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Tottenham Hotspur supporters have reacted with fury following a contentious officiating decision in the West Ham and Everton game that could have significant implications for the club’s ongoing battle against Premier League relegation.

Tottenham Hotspur have Joao Palhinha to thank for the three points they secured in their game against Wolves on Saturday afternoon at Molineux.

The Portuguese goal proved crucial, ensuring Spurs secured their first victory in 118 days, one that keeps them two points adrift of safety.

However, the Premier League table could have looked very different for the Lilywhites had fellow relegation rivals West Ham United failed to secure victory in their own match against Everton.

Tottenham fans react to West Ham vs Everton penalty controversy

The stakes were not only high for Spurs, as Nuno’s West Ham side needed a victory to keep their place above the relegation zone.

They did manage a win, beating Everton 2-1, but the game was not without controversy. Everton had a strong appeal for a handball after Fernandes handled the ball in the box while attempting to mark Thierno Barry.

That shout was ultimately waved away by referee Stuart Attwell, while VAR agreed with the on-field decision. Had Everton been awarded a penalty, the result could have been different, and Spurs might have moved out of the relegation places.

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Several Tottenham fans, who feel hard done by the incident, have taken to social media to vent their frustrations. One fan reacted angrily to the decision, saying: “HOW IS THIS NOT A HANDBALL?? 😂😂You are a bunch of clowns @FA_PGMOL🤡” while another questioned the use of VAR: “VAR. What is it good for?”

A further supporter labelled the decision clear-cut, stating: “This is a stonewall penalty. You have to talk about corruption, surely.” Another fan added: “Nah what the f**k that’s actually ridiculous I’m in shock”

One more supporter accused officials of bias, commenting: “Corruption and they are not even trying to be subtle about it.”

A final fan also criticised the authorities, stating: “Because we never get the correct decision, we get pathetic apologies after the fact that mean nothing but have huge consequences for other teams. The @FA_PGMOL are appalling.”

Spurs frustrations grow over Premier League officiating decisions

Spurs fans certainly have every reason to question the decisions of match officials, given the number of controversies they have been involved in.

Just last week, the Premier League KMI admitted that the on-field decision by referee Rob Jones to keep Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey on the pitch after his challenge on Cristian Romero was incorrect.

Their ruling stated that the forward should have received a second booking for his reckless push on the Argentine, a decision that proved costly, as Tottenham were not only denied the chance to play against ten men but also lost their captain for the rest of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi has revealed how the win over Wolves has influenced his belief that Tottenham Hotspur can avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Spurs are still two points adrift of safety with four games to go, but the Lilywhites took a major step in the right direction at the Molineux Stadium

They secured their first league win of 2026, with substitute Joao Palhinha popping up with a crucial 82nd-minute goal to ensure they remain in touching distance of their London rivals, West Ham.

While the win may not have been enough to take Spurs out of the relegation zone, their head coach believes that it could be a transformative result for his side.

Roberto De Zerbi believes Tottenham will stay up

Even though West Ham scored a stoppage-time winner against Everton to break Spurs’ hearts, De Zerbi was jubilant at the full-time whistle after seeing his side get the monkey off their back by finally winning a game.

The Italian pumped his fist to the away fans at Molineux Stadium and praised his players’ character in the post-match press conference.

When asked about his celebration after the final whistle and what the win means for the fans and the players, De Zerbi said (via the club’s official website): “I believe to stay up. If I stay here, it’s because I’m positive, now, because I’m a coach of Tottenham, Tottenham is not important on the pitch, if you are Tottenham or another team, the most important are the qualities of the players, and the human level of the players.

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“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. We have two points, not 10 points, we have two points from West Ham. West Ham are a good team, but also Tottenham are very good players and a very good team.”

De Zerbi says Spurs players know how good they are

The 46-year-old also reminded the Tottenham players of their quality, pointing out that they finished in fourth place in the league phase of the Champions League.

De Zerbi called on the Tottenham squad to focus on one game at a time and not worry about the results of their relegation rivals.

When asked if there is belief in the Tottenham dressing room that they can stay up, the Italian said: “I think the players, they know what they are and what they can do on the pitch, especially this season, because it’s true, we didn’t win a game in 2026, but on the table in the Champions League, they finished fourth place, no?

