Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were on target as Tottenham Hotspur clinched an important 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday.
The game started on a tentative note for both sides, with chances coming few and far between. In fact, the action only started opening up closer to half-time, when Tottenham seemed like they were closing in on breaching the Wolves goal before the deadlock was finally broken ahead of half-time. The goal came courtesy a beautiful long pass by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, before Harry Kane scored.
Post the interval, Tottenham showed more initiative, and the openings were carved out with more regularity. The second goal had been coming after Kane and Dele Alli struck the post in a matter of seconds before Spurs doubled their advantage through Hojbjerg, who was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound after Gareth Bale’s effort had been saved by Rui Patricio.
Thereafter, Tottenham continued to push for more goals, but Wolves carried a significant threat on the counter, albeit without much in way of end product. In the end, Spurs ended up grabbing a crucial 2-0 win, a result that has helped them leapfrog West Ham United into sixth on the Premier League table. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Ryan Mason’s men.
Hugo Lloris: 6/10
With Tottenham almost in total control over the proceedings, Lloris was not really made to sweat a great deal. In fact, the Spurs captain was hardly made to sweat on Sunday, although he did make 3 saves in the game. Kept things simple on the ball, completing 91 percent of his attempted passes.
Japhet Tanganga: 6/10
A surprise starter at the right side of the Tottenham defence ahead of Serge Aurier, Tanganga added to the defensive solidity for Spurs, who were hardly tested from his flank. Kept a check on Morgan Gibbs-White smartly, but hardly made an impact in the final third, with the moves on the right flank all going through Gareth Bale.
Toby Alderweireld: 7/10
A solid effort by Alderweireld, who kept the Tottenham backline organised for the most part, which meant that Wolves could not pounce despite sparking a few dangerous-looking moves. A tad bit wasteful on the ball, though, misplacing a few passes unnecessarily. Job well done at the back, nevertheless.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Dier has often left a lot to be desired this season, but on Sunday, he did well to ensure Fabio Silva was never really in a position to test Lloris and mostly sent his shots wide. Won 3 duels while making a couple of clearances while also completing 92 percent of his attempted passes. Solid job.
Sergio Reguilon: 6/10
A difficult afternoon for Reguilon, who was run ragged at times by Adama Traore, who seemed to be intent on leaving his mark on the game. The Spanish international did indeed lose the duel with his compatriot, although there was hardly any damage done in the end from it. Posed some threat going down the left flank, but did not create any chances.
Giovani Lo Celso: 6/10
A purposeful showing by Lo Celso, who opened up play with some beautiful long passes (5 out of 5 completed) and even came close to scoring with a clever effort. Put in the hard yards in the defensive phases as well, winning 4 duels and completing 3 tackles. However, there were times when he lost the ball cheaply, which helped Wolves spark some dangerous counters. Decent enough in the end.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 8/10
⚽ Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has scored & assisted in a PL game for the first time (this is his 145th appearance in the competition) pic.twitter.com/x7JO11oSNC
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 16, 2021
A game of hits and misses for Hojbjerg. At times, Wolves found it easy to bypass him during their counter-attacking moves, but the Dane also made some vital interventions. The pass to set Harry Kane up for the opener was simply delightful, though. At the hour mark, the game became even more memorable as he produced a ghosting run before scoring Tottenham’s second superbly.
Gareth Bale: 7/10
The Player to Watch in our preview, Bale was a constant outlet for Tottenham, with several moves being initiated through him. But, he was reduced to sending hopeful crosses and long range efforts at times. Instrumental in helping Tottenham double their advantage, with his driven shot being saved by Rui Patricio before Hojbjerg found the back of the net. His influence is evidently growing late in the season.
Dele Alli: 6/10
A blow-hot-blow-cold display by Alli, who was his usual nippy self in the final third and even came close to scoring before Hojbjerg doubled the lead for Tottenham. In all fairness, though, he should have scored from close range while some of his sloppy touches initiated swift moves from Wolves. Still not as dangerous as he once was.
Son Heung-min: 7/10
As ever, Son was a bundle of energy on the park, trying to make things happen. Did not see a lot of the ball, especially in the first half, but was invariably the most dangerous outlet for Tottenham in the game for the most part. Played a joint-game high 4 key passes, but was never really in a position to find the back of the net.
Harry Kane: 8/10
Harry Kane has scored 40 goals in 62 Premier League games since the start of last season.
No player has scored more in that time. pic.twitter.com/lN3geJBA7K
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 16, 2021
Came close to scoring early in the first half, but only managed to hit the woodwork. Kane, though, spent much of the game on the periphery, with Wolves defending with men behind the ball. But the England captain managed to end up delivering the goods as he so often does, latching on to a fine pass by Hojbjerg before toying with the Wolves defence and scoring the opener. Could have had a hat-trick on another day after hitting the woodwork twice.
SUBSTITUTES
Harry Winks: 6/10
On for Lo Celso, Winks did well to ensure Tottenham did not slip up late on. Kept things ticking and completed 94 percent of his attempted passes while never really being called into action in the defensive phases.
Tanguy Ndombele: N/A
Sent on in place of Alli, Ndombele did not see a lot of the ball before full-time approached.
Moussa Sissoko: N/A
A late introduction in place of Bale, Sissoko helped see the game out.
