Tanguy Ndombele was the standout performer for Tottenham Hotspur as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves at the Molineux on Sunday night.
Tottenham were off to a blazing start as Tanguy Ndombele found the back of the net in the first minute with a well-hit strike from outside the box. Spurs had a couple more decent chances, but were unable to make them count. Wolves, though, produced a good reaction in the latter stages of the first-half and went close through Fabio Silva before half-time.
Post the break, the home team continued to be on the ascendancy and caused plenty of problems to Jose Mourinho’s men but were unable to find a way through. But with just four minutes left on the clock, Romain Saiss guided home Pedro Neto’s corner to level things up.
Silva had a great chance to win it for Wolves in stoppage time but the youngster failed to get a proper connection on his headed effort as the spoils were shared on the night. It was another disappointing display from Tottenham, especially after a bright start. And, here’s how we rated the performances of Mourinho’s men on the night.
Hugo Lloris: 7/10
Made a straightforward stop to deny Daniel Podence in the first half and kept out Ruben Neves’s effort in the second. Charged out well off his line on a couple of occasions to deny Wolves scoring opportunities, but there was little he could have done to keep Saiss’s effort out.
Davinson Sanchez: 6.5/10
Handed a start in the Premier League despite having played the cup tie in midweek, the Colombian had a few nervy moments, but was fairly solid in an overall sense. Made five clearances and won a couple of aerial duels as well.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Starting at the centre of the three-man backline, Dier was a reliable presence for Tottenham, winning his aerial battles and sweeping up pretty much everything that came in front of him. Won a game-high four headed duels, made six clearances, one interception and one tackle. Could have given away a penalty, but the referee turned down Wolves’ appeal.
Ben Davies: 6/10
Got the assist for Ndombele’s goal but needed to do better to prevent Nelson Semedo from crossing for Silva’s chance in the first half. Fairly solid from that point on, ensuring Adama Traore did not see much joy on his side. Made three tackles, two interceptions and two key passes. However, allowed Saiss to get ahead of him for the equalising goal which docks a rating point.
Matt Doherty: 6.5/10
Not the most enjoyable return to the Molineux for the former Wolves man. Despite starting in a much more suitable wing-back role, Doherty was unable to get forward much but was steady at the back. Won four tackles on the night – the most by any player, made three interceptions and two clearances as well.
Harry Winks: 5.5/10
Making his first start in the Premier League since September, the England international looked good in the early exchanges, helping Tottenham control proceedings. However, he faded as Wolves started to grow into the game. Could have been more inventive when on the ball, while he lost possession 13 times and was dribbled past on three occasions as well. A missed opportunity.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6.5/10
Went about his job in the middle of the park without much fuss. Shielded the backline well, making a couple of interceptions and clearances, while was sharp with his distribution on the ball as well. Tried to drive his team forward in the later stages of the game.
Sergio Reguilon: 6.5/10
Showed plenty of adventure and got forward with purpose. Saw a glanced header go just wide in the first half while he had another powerful strike saved by Rui Patricio. Fairly solid with his defensive work as he made two interceptions and a clearance before making way for Steven Bergwijn.
Tanguy Ndombele: 8/10
Tanguy Ndombele’s first half by numbers vs. Wolves:
100% tackles won
82% pass accuracy
3 ball recoveries
2 chances created
2 fouls suffered
1 shot
1 goalThe difference so far. ??? pic.twitter.com/0Uy6vbl9V8
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 27, 2020
Easily Tottenham’s best player on the night. Opened the scoring with a delightful strike and went on to create a couple of promising opportunities for Reguilon soon after. Shielded the ball well under pressure and drove at the Wolves defence with purpose, causing problems each time he did so. Completed two dribbles, two tackles and two key passes before surprisingly being taken off.
Harry Kane: 5/10
Hardly had a clear-cut opportunity to take aim at the Wolves goal on the night. The tweak in formation meant he did not have runners in front of him to feed the ball to. Did work hard when not in possession and helped out at the back, but a largely ineffective outing for the England captain.
Son Heung-min: 5/10
The change in formation did not help the South Korean as he found himself isolated at the top for the majority of his time on the pitch, which meant he couldn’t have the impact that is expected of him. Did play a role in the opening goal, but that was as good as it got for Son. The formation used clearly did not play to his strengths.
Substitutes
Steven Bergwijn: 5/10
Replaced Reguilon a little after the hour-mark. Spent time tracking back with Wolves on the ascendancy.
Moussa Sissoko: 5/10
On for Ndombele for the final twenty minutes or so. Not much impact.
Erik Lamela: N/A
Made his first league appearance since November when he came on to replace Son in the 83rd minute.
