Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Everton: Spurs save themselves on the final day

Palhinha scored the goal and Kinsky made a big save late on, and that was crucial in Spurs winning against Everton.

They joined our crew pitch side at Spurs with relief and reflection around a tough season at the forefront of their mind.

Overall the feeling at Spurs was more of relief than joy.

Plenty of Spurs reaction and Mickey van de Ven was asked if it was embarrassing to be in this situation.

He agreed and said it was “embarrassing” for it to go down to the final day.

Joao Palhinha said Roberto De Zerbi was crying.

Plenty of emotions in the air but the main one is relief for Spurs.

It wasn’t pretty but they got the job done. Gallagher and Palhinha were excellent in midfield. Spurs held strong defensively and De Zerbi got the tactics spot on.

Brilliant scenes for Spurs, as they just got the job done to remain in the Premier League.

Here is the current scene at Spurs, as the home fans celebrate wildly.

Spurs hang on to get the win they need as they secure Premier League safety on the final day of the season.

Relief. Joy. Delight. It’s all mixed up in the air here.

What a save from the young goalkeeper.

Kinsky at full stretch to deny George. Brilliant.

It is all Everton and Coleman whips in a cross.

Alcaraz climbs high but his header lacks power and goes over.

That could be Everton’s last chance.

The Spurs fans are roaring their team over the finish line here.

Nine minutes of stoppage time for their team to see this out.

It’s all Everton now and Spurs are dropping deeper and deeper.

Massive groans when ‘nine minutes of stoppage time’ is read out over the stadium PA system.

What a moment!

Tyrique George is played in and is clean through.

But he decides to square it instead of shooting.

A combination of Spurs defenders and Kinsky somehow block it.

Massive chance for Everton to make it 1-1 and set up a nervous finish.

James Maddison and Archie Gray are on for Spurs to try and help them close this out.

Gallagher and Bentancur are off. Gallagher has been immense today.

Just before that Pape Sarr went down in the box looking for a penalty kick but was booked for diving. He was looking for the contact.

10 minutes to go...

West Ham are going to win, so that means Spurs will go down if they lose here.

Spurs are on top and managing this situation really well.

But one mistake to make it 1-1 and all of a sudden one moment could see them go down.

Just over 15 minutes to go. The tension is palpable here at Spurs.

Randal Kolo Muani and Pape Sarr are on for Spurs. They replace Tel and Richarlison.

Everton have been on top in the last 10 minutes and Spurs just can’t get out of their own half.

So far, Spurs are doing okay, but nerves are building and their home fans are getting on at them a bit.

Drinks break is here and De Zerbi is in the thick of it getting his message across. This team talk is huge.

Just over 25 minutes to go and Spurs are looking pretty comfortable.

Everton have been better in the last few minutes, but still haven’t really threatened.

Spurs can afford to concede once and they will be fine.

But concede twice and, as it stands, they will be down...

Spurs so close to a second as Spence’s low shot is pretty tame, but Jordan Pickford fumbles the ball as he goes to gather it.

It just squirms wide of the past amid jeers from the home fans.

The corner comes in and Spurs again go close. They are causing chaos from these set pieces. today.

What a brilliant time to score just before half time, and Spurs are deservedly ahead against Everton. They created plenty of great chances from set pieces but Gallagher, Danso and Palhinha couldn’t take them, but then Palhinha did to spark wild celebrations.

Everton haven’t really been in this and Spurs look solid at the back and have a real confidence about themselves when they go forward in wide areas.

They have won plenty of set pieces and have been really dangerous and that is how they are ahead.

Joao Palhinha hit the post with his initial effort, then his rebound just snuck over the line after Pickford and Barry got a touch on it but couldn’t keep it out.

45 minutes to go for Spurs and they can even afford to concede once in this second half and still stay up.

Joao Palhinha has put Spurs 1-0 up and that is what they deserve!

A corner is whipped in to the back post and he heads against the post, then the ball drops to him and he reacts superbly to get the rebound on goal.

Pickford got a foot on it and Barry tried to clear off the line, but the ball just crept over the line. Relief and pure joy all around the stadium!

Roberto De Zerbi is screaming with delight and boots a ball on the sidelines into the stands, Palhinha runs to the bench and jumps into the staff and subs. Chaos.

Iliman Ndiaye wriggles free from a few challenges but his pass is jut overhit with Barry wide open.

Great chance for Everton who have settled down and are causing plenty of nerves among the home fans.

The resulting corner is flicked on but nobody in an Everton shirt was gambling at the back post.

Everton have won the ball back in midfield on multiple occasions now and the home fans are really nervous.

Djed Spence goes clear down the right and whips in a decent cross towards Richarlison.

Jordan Pickford comes off his line and pushes it away.

Decent play from Spurs, but that cross was too close to Pickford.

Water break now here and there are plenty of murmurs around the ground.

It’s 0-0 here and 0-0 at West Ham. Tense.

How many more big chances are Spurs going to waste from these set pieces?

Porro whips it in and it’s flicked on.

Joao Palhinha is all alone at the back stick but shanks the bouncing ball over.

