Wasteful Spurs rocked by late Traore strike in loss to Wolves

Luke Bridle

Updated

Wolverhampton Wanderers sealed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, courtesy of Adama Traoré’s late goal, which also marked their first home victory over Spurs in eight attempts.

After a bright start for new coach Julen Lopetegui, three consecutive winless games meant his side hosted the North Londoners desperately in search of a spark. Spurs wanted to strengthen their position within the Premier League (PL) top four however, and there was little sign of a hangover from their FA Cup exit to second-tier Sheffield Utd in midweek, as they took control in the West Midlands.

Wolves’ indecisive backline were lucky to escape when Pedro Porro blasted wide, before Dejan Kulusevski drew a smart save out of José Sá as Spurs continued to flood their hosts’ penalty area in the opening 25 minutes. A physical first half was interrupted through a serious-looking injury to Diego Costa, and perhaps ironically, the extended pause seemed to benefit his side. The visitors eventually regained control however, and only the woodwork stopped them taking the lead on the brink of HT, as Porro’s free-kick slammed against the crossbar with Sá beaten.

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Son Heung-min led his side’s second-half charge for an opener and was desperately unlucky to see an effort smash the underside of the bar after Harry Kane’s neat lay-off. Wolves looked content to threaten on the counter, and they nearly stunned their visitors on one such attack, with Nélson Semedo millimetres away from connecting with the ball as it fizzed across the area. A second period played at a magnificent tempo then saw Fraser Forster forced into a fine save from Raúl Jiménez’s headed effort, though it was the sight of the Mexican forward chasing back 60 yards to cut out a Tottenham attack that really displayed Wolves’ new-found hunger under Lopetegui.

His side left their counter-attack intentions behind and found themselves firmly on top in the finale as a typical Rúben Neves piledriver only just cleared the bar, before Matheus Cunha ought to have done better as he skewed wide from just 10 yards out. Wolves completely justified taking the lead when a goal arrived late on, as Traoré’s wonderful half-volley slammed into the net with help from the crossbar to secure a victory that might yet prove vital to their top-flight status.

Flashcore Man of the Match: Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers)