Wolves under-23s suffered back-to-back defeats after Mark Kennedy’s side came unstuck against a young Tottenham Hotspur team at Compton Park.
The two teams started the day ties on the same points and goal difference in Premier League 2 Division 1, but two first-half goals from Armando Shashoua proved to be the difference, with Boubacar Hanne’s goal just a consolation for Wolves.
In tough windy and wet conditions, both teams struggled to get momentum into their early play, with mistakes being made all over the pitch at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground Sponsored by Fosun International.
Wolves had the best chance of the opening stages when Taylor Perry beat the offside trap to find Ed Francis – who was back from injury which had put him out of the side’s previous eight games – but the defender’s shot was saved by Spurs keeper Jonathan De Bie.
Tottenham grew into the first-half well, putting Wolves under increased pressure which finally told just over 20 minutes into the contest when Shashoua pounced on a loose ball inside the Wolves box after Andreas Sondergaard could only punch Maurizio Pochettino’s cross to the feet of the Spurs striker, who let fly under the legs of the Wolves keeper to put his side ahead.
The visitors extended their lead due to a mix-up in the Wolves defence. A Tottenham cross was headed towards goal by Dion Sanderson, who expected to find goalkeeper Sondergaard, but the young Dane had come out of goal, allowing Shashoua a chance to tap the ball over the goal line.
Wolves ended the first-half strong, with Ming-Yang Yang forcing a good stop from De Bie before Austin Samuels got on the end of a splitting Sanderson pass before turning his man in the box but couldn’t curl his left-footed effort into the top corner.
After Sondergaard made a last-ditch save to stop Lyons-Foster from close range, the hosts came close to getting their first of the afternoon through a 25-yard Elliot Watt free-kick which, unfortunately for Wolves, cannoned back of the post after beating De Bie.
In a second-half which lacked goalmouth opportunities at either end of the pitch, Spurs were able to see out the game until the last seconds of the match when Hanne – who now has four goals in three games – gave Wolves a consolation prize when he stabbed the ball home from a Sanderson cross.
COMING UP
The under-23s will head out on the road on Friday night for a Premier League 2 clash with Derby County, a team who Mark Kennedy’s side beat in their recent Premier League Cup tie.
NEXT FIVE
01/11 Derby County (A)
05/11 Blackpool (A) LCT
09/11 Birmingham City (H) PLC
20/11 Paris Saint-Germain (M) PLIC
23/11 Chelsea (H)
TEAMS
Wolves: Sondergaard, Buur (Otasowie 76), Csoka, Francis, Sanderson, Thompson (Richards 73), Watt, Yang (Hanne 46), Perry, Campbell, Samuels.
Unused subs: Kitolano, Tsun Dai.
Tottenham: De Bie, Lyons-Foster (Maghoma 80), Okedina, Eyoma, Binks, Hinds, Pochettino (Markanday 65), Shashoua (Patterson 90), Tracey, Oakley-Boothe, Etete.
Unused subs: Oluwayemi, Dinzeyi.