Spurs have had three really good chances from these second balls dropping to them from set pieces.

If they took one of those it would have settled down the mood here. A lot. Murmurs and nervous tension is plentiful every time there is a break in play.

Spurs are all over Everton here.

Another corner is whipped in and Danso’s first effort is blocked, but the ball drops down perfectly for him to have another pop.

But he drags his effort wide and should really hit the target there.

Two big chances for Spurs early on. Dare I say Everton are on the beach with their flip flops on...

A really big chance for Spurs early and a huge roar goes up as some of the home fans thought that was in.

A high ball sees Pickford come for it and there is no real danger. But Michael Keane doesn’t hear the call and heads it out of his hands as they collide.

The ball is flicked on and Conor Gallagher is there from close range but slams his shot just wide of the post and into the side-netting.

He can’t believe it. Neither can De Zerbi. That was a massive chance for Spurs to take an early lead to settle things down.

Pedro Porro clips a free kick over but it’s cleared for a corner by an Everton defender.

The corner then comes in and Van de Ven heads it down, but Everton clear.

Spurs are looking a little open on the counter but they’re pushing hard early.

Wow. It is so noisy here. Brilliant support from the Spurs faithful.

This is it. Here we go...

Spurs are absolutely pumping out the music here.

Fatboy Slim’s ‘right here, right now’ is on and the stadium is bouncing.

“This is it!” says the stadium announcer.

The Spurs fans here are right up for this.

Let the 90 minutes of chaos begin...

I caught up with plenty of Spurs fans outside the ground and some are confident they will get the job done, while other likes father and son Danny and Callum are a bit nervous.

They think the first five minutes will tell them everything they need to know about how this will go.

Every single Spurs fan here is ready to roar their team on. Let’s see if the players can be inspired by that, or if the pressure is too much...

Moyes has kept it simple for Everton and has gone with a 4-2-3-1 formation to be dangerous on the break, and Thierno Barry leads the line up top.

Everton lineup

Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Iroegbunam; Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry

The Spurs team news is a little interesting and suggests they may play for the draw...

Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup

As expected, Roberto De Zerbi basically sticks with what he knows best and it’s the 4-2-3-1 formation, with a slightly more defensive look.

Djed Spence comes in for Randal Kolo Muani in the only change to the team which lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday. Spence or Pedro Porro will play on the right wing to give it a more defensive look.

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Ven de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur; Spence, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

To sum up the mood in one word here: nervous.

Spurs were never supposed to be in this situation and even though their fans have suffered in tight situations late in the season over the years, the stakes have never been like this.

Not many Spurs fans going to this game have ever experienced a final day relegation scrap before.

Lots of chatter about tension, having one more beer to settle their nerves and hoping for the best.

It is tense as kick off is coming up in just over an hour.

Tottenham Hotspur know if they win at home to Everton on the final day of the Premier League season they will be safe from relegation. A draw will also very likely be enough to save themselves.

The main issue? They have yet to win at home in the league in 2026 and have the joint-worst home record in the Premier League this season in terms of points gained.

Gulp.

Tension is high and Everton have absolutely nothing to play for, which can be very dangerous on the final day.

Tottenham Hotspur have underachieved massively this season with their talented, expensively assembled squad, struggling for confidence and consistency. Those above them have made poor decisions when it comes to hiring managers too, and add in a plethora of injuries to key players, bad luck and pressure building for months, and it all comes down to this.

And just to add more pressure to the situation, if Spurs lose today and their London rivals West Ham win, they will be in the second tier for the first time since 1977. If that happens a woeful season will end with the ultimate humiliation and the biggest shock relegation in Premier League history.

Buckle up, Spurs fans. As has been the case for most of this season, you’re in for a bumpy ride.

Spurs have won two, drawn two and lost two from De Zerbi’s six games in charge so far, so he’s fared pretty well as he tries to save them from relegation and then stabilize them next season.

They’ve put themselves in a good situation and today is all about starting well and getting a couple of goals early to settle any nerves. That is the dream scenario for Spurs but it seems like a bit of a fairytale given how tough they’ve made it for themselves throughout this awful season.

Nerves will be plentiful and leaving themselves open on the counter is a dangerous game to play.

Everton are also a fine time on the counter, so De Zerbi will likely set up his team in a solid 4-2-3-1 formation and tell them to hang in there and try to hold their nerve and get the draw they need.

Playing for a draw is a risky strategy in a season which has been riddled with poor individual mistakes defensively. But it should be the way De Zerbi approaches this. Especially against Everton.

That means the nerves of Spurs fans will be shredded, especially if West Ham are leading five miles away.

Okay, this is it, the final 90 minutes of the season and if Spurs win they are safe from relegation. If they draw they will almost certainly be safe too.

But a defeat to Everton and their fate won’t be in their own hands as a West Ham victory would send them down to the second tier for the first time since 1977.

Here is how you can watch it all play out in the USA.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton live, stream link and start time

Kickoff time: 11 am ET Sunday (May 24)
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — North London
TV Channel: NBC
Streaming: Watch live on Peacock & Watch live on NBC.com