Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: 5 talking points as Spurs get back to winning ways | Premier League 2020-21
Goals in either half from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg helped Tottenham secure a 2-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
The hosts came into this fixture on the back of a tame 3-1 defeat away to Leeds United and would have been keen to get back to winning ways.
Tottenham interim manager Ryan Mason made just one change to the side that lost to Leeds, with Japhet Tanganga starting in place of Serge Aurier for his first appearance under Mason. It was a bit surprising that more changes were not made, considering how abject the north London outfit were in West Yorkshire.
The hosts fashioned the first chance of the game when Harry Kane struck the post with a shot from outside the box. But that was as good as it got for Tottenham for most of the first half as they struggled to create any fluidity in attack.
Adama Traore proved to be a handful for the Spurs defense as he embarked on some trademark runs through midfield, but Fabio Silva was ineffectual in attack.
Wolves captain Conor Coady made two goalline clearances in quick succession, first after Rui Patricio had fumbled an attempted punch that allowed Kane to head towards goal. The next sequence of play saw Giovani Lo Celso shoot from an acute angle but the England international was in the right place at the right time to keep his side level.
Harry Kane put Tottenham ahead right on the stroke of halftime. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg played a precise long ball over the Wolves defense, Kane timed his run to perfection and held off the challenges of several defenders. He then slotted it past Patricio to give the hosts a scarcely deserved lead.
Tottenham started the second half in a buoyant mood and quickly established their dominance in the opening minutes.
A well-worked team move saw several Spurs players combine to release Sergio Reguilon in the box but the Spain international's shot at goal was tipped over by Patricio.
Kane forced the Wolves goalkeeper into another smart save two minutes later, before Dele Alli and Gareth Bale both went close.
Tottenham scored the goal their bright second-half start deserved when Hojbjerg converted from close range after Patricio had saved Bale's shot from the edge of the area.
The goal came about due to the resoluteness of Reguilon down the left flank, as he did not give up even when he was second best to a ball. Ki-Jana Hoever, however, should have been stronger with his challenge.
The rest of the game was played at a controlled tempo by the hosts and on the overall balance of play, they were deserved winners.
Up next for Tottenham will be the visit of Aston Villa - with 10,000 fans to be in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Wolves will travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton.
Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Tottenham reclaim the initiative in race for Europa League qualification
West Ham's recent falters meant Tottenham came into this clash knowing that a victory would take them above their London rivals into sixth spot in the table.
Even though the Europa League is not exactly where a club with Tottenham's ambitions wants to be, it is much better than the newly-formed European Conference League.
Considering that was at stake, the hosts started rather poorly and struggled to put pressure on the Wolves defense.
A lethargic first half ended with Harry Kane putting Spurs ahead and that proved to be the impetus for them to enter second gear.
An improved second-half performance helped Tottenham secure a crucial victory. They are currently level on points with West Ham, but have a better goal difference with two games to go.
#4 Fabio Silva has a game to forget
Fabio Silva became Wolves' record signing when he completed a £35m transfer from FC Porto last summer.
The 18-year-old had only made his first-team debut a year prior and had just a handful of senior appearances under his belt. However, big things were expected of him and Wolves signed him with a view to slowly easing him into the first team.
Raul Jimenez's long-term injury scuppered those plans and Silva found himself swimming in the murky waters of top-flight Premier League football sooner than he was ready.
The highly-rated Portuguese teenager made his third consecutive league start in the game against Tottenham but it was far from a performance that did his talents justice.
Silva was muscled out of the game on several occasions by the more physical Spurs defenders. His finishing also left a lot to be desired on the few occasions that he found himself in space.