Save the season? That could save the Spurs’ season.
With Tottenham on the brink of their first Premier League win of 2026, Antonin Kinski’s 98th-minute sprint to deny Joao Gomez’s narrowly well-placed free-kick was key to last weekend’s win against Wolves.
Victories against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and West Ham last weekend also prevented Spurs from moving up the table. But they gained confidence and strengthened their belief that they had reached the turning point and could start to overturn a two-goal deficit to safety.
Wonder save? “I’m glad to hear that,” Kinski smiled modestly in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. “It was more about that moment. We all know it’s important, especially the last moment because you don’t have time to add on to the next moment.”
On the value of the win, he said: “It’s very valuable. If we hadn’t brought the three points from there, of course it would have been more difficult now.”
“We’re not close, but at least we’re not far away. So the difference is still only two points.”
There is renewed belief within the Spurs squad that they have four games left to pull themselves out of this precarious situation.
Asked how he viewed the relegation battle, Kinski said: “It’s a positive thing.” “If one of us feels different, I don’t think there’s any point in being in the team.
“Where it all begins, it’s here. And if you don’t believe in it, you can’t achieve it. So this is the most important thing. OK, do your best and prepare. But first of all you have to have a goal and believe in it, otherwise everything is meaningless.”
“So I believe it’s the same for everyone and I believe this will be a big help to us.”
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Jamie O’Hara weighs up the Premier League’s relegation battle and what Spurs need to survive.
This attitude has been further strengthened with the appointment of new head coach Roberto De Zerbi. The charismatic Italian made an immediate impact on the pitch and the group as a whole, energizing Kinski and his teammates.
“The way he talks, what he reads, what he hears from him, you can tell he believes in us. That’s a big message he gives us all, that there’s quality in the team,” Kinski says.
“It’s not about talking about it, it’s about showing it. With this combination and the style he wants to play, I think our team fits that, so I believe this will work.”
“At the moment we have four points from three games and there are four more to go, but I believe and hope this is the right path.”
Kinski has taken a calm, focused and positive approach to the Spurs situation. This mindset has helped him overcome major personal hurdles this season.
Under former manager Igor Tudor, Kinski endured a brutal Champions League debut at Atletico Madrid. Two egregious individual errors by the Czech goalkeeper saw them concede three goals just 17 minutes into the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez scores his third goal of the match after a mistake by Spurs’ Antonin Kinski
Kinski was a surprise selection ahead of regular number one Guglielmo Vicario, having played just two games all season until the Carabao Cup match in March.
Kinski admitted after the game that there was a lot of remorse for his mistakes, but his performance this month, when Vicario was sidelined with hernia surgery, was particularly impressive. He put his Madrid nightmare behind him and played a key role in Spurs’ breakthrough.
“Making my debut in the Champions League was the moment I dreamed of when I was little. For me, this is what I was aiming for. I was really looking forward to it,” Kinski said.
Antonin Kinski left the pitch early in the first half, being replaced by Guglielmo Vicario.
“Obviously after the game I was sad that this happened, but on the other hand I was calm.
“I had good people around me who always gave me good feedback and told me what they really thought about it and were honest with me. So I talked to them a lot and listened to their opinions and then compared it to my own feelings and they were similar.
“So for me, it was just a matter of continuing to move forward and making sure that when the next opportunity comes, I’m ready again.”
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Tim Sherwood admits he is “down” despite Spurs’ win over Wolves as they look to avoid relegation.
Does gaining experience make you stronger?
“Well, I think that experience made me stronger.
“I didn’t feel weak like I used to. Now I feel stronger because I created (that experience). You can do it because you’re already strong, and it makes you even stronger and it only makes you grow.”
“There’s always a lot of things to improve on, so it’s just showing you what you can do better or adjust mentally to adjust your approach to the game a little bit.”
With time running out this season, Spurs must learn their lessons quickly. But goalkeeper Kinski’s resilience is a good inspiration for the task ahead that will determine his place in the Premier League.
