James Maddison has heaped praise on his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Antonin Kinsky following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The win at Molineux, secured by a late strike from Joao Palhinha, marked Tottenham's first under manager Roberto De Zerbi and their first Premier League triumph since December 28.
Kinsky's Redemption
Joao Gomes nearly equalised for Wolves in injury time with a free kick, but Kinsky produced a superb save to ensure Spurs claimed all three points. This defining intervention came just over a month after the goalkeeper was substituted within 17 minutes against Atletico Madrid due to two catastrophic errors, which led many to question his future at the club.
Following the victory, Maddison took to Instagram to commend the keeper, writing: 'Brilliant mate @tondakinsky. Huge b****cks to bounce back last few weeks. Showing your quality.'
Road to Recovery
Kinsky initially returned to the starting lineup for Spurs' defeat by Sunderland in De Zerbi's first match in charge, after Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery. He then featured against Brighton before the Wolves game, delivering three solid performances. On that fateful night in Madrid, Kinsky slipped while attempting a pass for the first goal and completely mis-kicked the ball, gifting the third goal. He looked distraught as he left the pitch, with senior substitutes Conor Gallagher, Palhinha, and Dominic Solanke running over to console him after a nightmare Champions League debut.
Manager Igor Tudor did not acknowledge him at the time, a decision that was condemned by TNT Sports pundits Joe Hart and Steve McManaman.
De Zerbi's Praise
After the Wolves game, De Zerbi also praised Kinsky, stating: 'Good guy and good keeper and especially after Madrid he deserves a day like today.' He added: 'I am happy for the result. The first 35 minutes we played well. Maybe we could create more chances and shots on goal. I didn't like the second half at all. We could play better. We have to play better.'
De Zerbi continued: 'It's true we didn't win a game in 2026, but in the Champions League they finished fifth and that's not easier than the Premier League. They have to be positive. They have to feel full confidence because they are good players.'
He concluded: 'I believe we can stay up. It is not 10 points, we are two points from West Ham, who are a good team, but we are a very good team. The most important things are the qualities of the players and the human levels of the players which was a surprise to me because I didn't know them, and when I got to know them better I knew we had the chance to stay up.'
De Zerbi also noted: 'When you watch a game from TV you can't understand if they have the right spirit and attitude. I work with them every day and they are all professional, good guys, suffering in this situation.'
