Traore strike provides lifeline
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 v Tottenham Hotspur 0
A month on from what appeared to be a transformative win against Liverpool, Wolves continue to frustrate. The ten man heroics away at Southampton made the subsequent home game against struggling Bournemouth a three point banker. Sadly not, as nightmare defeat ensued. There then followed a wonderfully fluid first half performance away at Fulham which should have yielded more than the one goal that did materialise. One sensed it was an opportunity missed and from the moment Fulham equalised, halfway through the second half, Wolves were awful. I could barely watch the final ten minutes during which the Old Gold were certainly consistent if only in giving the ball away cheaply. This allowed Fulham plenty of good possession which, mercifully, they failed to use. Liverpool away on Wednesday were a different side to the one which visited Molineux at the beginning of the month and though Wolves started brightly they were soon outgunned and did well to keep the deficit down to two. So as Tottenham strolled into town, it was hard to know which version of Wolverhampton Wanderers were going to show up.
And after a first half in which Tottenham bossed possession and twice went close through Son Heung-min and Pedro Porro - whose free kick in time added on struck the bar – it was a lacklustre Wolves that we were watching. Too slow when in possession and lacking in intensity when without it. A half time bollocking beckoned together with a change in tactics as Nathan Collins replaced Pedro Neto and Adama Traore, Mario Lemina.
The sanity of returning to three at the back was soon called into question as Son Heung-min crashed the ball against the bar with barely a minute of the second half having been played. This was closely followed by Collins treading on the ball, a trait that he appears keen to perfect. Mercifully he retrieved the situation and four minutes later Wolves created their first opportunity when from an acute angle Raul Jimenez’s effort went agonizingly wide and in so doing also evaded Nelson Semedo’s outstretched leg. Then on 55 Traore’s right wing cross picked out Jimenez whose fine header was well saved by Fraser Foster. Buoyed by their changing fortunes from then until the end of the game Wolves pressed hard and were a different side.
But it was the introduction of Joao Moutinho with just over twenty minutes of the game remaining that provided the experience and passing nous to seal the deal. Always calm and rarely choosing the wrong option in minute 81 he first sprayed the ball out left to Castro Otto before getting it back in the middle of the Tottenham half. From there he picked out Jimenez on the edge of the Tottenham box, which invited the Mexican striker to make space before firing at the Tottenham goal. So well struck was his effort that Forster could only parry it into the path of Traore who crashed the ball into the net off the underside of the bar. Molineux erupted, as much in relief, as joy. All that remained was for Moutinho to frustrate the visitors by running down the clock to victory.
With the win Wolves moved up to 13th slot, six points above the relegation zone. Brian’s return journey to Torquay will be a joyous one.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa 7, Semedo 7, Dawson 7, Kilman 7, Castro Otto 7, Lemina 7 Sub Traore 7, Neves 8, Nunes 5 Sub Moutinho 8, Sarabia 6 Sub Cunha 6, Neto Sub Collins 6, Costa Sub Jimenez 8
Tottenham Hotspur FC: Forster 7, Romero 6, Langlet 6, Davies 6 Sub Richarlison, Porro 6 Sub Emerson Royal, Skipp 6, Hojbjerg 7, Perisic 7, Kulusevski 6 Sub Lucas Moura, Son Heung-min 7, Kane 7
Attendance: Not stated
Referee: Tim Robinson 9
©Mark Brennand