Traore seals narrow Wolves win over Tottenham

Wasteful Tottenham ended a miserable week with a narrow defeat by Wolves after a late goal from Adama Traore stunned the Champions League contenders.

Wolves, who are now 13th, had been on the back foot for most of the game but made their late momentum count.

Spurs’ inconsistent form continued as they dropped important points in the race for a top four spot.

The first half was fraught with stoppages and neither side built any real momentum, despite some early pressure from Spurs.

A lengthy break led to eight minutes of added time after Wolves striker Diego Costa had to be carried off on a stretcher, suffering a knee injury after landing awkwardly from a jump.

Tottenham’s Pedro Porro came the closest to an opener when he struck the woodwork with a powerful free-kick shortly before the break.

And just after the restart, Son Heung-min, who had been the most promising player in the first half, hit the crossbar from close range.

Wolves had been condemned to their own half for much of the opening 45 minutes but were improved in the second half and Nelson Semedo came inches from connecting with a Raul Jimenez ball across the face of goal.

Jimenez was then denied a first Premier League goal of the season when his header from close range was batted away by Forster.

The momentum continued to swing in Wolves’ favour with a string of trademark long-distance Ruben Neves efforts testing the Tottenham goalkeeper.

And Traore sealed all three points for the hosts when he sent the ball rocketing in off the underside of the bar.

Disappointing week continues

Tottenham had been looking to send a message of immediate improvement after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship promotion chasers Sheffield United on Wednesday.

They took the game to the hosts early on and Dejan Kulusevski’s curling effort forced Jose Sa into a good save but despite playing with a high intensity, only six of their 21 shots hit the target.

In what was assistant head coach Cristian Stellini’s final game in charge before Antonio Conte’s return from gall bladder surgery, there were familiar inconsistencies.

Tottenham are four points ahead of fifth-place Newcastle United, who were beaten by Manchester City on Saturday but have two games in hand.

Relegation worries eased

Wolves were in the relegation zone when Julen Lopetegui took over as manager in November but this victory, their first over a team in the top four this season, has pushed them into mid-table and six points clear of the drop zone.

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