Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Player Ratings
An injury-time winner by Jan Vertonghen ensured Tottenham came away from the Molineux with all 3 points after being outplayed for large parts of the game by an energetic Wolverhampton Wanderers side.
It was Lucas Moura’s turn to shine as he took the ball past three Wolves player before smashing an unstoppable drive past Rui Patricio to put Tottenham up in the first 10 minutes.
Spurs’ defence held as Wolves responded well to the setback with Diogo Jota, Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore going close. Eric Dier thought he had increased his side’s lead only to see his strike come off the post.
Paulo Gazzaniga could do nothing about Traore’s fierce strike as Wolves earned a well-deserved equalizer in the 67th minute.
Wolves looked the side more likely to win the game towards the end, only for Vertonghen to win it at the depth with a guiding header from Christian Eriksen’s corner.
With the victory, Spurs have leap logged both Wolves and Manchester United to 5th in the table, just 3 points off Chelsea in fourth, whom they play next. These 3 points could prove significant with the race for the fourth spot likely to go down to the wire.
Tottenham player ratings
Paulo Gazzaniga (7/10)
Reacted well to prevent Romain Saiss from giving Wolves the lead. There was nothing he could have done about Traore’s strike which just seemed too good for him.
Serge Aurier (6/10)
A player transformed under Jose Mourinho. Showed discipline in defence and was helped by Wolves focussing their attacks on the other flank. Should improve his crossing ability and give Spurs another dimension to their attack.
Davinson Sanchez (6/10)
A mixed bag for the defender where he was shaky at times but recovered in time to prevent anything worse from happening. Used his athleticism well but gave the ball away a lot of times. Yellow carded for a foul on Jonny.
Toby Alderwiereld (6/10)
Apart from being all over the place in the final ten minutes, he did well to hold his own against intense pressure from Wolves. Booked for a rash challenge on Traore in the second half.
Jan Vertonghen (7/10)
Had his hands full against the pace and trickery of Traore. Should have done better in closing him down as he struck the equalizer. Did well to guide in the ball to the far post in injury time.
Eric Dier (6/10)
Should have doubled his side’s lead in the first half only to see his strike hit the post. Earned the assist for Moura’s goal and was another player who was booked for a tackle on Traore.
Moussa Sissoko (6/10)
Unspectacular but reasonably solid. Worked hard and used his athleticism to good effect.
Lucas Moura (6/10)
Scored an incredible goal to put his side up in the first 10 minutes. Didn’t do much else of note. Did not utilize his pace well in a counterattacking setup. Replaced late on by Christian Eriksen.
Dele Alli (6/10)
Did not have many chances to drive at the opposition as he usually does and was forced to drop back quite often. Should have done better with his one on one in the first half. Almost grabbed an assist for a sweet chip to put Eric Dier through.
Son Heung-min (5/10)
A spectator for the majority of the game. Did nothing of note and the game largely passed by him.
Harry Kane (4/10)
Hit the turf too easily in efforts to win a penalty. The third Spurs player who was booked for a tackle on Traore. Not his day as he hardly had a sniff at goal and had to do a lot of thankless running.
Substitutes
Christian Eriksen (6/10)
Came on late for Lucas Moura. Put in the corner that led to Spur’s winning goal. Did nothing else of note.
Juan Foyth (NA)
Bought on in injury time as Spurs ran down the clock.
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Harry Winks (NA)
Came on in the dying seconds.
