At a glance:
- Tottenham beat Wolves 1-0
- They stay in the relegation zone
- Everton denied clear penalty against West Ham
Tottenham Hotspur registered their first Premier League win since December 28, beating Wolves 1-0 at the Molineux on Saturday.
The north London side put in a poor performance but managed to edge out a win on the day. Joao Palhinha’s 82nd-minute goal was enough to seal a crucial win for Spurs. They will now hope to take that momentum in their remaining four games.
Despite the win, however, Tottenham stayed in the relegation zone. Both their main rivals, Nottingham Forest and West Ham, won this weekend. The former beat Sunderland 5-0, while the latter beat Everton 2-1.
Tottenham’s woes continue as Everton denied clear penalty against West Ham
Rob Jones cost Tottenham against Sunderland, as he failed to send Brian Brobbey off. Spurs lost that game 1-0, and the striker also caused Cristian Romero a season-ending injury.
Spurs have been on the receiving end of numerous poor decisions from the officials in recent games.
On Saturday, Tottenham suffered due to a poor decision in the clash between Everton and West Ham. Mateus Fernandes slapped the ball away in the box while trying to grapple with Everton’s Thierno Barry. However, the referee and the VAR decided it was not a penalty.
After the game, the Toffees boss, David Moyes, slammed the decision, saying (h/t BBC Sport):
“I’m a bit surprised. I’ve been to see them [the officials] and VAR are saying it was grappling – well, the boy marking him was grappling.
“He punched the ball. It would have been harsh, but I’m amazed they haven’t given it.”
Also Read: Tottenham were abysmal, but referee Rob Jones played big part in painful Sunderland defeat
In the end, West Ham won 2-1, with Callum Wilson scoring the winner in stoppage time. It kept them two points above the relegation zone.
Rub of the green needs to go Tottenham’s way
Spurs have been terrible this season and deserve to be in the bottom half of the Premier League standings.
However, one could also argue that they have been incredibly unlucky. They have suffered multiple poor refereeing decisions and also some terrible injuries.
Just two decisions from their game against Sunderland and West Ham’s clash against Everton could play a major role in their relegation.
Moreover, against Wolves, they lost Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons due to injuries. Both their injuries appeared to be serious, and with just four games remaining, they might not play again this season.
Also Read: Xavi Simons injury update immediately after injury substitution for Tottenham vs Wolves
Tottenham certainly need to win at least two of their remaining four games and perhaps get another draw to save themselves.
However, they will also need some luck to go in their favor for a change. Otherwise, even their wins won’t matter if West Ham and Nottingham can match their results.
