Wolves player ratings gallery vs Tottenham as two score 'heroic' 9/10s but one gets 4
Charlie Haffenden
·6-min read
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Mario Lemina of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring the team's second goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on November 11, 2023 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Wolverhampton Wanderers left it mightily late but came from behind to beat Premier League title challengers Tottenham Hotspur in dramatic style at Molineux on Saturday. It took until the 90th minute for Brennan Johnson's third-minute strike to be canceled out by super substitute Pablo Sarabia and then, just as you thought it was going to end all square, Mario Lemina stepped up to score with the last kick of the game.
It was a nightmare start for Wolves as Tottenham silenced Molineux by taking the lead within merely moments. Ange Postecoglou's side were patient in the build-up before Dejan Kulusevski performed a clever flicked pass to evade Rayan Ait-Nouri and find Pedro Porro on the overlap. The Spurs right-back drilled the ball across the face of goal and Brennan Johnson was there to tap home for a very early 1-0 lead.
Wanderers responded well to going a goal down and very nearly equalised when Rayan Ait-Nouri broke forward and struck toward goal, but Spurs defender Ben Davies made a brilliant last-ditch intervention to deny him. More half-chances flowed as Wolves worked well in tight spaces in and around Spurs' box. Lemina had the best of these as he stung the gloves of Vicario but the visitors went into the break with their 1-0 lead still intact.
Had a weirdly quiet afternoon as Tottenham didn’t create a great deal after their very early goal. Strong with his distribution, catching and sweeping when needed, though, and made a decent save to deny Kulusevski at the end.
Wolves started the second half just as they finished the first, in the ascendency and looking the far likelier team to score the next goal. Matheus Cunha had an opening as Ait-Nouri cut it back to him just inside the area but the Brazilian fired high and wide. Hwang Hee-chan then missed a golden chance when the ball fell to him after a deflected Joao Gomes effort. The South Korean fluffed his lines, however, shooting just wide of the near post and giving Spurs the opportunity to restructure.
As the clock ticked beyond the hour mark, Gary O'Neil turned to the bench to make a few positive changes but the game turned cagey and the Old Gold were unable to form too many breakthroughs for a long while. Sasa Kalajdzic was the only one to see as sight of goal as the 6ft 7in striker missed a glorious chance, judging the flight of an Ait-Nouri cross badly wrong and heading well wide.
In the 90th minute, however, everything changed in an instant as the previously flat Molineux mood was heaved upward when Wolves finally scored the equaliser they'd been searching desperately for all game long. Cunha, cutting in from the left flank, curled a perfectly weighted ball over to substitute Sarabia and the former Paris Saint-Germain forward took one touch in the air before firing fiercely on the half-volley to nestle into the near corner.
Most in the crowd would've taken the point at that stage but O'Neil's men had other ideas as another reinforcement, Tommy Doyle, took a quick free-kick to feed in Sarabia down the right. The Spaniard took his time and found a charging Lemina with an inch-perfect through ball. The midfielder was composed and found the far corner to send O'Neil and Molineux wild with a deafening roar filling the stadium for minutes afterward. It's a vital three points for Wolves, who move up to 12th in the standings. Here are our player ratings.
Failed to mark Johnson for the goal at 1-0 and showed questionable decision making when going forward. Semedo had acres of space as the ball was pinged to him on numerous occasions but he never seemed to do anything progressive with it. Hooked for Doherty just beyond the hour mark.
Dealt with Johnson well and wasn’t particularly at fault for the goal. Displayed a brilliant range of passing and found great joy in pinging the ball to Ait-Nouri and Semedo on each flank.
Didn’t contribute as much as usual but didn’t look overly susceptible to Son’s pace in behind, which is easier said than done and a credit to his positioning.
Apart from the third minute, Toti had decent success defending against Kulusevski, winning his fair share of ground and aerial duels. Wasn’t afraid to step up in possession either as he beat his man a few times.
Didn’t notice Porro on the overlap and it cost Wolves as Spurs took their early lead. Did work well on the attack, though, as he used plenty of flair when taking on defenders and crafted multiple opportunites. Let down a little by his lack of quality when crossing, especially from corners.
Often darted forward to join in with attacks and was rewarded with his dramatic 97th-minute winner. Fought incredibly hard in midfield to break up the play well with well-timed tackles and interceptions.
Looked a tad chaotic in midfield as he was often caught out of position when Spurs went forward. Pressed high to good effect at times but then gave away sloppy fouls at others. Showed good accuracy with his short passing but didn’t have the bravery to try and split Spurs’ back line.
Just in behind the two strikers on the attack but deeper in transition, Bellegarde roamed freely and was incredibly exciting to watch. The Frenchman was sharp as he developed attacks directly and won fouls in dangerous areas. Also put in one or two splendid crosses from set pieces.
Playing up top alongside Cunha, Hwang displayed some decent hold-up play on the transition but was unable to beat the offside enough.
Missed a decent chance when found by Ait-Nouri in the 53rd minute as he skewed a curled effort well wide. Dropped deeper a fair bit to gain possession and up the tempo, however, and he was often the catalyst to get Wolves going. Notched a brilliant assist for Sarabia’s strike, making up for earlier errors.
Looked far more assured than Semedo at right wing-back, though was booked in the latter stages.
Came on to give Wolves a bit of a different dimension up top and did get the desired chance but badly messed it up. Ait-Nouri crossed in and Kalajdzic had plenty of time to head the ball but put it well wide.
Wow, what an incredible impact from the Spaniard as he scored a cracking half-volley and then assisted Lemina with a perfect through ball. Couldn’t have asked for much more.
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