A tale of two halves that sees Wolves play their best football of the season so far and dominate Spurs in the first half, with the debuts of Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes. The only thing missing was a goal that you could say was the least we deserved as the two went close to firing home. The same cannot be said for the second half as the tide turned and momentum shifted into Tottenham’s hands and Wolves never really got going and conceded far too many chances with their mistakes and sloppy play which led to Harry Kane’s winner.
Let’s move on and take a look at the player ratings for Wolves first game in the capital:
Jose Sa
Not much to do in the entirety of the game, made a good save on arguably Spurs only chance in the first half which was a Kane header. He did what was expected from him and had no fault in the goal. The only thing you can blame him for was in the dying moments of the game and he rushed to boot the ball up and gave away Wolves last chance to grab a late equaliser.
6/10
Rayan Ait-Nouri
Much better than his previous two outings. Could have done more in the final third, especially with one of Wolves only clear chances in the 2nd half which saw him cross it into the hands of Lloris. He often found himself chasing his man, although he did okay, there is room for improvement, the yellow card was most likely the reason why he was taken off and not Jonny.
6/10
Max Kilman
An overall good performance from Kilman, was good in the first half along with Collins as they passed the ball well, were calm in possession and they held a highline very well. He didn’t make any major mistakes in the second half unlike Collins and the rest of the defence.
6.5/10
Nathan Collins
One of the best players on the pitch if you focus solely on the first half, composed and good in possession just like Kilman, and not afraid of charging forwards either. A very good back-pairing to be honest. A shame the same can’t be said for the second half made a lot of blocks but was beaten a few times as he looked fatigued and at fault for the goal as he lost his man on the corner.
5.5/10
Jonny Otto
Nothing special or of note to report for Jonny. He did well in possession and to defend Perisic and Son in the first half with help of Neto when he dropped deep. Was often found exposed and beaten by Perisic in the second half and was limited going forward as we know.
5.5/10
Joao Moutinho
First match back from injury, as usual, he produced a balanced performance as he broke up play, got the team ticking and the ball rolling forwards. 58 minutes was probably all he had in his tank for today. Tottenham’s change in play and his substitution could be one of the reasons why we drastically dropped off in the second half.
6.5/10
Ruben Neves
Controlled the midfield very well and played some very good long balls to change the play. One of the only ones that didn’t drop off in the second half. He went close to scoring with a freekick in the second half and continued to drag and will the team on when a goal down.
7/10
Matheus Nunes
As far as Premier League debuts go, we have seen much worse. Matheus completes the midfield three so well, he did not show any signs of pressure and fit in without any problems. He has been the box-to-box midfielder we have been dying for. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with his header that flashed just wide of the post.
6.5/10
Pedro Neto
Definitely not his day, dropped deep in the first half to cover and help Jonny when defending, on the attacking front he was rather quiet and didn’t create much. In the second half his performance got worse as he was often dispossessed when he attempted to dribble his opponents. He could have been taken off earlier.
5/10
Daniel Podence
A rather quiet performance from Podence. He linked up with his teammates a few times, fluffed a chance in front of goal and that was about it, he was kept at bay by the Spurs defence.
The substitution was warranted, could he be on the bench for the upcoming match?
5/10
Goncalo Guedes
A very exciting start for the former Valencia winger, my pick out of the front three.
Very rapid, direct and not scared to take his man on. Very good movement and awareness that lead to him having a few shots on target. Without a doubt, he has to be starting in our upcoming games if we want to grab our first three points. It won’t be long until he starts getting on the scoresheet.
7/10
SUBS:
Leander Dendoncker
He showed why he shouldn’t be starting and how much of an upgrade Matheus Nunes is compared to him.
5/10
Raul Jimenez
Came on around the 60-minute mark and you hoped he would be able to turn the game around, instead, he often found himself hopelessly chasing the ball around the pitch. He created a good chance on the break but nothing else of note.
5.5/10
Adama Traore
Could have been brought on earlier to have more effect. Did the usual and wasn’t as bad as people are making his performance out to be, only on one occasion he was “frustrating” as he passed the ball backwards when he could have attacked the Spurs box.
5.5/10
Nelson Semedo
A second cameo appearance for Semedo from the bench but not enough to give a rating. Promising signs that he will be able to start soon though.
N/A
Hwang Hee-Chan
My pick out of the 5 subs, although he only featured for 10 minutes, he looked lively, had some good touches, and created some chances compared to his counterparts.
6/10