At a glance:
- Joao Palhinha lauds Antonin Kinsky
- Goalkeeper lauded for amazing late save
- Guglielmo Vicario could replace Kinsky vs Aston Villa
Joao Palhinha emerged as Tottenham’s matchwinner vs Wolves as they secured a much-needed 1-0 Premier League win.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are still in the relegation zone as West Ham United secured a last-gasp winner vs Everton.
However, their win against Wolves will give them a lot of confidence for the four Premier League games that remain.
Palhinha scored against Wolves again to get three points for his team. But the Portuguese international feels Antonin Kinsky’s late save was just as important as his close-range finish.
Palhinha heaps praise on Kinsky
After his error-strewn display vs Atletico Madrid, it looked like Kinsky would be cast aside by Tottenham.
However, Guglielmo Vicario’s absence presented an opportunity for the young goalkeeper to redeem himself and that’s exactly what he’s done.
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He has started each of De Zerbi’s first three games for Tottenham and produced a creditable performance vs Wolves.
Kinsky came out of his box to clear the ball away from Staurt Armstrong in the second half and topped it off with a fantastic save from a Joao Gomes free-kick.
In doing so, he collided with the post, but it didn’t matter to him as he looked fired up after the game.
And Palhinha feels Kinsky’s late save was a big moment in the game as he sang his praises in an interview with Tottenham’s official website.
“Amazing save. I was saying on the other flash (interview) that I give the same credit to Antonin as the importance of my goal.
“I can give you this example, because it was such an amazing save at the end and he gave us the three points. So, it was amazing and congratulations to the team for what we did today.”
Kinsky has been fantastic in recent weeks but is likely to lose his place against Aston Villa if Vicario is back to full fitness.
It’s harsh on the Czech goalkeeper but he has shown his class and will be remembered for his contributions, more so if Tottenham avoid relegation.
Wolves win can change everything for Tottenham: Palhinha
When De Zerbi took over the reigns, he said all Tottenham needed was one win to turn their fortunes around.
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And Palhinha has doubled down on the Italian’s claims, adding that his side have played well in recent weeks despite not having enough points to show for it.
“Let’s see. I hope he’s right. I really hope he’s right. I also understand what he’s saying and I also hope that this will happen.
“I think we deserve it. So, let’s focus now on the Villa game. It’ll be a hard one, but the same objective to win the game because it’s like four finals and it doesn’t matter if you play well or not, we are in the position that we just need to win the games and that’s the reality.”
Tottenham take on Aston Villa away from home next and need to carry on in the same vein to add to their points tally.
