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Wolverhampton Wanderers played host to Tottenham Hotspur in a riveting clash that saw Jose Mourinho's men narrowly take home the spoils at the Molineux Stadium on Sunday.
Lucas Moura gave the north London giants the lead against the run of play with a thunderous effort in the eighth minute. Nuno Espirito Santo's men then came back with a leveller after the break courtesy of Adama Traore, who smashed in a powerful strike past Paulo Gazzaniga. It started to look like the game was set to end in a draw until Jan Vertonghen snatched a dramatic victory for Spurs with a stoppage-time header.
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Both clubs had endured a disappointing start to the Premier League campaign but have undergone a reinvigorated period in recent weeks. While Wolves had previously enjoyed an unbeaten run of 11 games, a streak that goes back to September, Spurs' ambitions are believed to have been rejuvenated following the managerial appointment of Jose Mourinho.
With the win, Spurs head up to fifth place in the Premier League table and will now hope to build on their credentials when they host Chelsea next weekend.
Let us now look at the three primary reasons why Tottenham got the better of a resilient Wolves team:
#3 Well-rested players missing from Spurs' European assignment were impactful at the Molineux
The encounter at the Molineux was deemed to be crucial to Spurs' chances of finishing in a Champions League place this season and the significance of European qualification was evident when both sides omitted key players from their continental ventures and preserved them for tonight's clash.
Mourinho opted to rest Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Serge Aurier during their dead-rubber Champions League game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday and was rewarded with scintillating performances and an imperative result as he started all four of those players against Wolves.
While Kane was largely quiet throughout the game, the likes of Vertonghen and Alli played key roles to establish the win. The latter, who has appeared more confident under Mourinho, was either seen embarking on dangerous runs into the area or engaging in frequent one-twos with Eric Dier, who himself came close to finding the net in the first half. Meanwhile, Vertonghen, who was frequently overwhelmed by Traore on the wings, guided home the winner with a last-minute header from a Christian Eriksen corner.
#2 Wolves failed to take advantage of their overwhelming momentum
Nuno Espirito Santo's men boasted of an immense attacking power that was fully capable of exposing the defensive shortcomings that have been routinely plaguing the visitors. Raul Jimenez, Diogo Jota and Adama Traore posed as constant threats to their north London opponents and hardly gave them any room to breathe but the intent of their attack frequently died down during the course of the game.
Jota and Jimenez were often seen engaging in brilliant link-up plays but were largely wasteful as the ball almost always ended up in the arms of Gazzaniga. Trivial errors also cost the hosts a couple of points with the most obvious example being Jota's decision to take a shot at goal instead of feeding Traore in the first half.
At the end of the day, while Wolves deserved way more than a narrow defeat after a scintillating display, Spurs were simply rewarded for being the team that made the most of their chances.
#3 Spurs defence tested to their limits but came out unscathed
Tottenham's defensive crisis, which has been a constant talking point since Mauricio Pochettino's reign, reared its ugly head once again even as they passed an incredible test against the Wolves. Mourinho's men were simply lucky not to have conceded more than one goal with the likes of Jota and Traore consistently breathing down their necks throughout the game.
While Aurier's wing was largely ignored by the Wolves attack, Vertonghen bore most of the brunt on his end and was often outmatched in pace and power by the athletic Traore. Meanwhile, Davinson Sanchez had a difficult time marking Jota, who was constantly feeding Jimenez and trying his own luck at goal.
The visitors' attempts to play out from the back were also nerve-wracking, with Gazzaniga and Toby Alderweireld even close to having a mix up in their own box.
Tottenham's win on Sunday could well be termed as slightly fortunate considering the circumstances but we doubt Mourinho would mind it at all.