“In the Champions League, I think it’s not so easy, or it’s easier than the Premier League, so they have to be positive, they have to feel full confidence, because they are good, and not to see the other results, for example, West Ham. We have to move on and prepare for the next games. Now, the first game is at Villa Park. That’s it.”

The Premier League relegation battle is heading towards a dramatic conclusion, with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and others still fighting for survival as the final fixtures come into focus.

The battle for survival in the Premier League this season is set to go down to the wire with four games left to play.

Spurs gave themselves some hope with a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their last Premier League game, after Joao Palhinha’s late strike saw the Lilywhites secure all three points.

That victory leaves Tottenham two points adrift of safety, as West Ham United managed a win in their own game against Everton.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds United have more or less pulled clear of the drop zone, with Leeds currently six points clear of 18th place while Forest has a five-point lead over Spurs.

But that is not to say the two sides cannot still be dragged into the relegation fight, leaving everything to play for in the final weeks of the season, and we’ve now compared the fixtures of each.

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Tottenham fixtures compared with West Ham and Nottingham Forest run-in

Tottenham Hotspur’s remaining Premier League fixtures:

West Ham United’s remaining Premier League fixtures:

Nottingham Forest’s remaining Premier League fixtures:

We take a look to see if Opta’s Supercomputer has changed its prediction on Tottenham’s expected league finish after the Lilywhites picked up their first league win of 2026 at the Molineux Stadium.

Given what transpired at the London Stadium, with West Ham getting a dramatic stoppage-time winner, Tottenham would have found themselves four points adrift of safety had they not picked up a win against Wolves.

The North Londoners did not find things easy against the bottom side, but they never stopped fighting, with substitute Joao Palhinha popping up with a crucial winner in the 82nd minute.

Roberto De Zerbi hailed the spirit and attitude his players showed in the Midlands to secure an all-important win, but his side still has plenty of work to do to secure their Premier League status.

Opta’s supercomputer predicts Tottenham will finish 18th

Opta’s Supercomputer has revised its prediction on the final points tally of various clubs after Saturday’s results.

The data analysis platform says that the Lilywhites are now on course to finish on 38.69 points from their 38 matches, backing them to pick up just over four more from their remaining four matches.

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Unfortunately, they suggest that 38-39 points is not likely to be enough for De Zerbi’s men to catch West Ham, predicting that Tottenham will finish 18th.

The website backs the Hammers to finish 17th with 40.1 points after Nuno Espirito Santo’s men emerged victorious against Everton.

Win over Wolves gives Spurs crucial momentum

Spurs had not won a Premier League game for almost four months, and it felt like their players had almost forgotten what it felt like to win a league game.

That is why it was crucial that Spurs beat Wolves and picked up momentum, irrespective of what happened at the London Stadium.

Now that Tottenham have finally ended their 15-game winless streak, De Zerbi will be hoping that they can ride the momentum to pull off a great escape.

The race for Tottenham Hotspur target James Trafford appears to be intensifying by the day as we edge closer to the summer transfer window.

Tottenham have identified Trafford as a target to replace Guglielmo Vicario, but a number of reports over recent weeks have suggested that the Lilywhites will face plenty of competition for the goalkeeper.

Several outlets have claimed that Newcastle and Aston Villa are ready to challenge Tottenham for Trafford, and the race has since got even more crowded.

Just a few days ago, Florian Plettenberg reported that Brighton have set their sights on the Man City goalkeeper amid doubts over Bart Verbruggen’s future at the club, and two more clubs have now entered the race.

Tottenham have to overcome competition from Chelsea and Liverpool for James Trafford

Goal have now claimed that Chelsea and Liverpool have become the two latest clubs to enter the race for the England international’s signature.

The outlet explains that the Blues are keen to replace Robert Sanchez this summer after his poor form this season and have set their sights on Trafford as the man to take over the gloves.

Additionally, Liverpool have also ‘declared’ their interest in the 23-year-old goalkeeper, making it a six-horse race for the English shot-stopper’s services ahead of the summer.

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What is Man City’s stance on Trafford?

Goal have backed up what other sources are reporting by stating that the former Burnley man is keen to leave the Etihad Stadium in search of regular game time.

This comes on the back of several reports claiming that Pep Guardiola’s men are ready to offload Trafford this summer, just a year on from re-signing the goalkeeper.

A Tottenham Hotspur star has recorded the second-highest top speed across the Premier League this term.

If one asks Spurs fans who the fastest player at the club is, many will immediately respond with Micky van de Ven’s name, and one can understand why.

