Wolves staged another dramatic comeback to beat Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and the Matchday Live Extra time, featuring Mikey Burrows, Andy Thompson and Lee Naylor, were in position at Molineux to dissect the action.
Coming back to win
Wolves recovered from a slot start, which saw Tottenham take the lead on three minutes, with quality finishes from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina providing crucial at the death.
Hall of famer Thompson said: “It just shows the character. They kept going and that was the positive. We just lacked the quality, the decision making at the top end of the pitch let them down. They had more attempts on goal than Tottenham, but they were always in the game, it wasn’t as if Tottenham overran them or outplayed them. At times I thought we didn’t compete in certain areas, trying to do the press and we were off it at times, but I thought Gomes and Lemina in the central midfield positions played really well and they got their just rewards by keeping going. Two quality goals have made the difference, two correct decisions, quality touches and they deserved it because they kept going until the end.”
Former Old Gold full-back Naylor said: “The start was very slow, we seemed all at sea first ten minutes, and it wasn’t good to watch, but they turned it around. From that turnaround, Wolves were a threat for the whole game. Spurs leave massive gaps, especially down the side, and we exploited that at times, but lacked the quality. When the substitutions were made, we needed that quality. It’s what you want from your substitutions as a manager, you want your subs to make an impact, and I think that’s what they did.”
Two quality goals
In the 91st minute, Sarabia plucked Matheus Cunha’s cross out of the air and slammed home, before playing in Lemina for the crucial winner six minutes further on.
Thompson said: “It’s all about the touch. The first touch with his right foot, when we know he’s a left-footed player, it’s all about that and the finish was exceptional.”
Naylor said: “It’s instinctive. He had to get the touch right and get his shot off. Then the pass, the weight, first of all seeing the pass and executing it was quality.”
🔭 The vision from Cunha.
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 11, 2023
🤯 The execution from Sarabia.
🙌 The celebrations from the squad.
Pablo bringing us back into the game in style... pic.twitter.com/Ug473X00gs
Upping the urgency
That winning goal was started by a quickly taken free-kick by Tommy Doyle, which set Sarabia away, and it was that urgency which proved decisive, with Spurs out of position.
Naylor said: “They knew the urgency, they knew Spurs were there, the crowd were on side, the pass from Tommy Doyle, and the rest was quality. Every bit of play leading up to the second goal was class. It’s something you learn in training, when something’s on, do it quick. They did it quick and got the rewards. You could tell the feeling, with how the game had gone, it was the right thing to do. You’ve got a player with nobody by him for 25 yards, it’s a straight pass, you do it. That’s why I think everybody reacted the way they did.”
Thompson said: “What it does, because the Tottenham team hadn’t set themselves, it allows you to get at Tottenham. By doing that, people in the central position are standing still, looking, but Lemina didn’t, he was the one who was fouled and got himself back up and has absolutely gone straight into the penalty area and Sarabia picked him out. That shows you the desire he has, and I thought he played really well throughout the game.”
Competing in every game
Wolves have lost just once in seven matches, to a late penalty at Bramall Lane, and remaining in games every week is giving an opportunity to gain results, according to the pundits.
Thompson said: “We’ve come up against some top teams at the start of the season and it shows they’re able to compete with them. I know they went a goal behind, but they still had the belief they could get something out of it. Tottenham were top of the league last week and didn’t overwhelm them. They made sure they stayed in the game, but it was just that quality in the top third. If you can get that right, we’ll cause anybody problems, and in injury time we got it right, with the quality.”
The fans providing a boost
Naylor said: “I actually think the crowd had something to do with it as well. For the second goal, they had the belief it was there, so everyone was up, everyone was heightened, and that’s why I think the players got the ball down quick and got us going. They played their part.”
Thompson said: “They definitely gave them the urgency and push, we saw it against Newcastle, they do help definitely and when we got ourselves the equaliser, there was only one team. You’ve got the fans behind you, you heard the noise, it was absolutely deafening. You could feel the buzz, the atmosphere, once they got the goal, they could go again.”
Those celebrations 😍 pic.twitter.com/6ciGBJRv0P
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 12, 2023
Togetherness in the group
Naylor said: “People want to see that, they can see that togetherness, and that’s what the manager wanted to bring here. He needed to get the players on side. As a manager, that’s what you do, and he’s new to management. He’s coming into a massive club with new players, and some of them won’t know him, so for him to change mindsets and change the ethos around this place, he’s doing a great job.”
Thompson said: “Whatever he’s doing seems to be the right thing. We’re seeing a style and seeing a play that we want to see, the fans want to see, and that’s encouraging for everybody. He was up front with what he was going to do, and he still is and you can see it on the pitch every game. At the moment, what he’s doing is working, you can see he’s got the dressing room with him, seeing what happens when we score. He’s getting results, he’s getting decent performances.”
