Tottenham player ratings vs Wolves: James Maddison and Heung-min Son had no answers to resolute defence
Tottenham slipped to fifth in the Premier League as they lost 2-1 at home to Wolves.
Two goals by Joao Gomes gave Gary O’Neil’s side victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and came either side of Dejan Kulusevski’s tight-angle finish straight after half-time.
Aston Villa’s 2-1 win at Fulham moved them ahead of Tottenham and into fourth on a disappointing day for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Dom Smith was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to rate the Spurs performances…
Guglielmo Vicario 7
Was equal to shots from Pablo Sarabia, Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Could do nothing to prevent Gomes’ fearsome header nor his winning strike.
Emerson Royal 5
Put his foot in to good effect as Wolves looked to use the left flank as they preferred attacking channel. But looked off the pace and a couple of his poor passes went astray.
Micky van de Ven 7
Sensibly, Wolves targeted other players in the Tottenham backline, but when Van de Ven was needed he was predictably reliable.
Cristian Romero 6
A decent display with calm and composed passing into midfield.
Ben Davies 6
Was always an option out wide for Spurs in the first half, came close to scoring with a decent volley, and then operated more in midfield after the break. Missed a glaring late header which should have earnt his side a last-gasp point.
Yves Bissouma 6
Spurs have really missed Bissouma while he has been at the Africa Cup of Nations. Put in a tireless, diligent display on his first start in over two months — before giving the ball away which led to Wolves’ winner.
Pape Matar Sarr 5
Not his most influential performance in a white shirt.
Dejan Kulusevski 7
Spurs’ brightest spark. Equalised within a minute of the second half restarting and then forced a top save from Jose Sa.
Some cultured touches, as is always the case, but Maddison was underwhelming here.
On his return to the team, Son was marked closely and struggled to have an impact.
Richarlison 5
Slipped and fell when taking a shot in acres of space in the first half. Replaced with 19 minutes left to play.
Substitutes
Timo Werner (Bissouma, 71’) 5
Saw plenty of the ball but couldn’t help Spurs unlock the Wolves defence.
Rodrigo Bentancur (Sarr, 71’) 5
A few nice touches and off-the-ball runs were an encouraging sign.
Brennan Johnson (Richarlison, 71’) 5
Didn’t get involved in the game.
Giovani Lo Celso (Royal, 85’) N/A
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Maddison, 85’) N/A
Not used: Austin, Skipp, Dragusin, Gil
