Spurs 1-2 Wolves

The report in full...

The visitors went ahead three minutes before half-time, Joao Gomes unmarked as he headed home Pablo Sarabia’s corner before we found a quick-fire equaliser at the start of the second half, Dejan Kulusevski slotting past Jose Sa from a tight angle after just 33 seconds.

We couldn’t take advantage of a spell on top though and conceded again in the 63^rd minute, Gomes adding his and Wolves’ second at the end of a swift counter-attack. We applied plenty of pressure in the closing stages but there was to be no dramatic comeback this time, Ben Davies heading wide our best chance of an equaliser in stoppage time. Our goal meant we have scored in our last 37 Premier League matches, but that was scant consolation on a disappointing afternoon in N17.

The first sight of goal went to the visitors, Sarabia’s shot easy for Guglielmo Vicario on five minutes however, with their next attack, Nelson Semedo forced the Italian into a much more difficult save with the rebound bouncing out to Hee-Chan Hwang but he put the ball over the bar from six yards.

Our first shot in anger came in the 14^th minute, the ball falling to Davies on the edge of the area and he rifled an effort a yard over the bar before Rayan Ait-Nouri hit a right-foot shot at the other end, Vicario saving low down.

We actually failed to have a shot on target in the first period compared to four from the visitors, although went close on 36 minutes with a well-worked move, Micky van de Ven bringing the ball out from the back and finding James Maddison inside the area, he moved it on to Kulusevski but it was slightly behind him and his shot was off-target.

The deadlock was broken in the 42^nd minute after Wolves won a second successive corner and, from Sarabia’s delivery, Gomes was unmarked seven yards out and he headed into the top corner past Vicario.

Having found chances so hard to come by in the opening period, we needed just 33 seconds after the restart to level it up! Richarlison received a throw-in just inside the area down the right, Mario Lemina’s challenge pushed the ball to Kulusevski and he skipped past a tackle before rolling the ball between the legs of Jose Sa from a tight angle.

We were on top at that stage but Wolves almost hit us on the break, Semedo put through down the right and his first-time ball into the middle found Sarabia, but his shot was pushed away by Vicario.

At the other end, Jose Sa then made a wonderful full-length save to tip Kulusevski’s drive around the post before the Sweden international saw a shot blocked by Semedo, but it was Wolves with the next goal following another counter from our corner. Pedro Neto got clear down the right, all the way into our area before cutting inside Emerson Royal and laying the perfect pass for Gomes to drill past Vicario with 63 minutes gone.

It probably should have been 3-1 15 minutes later as Wolves broke again, Jean-Ricner Bellagarde this time receiving the ball in front of goal but he took too long and Royal got back to block his final effort.

The final stages were played almost entirely in the Wolves half apart from the moments they won back possession and tried to counter, but it was so difficult to find a way through as they dropped deep and remained compact, restricting us to half-chances. Jose Sa saved two of those, stretching to keep out Royal’s 18-yard drive and gathering van de Ven’s header on his goal-line in the 90^th minute.

Substitute Timo Werner worked a yard of space deep into stoppage time but saw both of his shots blocked and we carved out one glorious chance in the 94^th minute, Kulusevski clipping over a cross which found Davies unmarked eight yards out but he got his header all wrong and it went well wide.

Ange Postecoglou made four changes to the team for this game. Royal and Davies came into our defence in place of the injured Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie. Yves Bissouma and Heung-Min Son both started their first games of the year for us with Rodrigo Bentancur and Werner making way.