Adama Traore’s volley nine minutes from time in front of the South Bank earned Wolves a priceless victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolves needed a big performance and a big result and got exactly that, after their organisation, discipline and hard work was rewarded when Adama volleyed in off the crossbar, after Fraser Forster parried Raul Jimenez’s effort to create breathing space on the Premier League’s bottom three.
The hosts had to ride their luck at times – Pedro Porro and Son Heung-Min both struck the woodwork for the visitors – but as the game wore on, the old gold’s confidence grew and Adama’s winner sparked scenes of celebration come full-time at Molineux.
The theme of a tight contest ran from the off, with both sides difficult to break down, which led to a fairly uneventful, and at times disrupted opening period at Molineux. Son tested Jose Sa early on, while Matheus Nunes’ centre was inches away from the toe of Diego Costa, whose afternoon didn’t reach the 30-minute mark due to injury.
A rare moment of quality from either side in the first 45 belonged to Sa. Dejan Kulusevski’s curling effort was heading for the far corner, but the Portuguese stuck out a strong right arm to turn it around the post, to the appreciation of the South Bank on his back.
Forster at the other end was remaining fairly untested. He got a foot in the way of substitute Jimenez’s shot, despite the whistle going for a free-kick, while for Spurs, Ivan Perisic had a header turned behind by Sa from a Son free-kick.
Injury stoppages were high on the talking point agendas at the break, as was a free-kick by Porro, which cannoned off Sa’s crossbar in first half injury time, after Ruben Neves had pulled back Perisic in full flow.
Half-time | Wolves 0-0 Tottenham
After the first half had ended with Spurs hitting the woodwork, the second began in the same fashion as Nelson Semedo lost his footing which allowed Son into the Wolves box and he cannoned a left-footed effort off the crossbar.
However, Wolves were up for this second half and asked questions of their visitors. First, Jonny slipped in Jimenez, whose brilliant cross was agonisingly out of Semedo’s reach, before Adama fired in a cross the Mexican got his head to, but Forster palmed his effort away – the wait for a Premier League goal for the strike force continues.
Wolves were enjoying more of the ball, but when Nunes gave it away in the middle of the park, Porro’s deflected drive needed turning over by Sa, while his opposite number Forster played safe with two Neves drives in the space of a couple of minutes, palming to safety, before seeing the Wolves skipper fizz another effort over.
The hosts could sense their opportunity and when they regained possession high up the pitch, Jimenez played the perfect through ball for Cunha, but he dragged his shot wide of the near post. Those chances represented Wolves coming into it more and once the game entered the final ten, the opening goal finally arrived.
Julen Lopetegui’s trio of substitutes were involved as Joao Moutinho fed Jimenez, who got his head up and his drive was too powerful for Forster to handle, with the goalkeeper palming into the path of Adama, who adapted his feet and produced a side-footed volley off the underside of the crossbar and into the inside netting – a big, big goal for Wolves.
From there, the aim of the game was to see out the win, but it almost got better when Jimenez turned home Semedo’s wayward effort, only for the offside flag to deny him, but it couldn’t save Spurs fully, as Wolves held on for three big points.
Full-time | Wolves 1-0 Tottenham
Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Jonny, Lemina (Collins 46), Neves, Nunes (Moutinho 66), Sarabia (Cunha 67), Neto (Adama 46), Costa (Jimenez 28).
Unused subs | Bentley, Ait-Nouri, Toti, Gomes.
Tottenham | Forster, Porro (Royal 82), Romero, Lenglet, Davies (Richarlison 85), Perisic, Kulusevski (Moura 77), Son, Kane.
Unused subs | Austin, Sanchez, Dier, Danjuma, Tanganga, Sarr.
