A victory at last but it came at a cost for Tottenham
Xavi Simons has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear(Image: Lewis Storey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur may have won their first Premier League game of 2026 against relegated Wolves on Saturday but they have now lost influential attacker Xavi Simons to injury for the rest of the season.
The 23-year-old went down with a leg issue during the 1-0 win at Molineux and, after trying to get up, was taken off on a stretcher before it was later confirmed that he has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Spurs’ victory cut the relegation gap to Leeds United – who sit on 40 points after the midweek 2-2 draw at Bournemouth – to six points with four games to play.
Following the win on Wednesday, Whites boss Farke said he was “confident” of survival but refused to celebrate until it is mathematically completed. Saturday’s results only underscore why he takes this view.
The triumph for Tottenham coupled with West Ham United’s 2-1 win over Everton, thanks to Callum Wilson’s stoppage time goal, has indeed made the relegation picture more precarious for Leeds, who need to shake off the Wembley shackles for the final four games.
United host relegated Burnley at Elland Road on Friday night before travelling to Spurs in their next game. These remain two pivotal games during the run-in but two games in which Leeds could secure their Premier League survival.
Simons’ loss is a big blow for Tottenham, who also have injury concerns over Dominic Solanke amid a problem he picked up at Wolves. Crisitan Romero, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski are just three of other players ruled out for the campaign too.
Taking to social media himself, Simons added: “They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense.”
And giving an update on Solanke on Saturday, Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “Solanke has suffered a muscular injury… it’s not a big problem, I don’t know how many games we will lose him.”
The likes of Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario could return against Aston Villa next weekend but it is attacking verve that Spurs need. Those who followed that game will know that Tottenham looked forlorn in attack, with just two of 11 shots on target.
Leeds remain in the driving seat and Friday night’s clash against Burnley is the best fixture they could have got. Albeit they do have a new injury concern with Gabriel Gudmundsson, who suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.
Anton Stach made his return from ankle ligament injury after initially being ruled out until May but how fit he is to start will only become clear in time. Yet Leeds know that a win on Friday coupled with a non-win for Spurs at Villa means a draw at Tottenham would be enough to see them safe.
But the Burnley game is an imperative one to win, and is a pendulum fixture. Win and depress Spurs further, but fail to and they gain more confidence, as do rivals.
Sunday’s loss should be a catalyst to make sure the main objective of the season is done. With Spurs struggling to pull a strong team together, the six point gap is perhaps not indicative of the true distance between both clubs right now.
FOLLOW OUR LUFC FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest news, analysis and more on our Leeds United FB page