Thanks as always to Declan Mulcahy for this article, and for the whole series of 12 articles depicting our close to this traumatic season. You can catch up with all twelve pieces following the links at the bottom of this article.

Definitive Days No.12
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Everton 0
24 May 2026

The relegation battle came down to the last series of matches of the season. Both Spurs and West Ham United recorded home victories and Spurs survived by a margin of two points and a better goal difference.

Spurs won 1-0 with the vital goal being scored by Joao Palhinha just before half time. He has contributed some other crucial goals this season too. In the two games against Wolves this season he scored a time-added-on equaliser in the home match and a late winning goal at Molineux. He also scored late in the first half at the Etihad Stadium which tipped the game in Spurs favour as they won 2-0 against Manchester City.

Antonin Kinsky made another outstanding save from Tyrique George in time-added-on. Even if Everton had scored Spurs would still have survived on goal difference. It wouldn't be surprising if Kinsky is De Zerbi's first choice goalkeeper next season. It speaks volumes for his character to have recovered so well from the Madrid debacle.

Spurs were perhaps fortunate that their opponents in the final match were Everton, the only team they have beaten at home in all of the last four seasons. Everton were on a poor run of form. When they beat Chelsea at home on March 31, they were in eighth position. Since then they have not won one of the final seven matches of the season from which they have taken three points and dropped to thirteenth place in the table.

The last time that Spurs were in a relegation battle at the very end of the season was in 1974-1975. There were 22 teams in Division 1 with three teams to be relegated.

Going into the second last weekend the table was as follows:-

                       P   Pts  (GA Goal Average)
19 Chelsea            39    31      0.59
20 Tottenham Hotspur  39    30      0.77
21 Luton Town         40    30      0.67
22 Carlisle United    40    26      0.71

Spurs beat Chelsea 2-0 at White Hart Lane to move out of the relegation zone that second last weekend. The positions then were:-

                       P   Pts  (GA Goal Average)
19 Tottenham Hotspur  40    32      0.80
20 Luton Town         41    32      0.72
21 Chelsea            40    31      0.57
22 Carlisle United    41    28      0.73

The final weekend of the season saw 17th place Arsenal host 19th place Spurs. The Gunners won 1-0. This dropped Spurs down to 21st position.

The table was now:-

                       P   Pts   (GA Goal Average)
19 Luton Town         42    33      0.72
20 Chelsea            42    33      0.58
21 Tottenham Hotspur  41    32      0.79
22 Carlisle United    42    29      0.73

Spurs had one game remaining played two days later at home to 9th place Leeds United. They took a three-goal lead after 67 minutes with two goals from Knowles including a penalty and a third from Chivers. Leeds pulled one back, Conn added a fourth. Leeds scored a second goal but Spurs won 4-2 to avoid relegation.

The final table was

                       P   Pts   (GA Goal Average)
19 Tottenham Hotspur  42    34      0.83
20 Luton Town         42    33      0.72
21 Chelsea            42    33      0.58
22 Carlisle United    42    29      0.73

Today's win was only Spurs third at home in the league this season and their first in eleven games. Their season home record of W3 D6 L10 is their worst ever in 107 seasons.

Spurs have now finished 17th in the Premier League table for the last two years. This is their worst sequence since finishing 17th, 17th and 20th in 1912-1913, 1913-1914 and 1914-1915 being relegated in the last of these seasons. They are the first team since Luton Town in 1989-1990 and 1990-1991 to have avoided relegation in two successive seasons in the top division by finishing only one place above the drop zone each time. The following season 1991-1992 (the last season before the Premier League). Luton Town were relegated.

Roberto De Zerbi deserves huge credit for the way he man-managed the team, increasing their confidence and getting the results needed, taking eleven points from seven matches. He needs to do considerable work and sign new players during the close season to ensure that this situation doesn't arise again.

. Spurs Odyssey match report

. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part One
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Two
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Three
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Four
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Five
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Six
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Seven
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Eight
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Nine
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Ten
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Eleven

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