No player had a higher top speed than Van de Ven in the Dutchman’s first season in the Premier League.

Despite his subsequent injury issues, the Dutchman again topped the charts for the fastest player in the English top-flight last season, but he has not made the top ten this season.

Desinty Udogie has been Tottenham’s fastest player this season

Using stats from Opta, GiveMeSport have compiled a list of the players who have recorded the 10 fastest speeds in the Premier League this campaign.

Surprisingly, Destiny Udogie comes in at second place, having been clocked at 36.41 km/h this term. The only player who has been clocked at a higher speed is Wolves’ Jackson Tchatchoua (37.3 km/h).

No other Tottenham player has made it into the top 10, with the top five being rounded off by Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga (36.35km/h), Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo (36.34km/h) and Chelsea’s Pedro Neto (36.32km/h).

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Udogie’s fitness issues are a huge concern for Spurs

Udogie started both of Roberto De Zerbi’s first two games in charge against Sunderland and Brighton, but we may not see him in action against Wolves.

According to The Sun, the Italian international is in doubt for Tottenham’s clash at the Molineux Stadium, having picked up another injury.

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a move for an exciting Brazilian forward, but their plans may be affected by what happened this week.

Tottenham are already begun making plans for the summer window, which will be Roberto De Zerbi’s first one in charge of the club.

One would expect the Lilywhites to prioritise strengthening their attack, given that they sold Brennan Johnson without replacing him in January, and have subsequently lost both Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert to injury.

The North Londoners showed with their acquisition of Souza in January that their scouts are watching the best young talents in South America, and they have now turned their attention to a Brazilian forward.

Tottenham have made checks on Corinthians winger Kayke Ferrari

Sport Witness are claiming to have heard from their sources that Spurs have made ‘informal checks’ on Corinthians starlet Kayke Ferrari, who has been impressing since breaking into the first-team.

The 21-year-old winger has scored twice in 14 appearances across 2026, and his performances have attracted attention from other English clubs as well.

Kayke, who is known for his dribbling, could be the next Brazilian export to the Premier League, but it is made clear that Corinthians are yet to receive a formal approach for the player.

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The report states that Tottenham have just conducted ‘early-stage monitoring’ and are yet to decide whether to push forward with a move.

Kayke’s injury blow may force Spurs to change their plans

Sport Witness reveal that even if Tottenham were considering pushing forward with an offer for the winger, they may now have to reconsider.

This is because Kayke was forced off with an injury in Corinthians’ 1-0 win over Barra, and he was seen in tears as he came off.

While there has not been a confirmed diagnosis yet on the 21-year-old, there are fears in Brazil that he may have sustained an ACL injury.

Roberto De Zerbi has only been at Tottenham for a matter of weeks, but has still already seen six new injuries in his squad.

This afternoon saw Spurs take a decisive step in the direction of relegation survival as Roberto De Zerbi’s side managed to snatch all three points in their 1-0 win at the Mollineux, thus ending a winless streak which reached all the way back to last year.

Joao Palhinha’s deft finish in the 83rd minute ended up being the difference maker between the two sides but the proceedings in the West Midlands gave Spurs fans as much hope as it did things to worry about.

Tottenham add Solanke and Simons to growing injury list

Roberto De Zerbi would have preferred to make no forced substitutions but if he had made any pleas they certainly fell on deaf ears as Dominic Solanke pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 40th minute.

Until that moment Solanke was actually putting in a solid performance but the English striker pulled out of a challenge in the middle of the pitch, was unable to continue and had to be substituted for Richarlison.

If Solanke had been the only casualty of the afternoon perhaps, with backup options at striker available to Roberto De Zerbi in Richarlison and Kolo Muani, Spurs fan could have swallowed the bitter news ever so sweetened by a hard fought victory.

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But when it rains it pours at Tottenham and in the 63rd minute Xavi Simons who was chasing down a loose ball, seemed to have misplaced his foot and went down in a whole lot of pain, gripping his knee. He was quickly tended to by the medical staff and, as Simons seemed hell bent on continuing, allowed him back on the pitch.

Xavi was unable to run off the injury and he collapsed dramatically by the touchline only to be stretchered off the pitch.

