Wolves 2 – 1 Tottenham
Stoppage-time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina saw Wolves produce a stunning late comeback to beat a depleted Tottenham 2-1 at Molinuex.
The damage from Spurs’ stunning 4-1 defeat at home to Chelsea on Monday was laid bare at Molineux, with Ange Postecoglou forced into four changes thanks to the suspensions of Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie and the long-term injuries to James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
It looked as though the absences of those key players wouldn’t affect Spurs, who raced ahead inside three minutes thanks to Brennan Johnson’s first goal for the club.
But that was as good as it got for Spurs, who were subdued throughout and saw Wolves miss several chances before Pablo Sarabia volleyed a leveller past Guglielmo Vicario in the 91st minute.
The Spaniard then set up Lemina for the winner in the 97th minute, seeing Spurs slip to their second straight defeat and miss the chance to replace Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
How Wolves undermined Spurs’ title credentials
Life had been plain sailing for Postecoglou before this week, with Spurs setting the pace at the top of the Premier League and remaining unbeaten in their first 10 games.
But the first bumps in the road all came at once on Monday, with four key players becoming unavailable and an emphatic first defeat handed to Postecoglou and his side.
As a result, the trip to Wolves looked to be an interesting test for Spurs – both of the depth of their squad and their ability to bounce back from adversity.
They looked to be passing that test during the opening exchanges, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Emerson Royal, Eric Dier and Ben Davies slotting into the team and Johnson putting his side ahead from Pedro Porro’s low pass.
But Spurs took more than 40 minutes to register their next shot and only remained level thanks to Vicario’s sharp low save from Lemina, while Davies bailed out Dier’s mistake by blocking Rayan Ait-Nouri’s dangerous effort.
The pattern of the game remained unchanged after half-time, with Spurs unable to assert any control but Wolves unable to show any quality in the final third.
Vicario was largely unchallenged, with Hee-Chan Hwang and Matheus Cunha both putting good chances wide.
But Sarabia’s introduction from the bench in the 87th minute changed the game, with the former Paris Saint-Germain winger scoring just four minutes later as he volleyed in Cunha’s pass.
And the 31-year-old wasn’t done there, next popping up on the opposite wing in the dying seconds to thread a ball into the onrushing Lemina, who poked a finish past Vicario.
The goal sparked wild celebrations at Molineux – and poses real questions about Spurs’ credibility as title challengers.
What’s next?
After the international break, Wolves are back in action on Monday November 27. They travel to Fulham on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.
Meanwhile, Spurs play on Sunday November 26 when they host Aston Villa on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 2pm.
