Tottenham Hotspur bolstered their European hopes with a 2-0 home victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.
It was somewhat of a reserved start in North London but Harry Kane gave Spurs the lead with a composed finish just before the break. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then doubled the advantage for Ryan Mason’s men as he reacted first to a ricochet from Rui Patricio’s initial save from a Gareth Bale shot on what ended up being a comfortable afternoon.
Here are five things we learned from the game:
Silverware for Kane?
Whilst Spurs are set to end the season empty-handed trophy-wise having been beaten in the Carabao Cup final by Manchester City, one player will certainly be hoping to add to his considerable personal cabinet – Harry Kane.
His opener against Wolves was his 22nd league goal of the season and moves him to the front of the queue for the golden boot – one ahead of Liverpool’s Mo Salah. Having claimed the award twice in the past, he can be backed at odds of 8/11 with Betfair to finish the season as the division’s top goalscorer once again.
Hojbjerg a huge influence
Kane is certainly deserving of plaudits this season for Spurs but another who has regularly caught the eye has been Hojbjerg. The Dane has been a highly-impressive influence in the heart of Tottenham’s midfield.
Ever since signing from Southampton, he has not looked out of place and continued that against Wolves. His lofted ball for Kane’s opener was highly impressive and then added to that with a goal. In fact, the clash against the Saints was the first time he had notched more than one goal contribution in a single Premier League game in his career.
Europe on for Spurs?
Heading into the final few games of the season, the chance of Champions League football has all-but gone for Spurs but they are certainly on track of earning some sort of European football at the very least.
That will not satisfy but it would be one slight positive coming off the back of a hugely underwhelming campaign. With the three points, Spurs now sit sixth and are just one point behind Liverpool.
Disappointing season for Wolves
Nuno Espirito-Santo’s troops have certainly impressed since they earned promotion back to the Premier League – back to back 7th-placed finishes in the top-flight ensured of that. However, they now look a shadow of that side.
The defeat in North London rubber-stamped a lower-half finish in the table, with the team now only capable of going as high as 11th come the end of the campaign.
Whilst that in itself is not a disaster – just ask the likes of Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United who all drop into the Championship – it will certainly be a disappointment considering the trajectory that the club appeared to be on and the money spent in the summer.
Coady undeserving of defeat
One man who will feel somewhat unfortunate to be on the end of a reverse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is Conor Coady. The Wolves captain turned in an exemplary performance throughout the 90 minutes.
He produced just one tackle and two blocks but ended up wracking up a monumental 13 clearances during the game as his anticipation of danger came in hugely useful. It will just slightly wrangle that he could not contribute to a better result for his team.
Match Report
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (7); Reguilon (7), Dier (6), Alderweireld (7), Tanganga (6); Hojbjerg (8), Lo Celso (6) (Winks (6), 69′), Alli (7) (Ndombele (N/A), 82′); Bale (7) (Sissoko (N/A), 89′), Son (6), Kane (7).
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patricio (7); Saiss (6), Coady (7), Dendoncker (6); Semedo (6), Gibbs-White (5) (Neves (6), 73′), Moutinho (6), Vitinha (5) (Willian Jose (5), 63′), Hoever (5); Traore (6), Silva (6) (Corbeanu (N/A), 82′).
Goals: Kane (45′), Hojbjerg (62′)
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Yellow Cards: Tanganga (86′)
Red Cards: N/A
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