Two goals conceded in injury time led to Tottenham’s 1-2 loss to Wolves in the 12th round on the evening of November 11.
After remaining unbeaten in the first ten matches of the season, Tottenham started to decline. This is their second consecutive defeat after losing 1-4 to Chelsea in the previous round. Instead of seizing the opportunity to return to the top of the table, Ange Postecoglou’s team remains in second place, one point behind Man City, and is at risk of being surpassed by Liverpool after this round.
Tottenham was without five key players in this match, including the defensive duo Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero suspended, and Micky Van de Ven, James Maddison, and Richarlison injured. These are all crucial players in Postecoglou’s tactics built from the beginning of the season.
Therefore, the away team opening the scoring in the third minute could be a surprise. Starting from a backheel pass by Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro crossed for young talent Brennan Johnson to cut in and slot the ball home amidst the Wolves defenders.
However, Tottenham made their supporters anxious afterward. Lacking key positions in defense, Tottenham appeared passive when pressed by the opponent, and they couldn’t control the game against Wolves’ determined attacking play.
The talent of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and the misfortune of the home team’s strikers helped Tottenham keep a clean sheet in the first half. Vicario had at least two excellent saves against shots from Mario Lemina and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan couldn’t capitalize on the space to showcase their penetrating abilities.
The chances continued for Wolves in the second half, and they squandered them again. Cunha’s shot hit the crossbar before Hee-chan skewed the ball wide despite being in a favorable position. While pushing the attacking lineup, the home team almost paid the price when Johnson surged forward to receive a pass from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and faced the goalkeeper. However, his somewhat hurried shot sent the ball wide of the goal.
The calculations of the two coaches determined the course of the game in the remaining time. Postecoglou refreshed the midfield by introducing Rodrigo Bentancur, Bryan Gil, and Giovani Lo Celso. However, these three players did not contribute much defensively and left a negative impression with their tricks, contributing to the away team’s time-wasting tactics.
On the flip side, Wolves’ manager Gary O’Neil bringing on Pablo Sarabia in the 87th minute completely changed the game’s outcome. Four minutes later, the Spanish international displayed class control to receive Cunha’s cross before volleying decisively into the narrow corner to beat Vicario.
Six minutes later, Sarabia made an impact again with a through-ball to release Lemina, who finished low into the bottom left corner. Molineux erupted with the Wolves’ comeback. In contrast, Postecoglou stood silently on the sidelines.
This was a well-deserved victory for Wolves, as they had ten shots in the match, four of which were on target. This figure surpassed Tottenham’s four attempts, with two on target. The dull performance of Son Heung-min may indicate a decline in Tottenham’s attack, a consequence of Maddison’s absence.
Tottenham will face Aston Villa in the next round, a match that will undoubtedly be a significant challenge for them considering the patched-up defense.