In his press conference after the game Roberto De Zerbi gave the following updates regarding the newest additions to Spurs’ injury list:

“For Xavi it is a problem of his knee. We go to see in the next days. Monday or Tuesday. For Solanke it is not a big problem. I don’t know how many games we lose him but I would like to know the situation with Xavi because the knee is always different than the muscular injury. (…) He felt pain. Now I spoke to him two, three minutes ago. He feels better than the beginning of the injury.”

Tottenham fans can only hope that the two players won’t be kept out for too long as Spurs will need all the fire power they can get to try and avoid relegation.

Results elsewhere did not exactly go Spurs’ way either…

West Ham’s home win against Everton, which keeps the gap between Spurs and West and the Hammers at two points, might make some in the fanbase feel like Spurs are actually worse off than they started.

When can we expect Spurs players to return?

Spurs are still of course missing the services of James Maddison who was sat on the bench today. Roberto De Zerbi confirmed Maddison is not fully fit yet after suffering a small setback during the week but hopefully his time on the sidelines is coming to an end quickly.

Pape Matar Sarr was unavailable to play after suffering a shoulder injury and De Zerbi will probably provide us with further information during his press conference ahead of the trip to Villa Park.

Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario are both set to return back to training this week, with De Zerbi hopeful they could be ready for the clash against Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur made a scouting mission to South America last Sunday as they made preparations for the summer window.

With the Lilywhites not assured of their place in the Premier League just yet, reports indicate that Spurs are making two distinct plans for the summer window.

The expectation is that Tottenham will undertake an ambitious rebuild of their squad if they avoid relegation.

While Spurs fans will be hoping that the club secure proven performers, who can hit the ground running, the North Londoners are continuing to have their eye out for the best young talent in South America.

Tottenham scouts spotted in Cruzeiro’s clash against Gremio

The Lilywhites showed with their acquisition of Souza in January that they are keeping an eye on the starlets making a name for themselves in the Brazilian top-flight.

According to a report in Central da Toca, officials from Tottenham were spotted in attendance in the stands during Cruzeiro’s 2-0 win over Grêmio at the Mineirao last weekend.

It is unclear which player the Premier League were running the rule over in Belo Horizonte. Goals from Lucas Romero and Christian sealed a 2-0 win for the home side, but the report asserts that neither player is on Tottenham’s summer wishlist.

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Spurs’ London rivals have failed with a move for Cruzeiro striker

Sport Witness speculates that Cruzeiro striker Kaio Jorge may have been the player the Lilywhites officials were observing, with the striker having scored 42 times in 85 appearances for the Brazilian club.

They reveal that West Ham failed with a move for the centre-forward in the January window as Cruzerio refused to entertain offers less than €50m (£43.5m) for their star man.

The website suggests that the other man on Spurs’ radar could have been Cruzerio’s left-back Kaio Jorge, who came close to completing a €12.5m (£10.8m) move to Como in January.

We take a look at how much compensation Tottenham Hotspur have paid to sack managers across the Premier League era, and how it compares to the other big six clubs.

Spurs have not been able to have much consistency in the dugout since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2019, with plenty of managers coming and going over the past seven years.

The most recent permanent manager to be sacked (Igor Tudor was an interim) was Thomas Frank, who was paid a compensation of £8m by Spurs after lasting just eight months in the job.

Tottenham want Roberto De Zerbi to break that trend and oversee a long-term project at N17 after handing the Italian a five-year deal.

Tottenham have spent the second most on sacking managers out of the big six

FootballBlog.co.uk have crunched the numbers and revealed how much each of the big six clubs have paid in compensation to sacked managers across the Premier League era.

Fans will not be surprised to hear that Chelsea have spent the most on compensation, with the Blues having sacked 18 manages and paid a whopping £161.6m in total to managers on their way out.

Tottenham are second on the list, with the club paying £66.5m in compensation cumulatively to the 14 managers they have sacked since the inception of the Premier League.

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Man United are not too behind, having paid £62.03m to outgoing managers, but they have paid that amount to just six managers.

Which former Spurs manager has received the biggest payoff?

No Tottenham manager features in the list of top five most expensive managerial sackings in the Premier League era, with the £26.6m compensation paid to Antonio Conte by Chelsea in 2018 holding the record.

The most Spurs have paid to an outgoing manager is when they sacked Nuno Espirito Santo in 2021, with the Portugese being the seventh most expensive sacking in Premier League history.

Nuno lasted just 124 days in the Tottenham hotseat after replacing Jose Mourinho, and he recieved a whopping £14m on his way out of the club.