Tottenham avoided relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the 2025-26 season after their 1-0 win over Everton on Sunday condemned rivals West Ham to the Championship.
João Palhinha's scrappy first-half goal proved the decisive moment in a competitive relegation battle that has raged for months, and now sees West Ham, which defeated Leeds 3-0, fall to the second tier with the joint-highest points tally amassed by a relegated club (39). It marks West Ham's first season in the Championship since 2012.
Heading into what promised to be a tense final day, Spurs knew they could only be relegated if they lost at home and West Ham beat Leeds 27 miles away in east London.
Palhinha's goal, which just barely crossed the line, settled the nerves at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but when their rivals went ahead across the capital with a little over 20 minutes remaining, the reverberations made for a tense finish in north London.
But Roberto De Zerbi's team held on thanks to some dogged defending and a crucial late save from Antonín Kinsky deep into the nine minutes of second-half stoppage time.
Spurs have been at risk of a high-profile relegation from the top flight for much of their dreadful campaign.
Thomas Frank began the season in charge before he was sacked and replaced by Igor Tudor, whose ill-fated stint did not deliver a turnaround in results.
But De Zerbi's arrival at the end of March brought a sharp turnaround in performance and results as Spurs finished with 11 points out of a possible 21, proving enough to see them beat the drop by the skin of their teeth. Sunday marked Spurs' first win at home in the league since the beginning of December.