For the second week in a row, Tottenham required Harry Kane’s instincts at a corner to rescue a result that in other seasons might have been slipping away. The striker’s header to defeat Wolves came much earlier than his last-minute equaliser to steal a point at Chelsea last Sunday, but more significantly for Antonio Conte was its impact in turning one point into three, rather than salvaging one from nothing.
It points towards where Spurs expect to be and what is required if they are to take on Manchester City and Liverpool stride for stride over the opening part of the season, as many expect them to do. Tottenham did not quite hit those standards here, but the sight of Spurs sitting at the top of the table in these early season days is perhaps all that matters for Conte.
The Italian’s side remain a work in progress while new signings continue to be settled in. Ivan Perisic took time to warm up on his full Premier League debut but made two key contributions to Tottenham’s goal. Meanwhile, the value of the addition of Richarlison has been emphasised by Son Heung-min’s slow start to the season. It’s a reminder of the options Spurs have now, and their importance in grinding out results such as these, as this was far from easy.
After the blood and thunder of last weekend at Stamford Bridge, the same fight Conte displayed on the touchline in his confrontation with Thomas Tuchel was exactly what Spurs were missing until they finally woke up in the second half.
Wolves, sleek and oh so very Portuguese, lost their way after their impressive opening period, almost in response to their familiar struggles in front of goal. The striker’s sense of Kane to evade the sleeping Nathan Collins at the back post was just what Wolves were lacking and continues to hold them back. It’s what they hope will return now Raul Jimenez is back in action following his knee injury.
Bruno Lage’s side had two new faces from their last outing, becoming even more Wolves and taking their Portuguese contingent in the starting line-up to seven. There were debuts for Goncalo Guedes on the right wing and the club record signing Matheus Nunes in midfield – a player described by Pep Guardiola as “one of the best in the world” and whose initial £25m fee has already been covered by what Nottingham Forest have dropped on Morgan Gibbs-White this week.
Guedes added a burst to their front line, while the imposing figure of Nunes turned what would have been a poor first touch in the Premier League into an impressive one with a puff of his chest and rolling of his shoulders to stride away from the two closest Spurs players with the ball, setting the tone for an assured debut after having just one training sessions with his new teammates.
It was reflective of the overall picture early on. Wolves were smart, organised, and awkward for Tottenham. While they often struggle to beat the teams they should, Wolves have a knack of often beating the sides they shouldn’t, and are exactly the sort of opposition you don’t want to play at 12:30pm on a Saturday afternoon. They do not look to be a team who have now gone 10 matches without a win – but until they add a cutting edge to their play, that is exactly the point.
While they had the better of the first half, they were still limited to a Ruben Neves volley fired straight at Hugo Lloris and Daniel Podence scuffing wide. They had the same issue as Spurs did to begin with, too little space, but came closest as Neves scooped a pass over the last line and Nunes flicked a header wide.
Spurs looked a little lost. Wolves had matched up with their system to deny Conte’s side space out wide as well as in central positions. Perisic didn’t quite look in sync early on in his full debut. Son continued to have a strange time and Conte’s barks on the touchline grew louder and more frequent. Shortly before the whistle, Perisic dug a cross out and Sa was required to tip Kane’s looping header over the bar in their only effort of the half. Wolves, meanwhile, had racked up 12.
But Spurs emerged from half-time with purpose and far more attacking intent. Dejan Kulusevksi cut inside with a drive that had been missing and curled a lovely cross onto Kane’s head, with his effort this time crashing off the crossbar. Kane then picked out Son with a smart quickly taken free kick, but the South Korean was unable to bring the ball down in time as Collins made a crucial intervention in the penalty area. Soon after, Son struck the outside of the near post as he looked to catch out Sa from the angle.
Spurs had woken up and the second the goal finally felt it was coming, it duly arrived.
Wolves opened up slightly on the hour-mark and Perisic found space for what felt like the first time on the left. He skipped past Jonny Otto and his cross was blocked for a corner. From there, Son’s cross was flicked on at the near post by Perisic and Kane, having ducked behind the right shoulder of Collins at the back post, put Spurs ahead with his 250th goal for the club in all competitions, and the 1,000th Premier League goal scored on home soil by Spurs.
Richarlison threatened on the break after replacing Son late on while Wolves appeared to have exhausted their chances in the false dawn of their first-half performance. Neves curled wide from a free kick in their only clear effort after the interval. Kane, in more ways than one, was the difference.
