James Maddison hailed his Tottenham team-mate Antonin Kinsky after they beat Wolves 1-0 on Saturday.
The victory at Molineux, which came courtesy of Joao Palhinha’s late strike, was Spurs’ first under Roberto De Zerbi – and first in the Premier League since December 28.
Joao Gomes almost levelled in injury-time from a free kick, but Kinsky made a superb save to ensure Tottenham picked up a crucial three points.
His defining intervention came just over a month after he was subbed off within 17 minutes against Atletico Madrid following two disastrous mistakes, which left many questioning whether he would ever play for the club again.
And, following the Wolves triumph, Maddison took to Instagram to heap praise on the keeper.
He posted: ‘Brilliant mate @tondakinsky. Huge b****cks to bounce back last few weeks. Showing your quality.’
James Maddison hailed his Tottenham team-mate Antonin Kinsky after they beat Wolves 1-0
Kinsky made a superb save in injury-time to ensure Spurs won their first game since December
Kinsky initially returned to the starting XI for Spurs’ defeat by Sunderland in De Zerbi’s first game in charge after Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery.
He then played against Brighton before the Wolves game on Saturday, and he has put in three solid performances.
On that fateful night in Madrid, Kinsky slipped while passing for the first goal and completely mis-kicked the ball to give away the third.
Kinsky looked distraught as he trudged down the tunnel. Senior substitutes Conor Gallagher, Palhinha and Dominic Solanke all jogged behind to console him after a nightmare Champions League debut for Spurs.
Manager Igor Tudor did not acknowledge him, however, a decision which was condemned by TNT Sports pundits Joe Hart and Steve McManaman at the time.
Speaking after the Wolves game, De Zerbi also praised Kinsky as he said: ‘Good guy and good keeper and especially after Madrid he deserves a day like today.
‘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.
‘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.’
It is just over a month since Kinsky was subbed off after 17 minutes in the Champions League
Maddison praised Kinsky for having ‘huge b****cks’ to bounce back after that brutal night
He added: ‘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.
‘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.’
