Tottenham 1-3 Wolves: Five things we learned as Spurs miss the chance to put pressure on Liverpool

Wolves came from behind to beat Tottenham 3-1 at Wembley through Willy Boly, Raul Jimenez and Helda Costa on a dramatic afternoon at Wembley.

The hosts took the lead 22 minutes in through Harry Kane’s stunning strike. Heung-min Son played the ball down the right to Kane, who cut in a curled the ball into the far left corner.

Willy Boly got the visitors back in the game in the 72nd minute with a thunderous header from Joao Moutinho’s cross. Then, in the 83rd minute Wolves took a deserved lead after Raul Jimenez hit an accurate shot past Hugo Lloris at the near post.

The visitors put the game to bed in the 87th minute when Costa was played through on goal by Doherty before tucking the ball past Lloris.

Here are five things we learned from the 3-1 Wolves win:

Toby Alderweireld made his 100th appearance for Tottenham this afternoon and the club have triggered an extension clause in his deal. The Belgian defender will now be contracted until the summer of 2020.

Last summer it seemed like Alderweireld was on his way out as Spurs looked to cash in on him after he reportedly rejected a new deal but fans will be hoping he sticks around for longer, as he is widely considered to be one of the best centre-backs in the league.

The Belgian has made 18 appearances so far this season and kept eight clean sheets, with his side winning 14 of the matches where he featured, but he seemed to struggle in the second half as Wolves came back into the match and continues to appear shaky without Jan Vertonghen alongside him.

Questions remain over whether there is more to come from Alderweireld or whether the club are set to sell and allow youngsters like Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth to prosper.

open image in gallery

Kane had a slow start to the season but Tottenham fans will be pleased with his current form. Kane scored three goals in two games before this afternoon and he added to his impressive tally in the 22nd minute. He received the ball down the right hand side before cutting in and curling a stunning long range shot into the far corner.

Tottenham have some crucial fixtures coming up, with matches against Chelsea and Manchester United fast approaching. If they want to rekindle their title challenge, which has been severely dented after today’s result, they’ll need their star striker to turn up and make things happen.

open image in gallery

Most of the Premier League title talks have focused primarily on Liverpool and Manchester City, but Tottenham had the chance to prove that they are definitely contenders. However, they were unable to capitalise on the opportunity. Today’s result means Spurs sit in second place three points off Liverpool before their match with Arsenal kicked off.

Tottenham looked relatively comfortable in the first half but came out looking lacklustre and they were soon punished as a result. If they want to challenge at the top, they have to be turning games like this one into three points.

After the heavily disappointing defeat to Wolves, Pochettino will look for a response from his side in their next match against relegation contenders Cardiff City, with all three points imperative if they are to stand any chance of chasing down Liverpool. Cardiff grabbed a last-gasp goal away at Leicester on Saturday but you would still fancy Spurs to put things right.

Wolves have taken points from five of the top-six clubs, with Liverpool the only side who have beaten Nuno's side so far this season. Wolves fans are regularly treated to some brilliant performances against the bigger clubs, and as they climb to seventh in the table, it is not an unrealistic prospect to imagine them in Europe next season.