Roberto De Zerbi warned West Ham his Tottenham team are up for the fight after clinching a first Premier League win of 2026.
‘I believe we can stay up,’ said Spurs boss De Zerbi after Joao Palhinha scored the only goal of the game at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
‘It is not 10 points, we are two points from West Ham, who are a good team, but we are a very good team.
‘The most important things are the qualities of the players and the human levels of the players which was a surprise to me because I didn’t know them, and when I got to know them better I knew we had the chance to stay up.
‘When you watch a game from TV you can’t understand if they have the right spirit and attitude. I work with them every day and they are all professional, good guys, suffering in this situation.’
De Zerbi was not entirely satisfied with the performance at Wolverhampton Wanderers and thought the long winless run ate away at confidence when his team failed to capitalise on a positive start.
Roberto De Zerbi has insisted Tottenham can stay up after breaking their lengthy winless run
Joao Palhinha scored the only goal as Tottenham won a league match for the first time in 118 days, but they remain in the bottom three after West Ham beat Everton
He was also concerned about injuries to Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke.
‘Solanke is a muscle injury not a big problem,’ said De Zerbi. ‘I don’t know how many game we will lose him, but I would like to know about Xavi because the knee is always different. We will see Monday or Tuesday.
‘When I spoke with him he said it feels better than it did at the beginning of the injury. I wouldn’t like to lose any more players. We can win the games but with the players, not with the coaches.’
Still, he was delighted with the result and spirit of his team, and the heroics of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky who made a brilliant late save to protect the win little more than a month after his humiliating substitution at Atletico Madrid.
‘Good guy and good keeper and especially after Madrid he deserves a day like today,’ said De Zerbi. ‘I am happy for the result. The first 35 minutes we played well. Maybe we could create more chances and shots on goal. I didn’t like the second half at all. We could play better. We have to play better.
‘It’s true we didn’t win a game in 2026, but in the Champions League they finished fifth and that’s not easier than the Premier League. They have to be positive. They have to feel full confidence because they are good players.’
With four to play, Spurs are two points adrift of West Ham with a healthier goal difference. Next weekend, they travel to Aston Villa. Then home games against Leeds and Everton either side of a trip to Chelsea.
De Zerbi was concerned over injuries to Dominic Solanke and Xaxi Simons, pictured, who was forced off on a stretcher with a knee injury
The Tottenham boss praised Antonin Kinsky after vital stop in the final minute secured the points
‘Four finals,’ goal hero Joao Palhinha told the BBC. ‘We need to do our jobs. Hopefully this win can change things.
‘This victory is much more than that for me, the fans, and the whole club. It’s not a normal season that we have been living until today. We all have responsibility in this season.
‘What we can control right now is doing our job until the end of the season and keeping the club where it belongs, which is the Premier League. We will give everything we have until the end of the season because it means a lot for us to stay in the Premier League.’
