With their eight-year stay in the PL now officially at an end, Wolves hosted a Spurs side very much still fighting for survival under Roberto De Zerbi, who has seen an upturn in performance but just one point from his first two games in charge.
As was expected, Tottenham were on the front foot in the early passages, but after half an hour of football, neither side had created any chances of note. Any early promise from the away side had dissipated as half-time approached, with no shots on target during an increasingly subdued first period.
The biggest talking point of the half was the decision not to send off Andre for a forceful challenge on Yves Bissouma, who recovered to play out the half, unlike injury-stricken teammate Dominic Solanke.
Needing fresh impetus, De Zerbi brought on Mathys Tel for the second half, and soon after the restart, their best chance of the game thus far fell to Xavi Simons, who curled a close-range effort off-target.
News of West Ham United’s goal soon filtered into the stadium, increasing the travelling fans’ tension as first-half substitute Richarlison fired an optimistic strike well wide. Things went from bad to worse when Simons went down injured, eventually being stretchered off to join an ever-growing list of absentees for the North London side.
Adam Armstrong caused panic at the back for the visitors, who were looking far from comfortable as the contest approached its final 20 minutes. A bullet header from Rodrigo Bentancur needed beating away by José Sá, marking the first attempt on target of the contest.
Time was ticking away for Spurs, but they finally made the breakthrough in the 82nd minute from a Pedro Porro corner that dropped for Richarlison, who dug out an effort that was turned in from point-blank range by substitute Joao Palhinha.
An Everton equaliser in the other pertinent game briefly brought more good news, but a late winner for West Ham ultimately keeps them two points above Tottenham, who remain in the last relegation spot with four games to play.
A first clean sheet in any competition since New Year’s Day is something to build on for De Zerbi, but safety remains out of their hands, with the prospect of joining Wolves in the Championship – thanks to a first relegation in almost 50 years – still looming large.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)