Tottenham Hotspur maintained their unbeaten start to the 2022-23 Premier League season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday (20 August).
Both sides had several chances to grab the opener, but it was Harry Kane and Son Heung-min who came closest in the second half, with the former’s well-placed header ricocheting off the crossbar.
The England international striker was not going to be denied a second time, burying a free header beyond Jose Sa following a headed flick from Ivan Perisic from a corner kick.
The likes of Goncalo Guedes, Daniel Podence, Matheus Nunes and Ruben Neves all attempted to score for Wolves, but they were just not clinical enough to disturb Hugo Lloris, with the Spurs goalkeeper not having to stress himself to make saves.
Kane’s 250th goal for the North Londoners was enough to hand them all three points, with Antonio Conte‘s men still unbeaten after an opening weekend 4-1 win against Southampton and a 2-2 draw with Chelsea last weekend.
The result has left Tottenham in fourth place in the Premier League table, while Bruno Lage’s side are in 18th following a winless start to the campaign.
Wolves began the season with a 2-1 defeat to Leeds United before getting away by the skin of their teeth with a goalless draw against Fulham after Aleksandar Mitrovic missed a penalty late in the game.
With Mexican striker Raul Jimenez still not fully fit following a pre-season knock, the Midlands outfit have lacked finishing in the final third for a while, with their winless run in the Premier League extending to 10 matches from last term.
The Wolves star was apparently short of match sharpness during his substitute appearance against Tottenham, and they need him back sooner rather than later if they are to challenge for a top seven finish this term.
After becoming the fifth side to bag 1000 goals at home since the Premier League was created in 1992, Spurs will be aiming to win the title for the first time this season, and with their never-say-die attitude and huge quality under their Italian manager, just anything is possible.
Managers‘ Comments
A very delighted Conte said after the match:
“The performance at the end was good because I had to consider everything.
“First of all the importance of the opponent because Wolverhampton, in the last week, I think they signed three important players. If you see their starting 11 today I think you have to be a bit scared because Wolverhampton with Nunes and Neves and Moutinho has one of the best midfields for this league. And also the three players in front … I think it’s a really good team.
“In the first half we struggled a bit against players with good quality but in the second half we had to suffer to win and not give them any chance to score. In the second half I can’t remember any great chances for Wolverhampton or any great save from Hugo but we created many chances to improve the final result.”
