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José Mourinho questioned his team’s ambition after Tottenham let the victory slip away by conceding another late draw. No Premier League team has lost as many points from winning positions this season as Spurs, who scored thanks to Tanguy Ndombele in the first minute and spent most of the rest of the match trying to protect their lead.
The skillful and relentless wolves refused to leave them and deserved the draw Romain Saïss scored with four minutes remaining, heading for the net after a corner kick.
Earlier this month, Spurs conceded a similar goal to Liverpool in the last minute and the following week had to settle for a draw after conceding a late draw from a free kick against Crystal Palace. After that match, Mourinho insisted that his team’s conservatism had not been ordered by him and made a similar complaint in Molineux, lamenting his team’s reluctance to attack with more convictions by leading 1-0.
“I’m frustrated with the result, we were in control of the game, we had 89 minutes to score more goals and we didn’t,” he said. “It’s not just about not scoring, but about not being dangerous and ambitious and for me that is the problem.
“It is a concern. The fact that we score early goals and don’t kill matches. We must mark another, it is as simple as that. Even defending very well, what we did as a team, that’s not enough. Even if we had done that and won 1-0, my feeling would be the same. “
Mourinho also lamented the vulnerability of his team to set pieces. “It is disappointing, of course. And tomorrow we are going to have a meeting similar to other meetings we have had and we are going to practice the same thing that we have practiced after similar situations ”.
Nuno Espírito Santo praised his team for scoring a late goal for the third consecutive game. “It’s not just about his physical form, it also has a lot to do with his belief and spirit.”
So it’s been a low-joy holiday season for the Spurs. They came to Molineux on a mission to reestablish themselves as title contenders after back-to-back defeats at Liverpool and Leicester and started out as a team convinced they could still be champions.
Perhaps Mourinho caught Nuno by surprise by deviating from his usual system and deploying a back three. Certainly, the wolves looked puzzled after just 20 seconds, when Son Heung-min ran for a direct pass from Ben Davies’ back. Son’s shot was stopped, but when the resulting corner hit Davies past the back post, the Welshman passed Ndombele, whose shot from 20 meters curved into the center of the goal, with Rui Patrício seemingly unseen by fans bodies in front of him.
Now the Wolves had to find a way to undo Mourinho’s defense. At least they had time on their side. They also feature Pedro Neto, Adama Traoré and Daniel Podence, a trio of attackers whose speed and skill routinely plagued visitors.
Unfortunately the Lobos did not have Raúl Jiménez, although they were happy to see the forward watching from a corporate box, the first time he has been able to do so since he fractured his skull at Arsenal last month. Fábio Silva bravely replaced him from the start, but the 18-year-old has yet to refine his predatory ability.
For 20 minutes, the attack was tit for tat, with Ndombele masterful in midfield for the Spurs. When he broke an attack at home in the 21st minute, he advanced 50 yards, ditching tackles like flimsy trash before hitting Sergio Reguilón, whose finish, sadly, was poor.
After that, the Spurs became tame, their focus on keeping their lead rather than increasing it. Slick Wolves could say they left the visitors with little choice, but aside from a couple of shots from Silva and Podence Spurs they sailed quite comfortably into halftime with their lead intact.
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However, they could have lost him 10 seconds into the restart, as the Wolves howled for a penalty as Silva beat Doherty on a Semedo pass and then fell into the box, possibly following a defender’s foot contact. A VAR review found no conclusive evidence of a fault.
The Wolves continued to attack but, with Harry Kane and Son far more active on their own end than opposing territory, the Spurs appeared to be closing in on a victory that would have lifted them to third place. But the Lobos were relentless and claimed the goal they deserved as Saïss beat Davies and Kane to a corner and launched a header into the net.
Suddenly, the Spurs were forced to hold on for just one point. At least they did, but only because Silva headed straight for Lloris after a delicious cross from Rúben Neves.
