Tottenham Hotspur withstood a barrage of Wolverhampton Wanderers attacks to escape with their second successive 1-0 win of the Premier League season on Sunday.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who beat champions Manchester City last weekend, took the lead in the ninth minute courtesy of a Dele Alli penalty.
The north London side, however, found themselves on the back foot for the rest of the match. Wolves laid siege to the Spurs goal in search of an equaliser but despite having a whopping 25 attempts, they failed to find the back of the net.
With the win, Spurs moved up to third spot in the league table on six points from two games, while Wolves, who are still without a win, dropped to 17th.
Tottenham player ratings vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Hugo Lloris – 7/10
Despite Wolves’ dominance, Lloris did not have too much to do in the Tottenham goal. He did, however, come up with a smart save to deny Adama Traore an equalizer in the second half.
Japhet Tanganga – 4/10
The youngster had a poor game and was run ragged by Adama Traore, especially in the first half. He had no answer to the Spaniard’s power and pace and was constantly on the back-foot. He also picked up a yellow card for a late challenge on Fernando Marcal in the first half.
Davinson Sanchez – 5/10
Like Tanganga, Sanchez too struggled to deal with Traore’s dynamic runs. He did improve as the game wore on, but overall a rather poor display from the senior defender.
Two games.
Two wins.
Two goals.
Two clean sheets.Let's keep it going. ✊ pic.twitter.com/9tM2yWFVI4
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 22, 2021
Eric Dier – 7/10
While the rest of Spurs’ backline struggled, Eric Dier put in a fine performance. He was a commanding figure in the box and was untroubled by Raul Jimenez’s aerial threat. Dier also made a couple of crucial interceptions in the first half. He could have got on the score-sheet but had a header well saved by Jose Sa late in the second period.
Sergio Reguilon – 6/10
Provided the through ball that led to Spurs’ penalty in the first half. But he was often caught flat-footed and allowed Nelson Semedo to get beyond him on far too many occasions.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7/10
Produced a tidy if not spectacular performance. With Spurs constantly on the back-foot, Hojbjerg was forced to sit back and do a lot of dirty work. He did provide a few threatening passes in the second half, including one to Son to launch a late counter-attack.
Oliver Skipp – 6/10
Like Hojbjerg, Skipp did not have too many opportunities to move up the field. He was tidy in possession and did not shy away from making a few strong tackles. He was booked for a poor challenge on Adama Traore in the first half.
Dele Alli – 7/10
Alli scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. He was responsible for winning the spot-kick as well, going down under a challenge from Sa. Apart from that, the England midfielder did not have much of an impact.
Let's hear from our match-winner! 👏
🤳 @HPE pic.twitter.com/Ue7eghfYnm
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 22, 2021
Steven Bergwijn – 7/10
Looked threatening during counter-attacking situations with his speed and quick feet. He had a fantastic strike in the second half saved by Sa. Should have had an assist when he set up Harry Kane, but the Spurs striker failed to convert.
Son Heung-min – 5/10
Son had an uncharacteristically poor performance on the night. He did, however, appear to be bothered by a hamstring issue. Son had a great chance to double Spurs’ lead in the second half but opted to square the ball to a teammate instead of taking a shot on goal.
Lucas Moura – 5/10
Was anonymous for large parts of the game and barely troubled the Wolves defence.
Substitutes
Giovani Lo Celso – 5/10
Replaced Lucas in the 67th minute but barely got a touch of the ball.
Harry Kane – 6/10
Looked sharp after replacing Son for the final 20 minutes of the game. Had a chance to seal Spurs’ victory but struck his effort straight at Sa in the Wolves goal.
Harry Winks – NA
Late sub. Didn’t have much impact on the match.