Joao Palhinha's late goal in stoppage time helped Tottenham secure a 1-1 draw against Wolves, who are struggling in the Premier League. Vitor Pereira's team was on the verge of a surprising victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after showing significant improvement following five consecutive losses.
Despite Mohammed Kudus having a header deflected onto the crossbar by Sam Johnstone, Spurs struggled to find their rhythm in the first half. Matt Doherty also hit the woodwork for Spurs. Nine minutes into the second half, Santiago Bueno put Wolves ahead by scoring after Guglielmo Vicario parried Ladislav Krejci's header.
Wolves remain at the bottom of the table with just one point, trailing 17th-placed Burnley by three points. Meanwhile, Spurs sit third
with 11 points from six matches. Wolves have not won in their last 10 Premier League games, dating back to last season, with eight losses and two draws following a previous six-match winning streak.
Pereira made nine changes to his lineup from their previous 3-1 defeat to Leeds United. This was the most changes any team has made between matches since Manchester United did so against Wolves in May 2021. For Wolves, it was their largest number of changes since December 2009 when Mick McCarthy rotated nine players for a win over Burnley.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Hugo Bueno nearly doubled Wolves' lead before Palhinha's equaliser. Pape Matar Sarr's excellent hold-up play set up Palhinha, who curled a beautiful shot into the far corner from outside the box, earning Spurs a crucial point.
Palhinha's goal marked his first home Premier League goal since December 2022 when he scored for Fulham against Southampton. Notably, four of his last six goals in the competition have been equalisers.
Data Insights
Pereira's tactical decisions paid off as Wolves narrowly edged Spurs in expected goals (xG) with a score of 1 to 0.9. Despite this statistical advantage, they couldn't secure all three points due to Palhinha's late strike.
The result leaves Wolves still searching for their first win of the season while offering some hope through an improved performance. Tottenham managed to salvage a point despite not being at their best throughout much of the match.
