat

Wolves boss Rob Edwards speaking in the press conference:

"It is not as easy as turning up and just beating 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 might sound weird to you all, I don't know if you really fully appreciate what I'm saying. It's been really challenging this week for us, you know, officially relegated. It's been really tough. So, for the players to give everything and match their intensity and match Tottenham's levels of work rate, the lads deserve a lot of credit for that.

"I thought they were brilliant throughout the whole game, the supporters. I've not got a negative word to say about them at all. Like I said, we've lost three in a row, we're bottom of the league and were relegated this week. They're not going to be happy.

"But what I need everyone to understand is that everyone's giving their all. Everyone's giving their all and it's going to take some time to turn this around. We're not in the middle of a transfer window now. We can't change loads. We're trying.

"At the moment, times are tough. We've got to stand up, take it, and then hopefully in a year's time, we're sitting in a much more positive place.

"The situation is there's four more games left and we've got to make sure we turn up and we fight. Again, I looked around the room at the very end and went round every single one of them. There's not one there I could say gave up, didn't try. Not one of them. They gave their all today.

"It's hard because people don't want to hear it after we've lost, but there were some really good performances there today and there was a real commitment from all of them. There really was. They're really, really trying. They're with it. They're with us. They're fighting.

"It's been hard this week. The final nail in the coffin, relegated. Maybe other teams would have just gone under completely today and it might have been an absolute shambles.

"It wasn't that. It was a proper game of football, but we've lost it, so people say what they want to say about that. That's fine. But those boys that were out there today gave everything."

Story of the match in stats

What's coming up in the Premier League?

Our football betting expert Jones Knows offers his insight ahead of Monday Night Football, fresh from correctly predicting Chelsea to win 1-0 against Leeds on Sunday.

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There's usually a sweet spot in the fouls market where role, match-up and price collide and this looks like one of them.

Michael Kayode to commit two or more fouls at 9/4 with Sky Bet makes plenty of appeal when you break down what he's walking into here.

His direct opponent is Matheus Cunha and he's exactly the type of forward who drags defenders into trouble. Cunha is averaging two fouls drawn per game this season, built on sharp movement, close control and a willingness to go down under contact.

Kayode made two fouls in the reverse fixture so at 9/4, you're effectively betting on a repeat of a scenario we've already seen.

SCORE PREDICTION: 2-1

Jones Knows best bet: