Opinion: Five players who stood out in Tottenham’s win over Wolves

Tottenham produced a performance full of desire and character to come away with all three points from the Molineux Stadium at the weekend.

The home side came into the game on a terrific run of form and, as expected, piled on the pressure from the first moment. However, Spurs put in what was arguably their best defensive display since Jose Mourinho took over in order to seal a dramatic win.

Here are five players who stood out for Spurs on Sunday afternoon:

1) Eric Dier

A lot of the criticism that Eric Dier has been getting over the past few weeks has been extremely unfair. It is only natural that the 25-year-old would be rusty after a long spell on the sidelines. There was once again discontent among some Spurs fans when it was announced that Dier was starting yesterday, but the England international put in a tremendous display to prove his doubters wrong. He read the game brilliantly and not only put out fires in midfield but also dropped back into the backline and made some crucial blocks. No other midfielder in our squad provides the defensive security that Dier does to the team.

2) Toby Alderweireld

Alderweireld has got back to his best form in the last few weeks and he put in a typically flawless display against Wolves. He made several last-ditch interceptions and cleared numerous dangerous crosses into the box throughout the game. Despite his contract issues, the Belgian international’s commitment to the club cannot be questioned.

3) Harry Kane

While Kane didn’t get on to the score sheet yesterday, he led the line brilliantly for us through the game. He worked his socks off and pressed the Wolves back three high up the pitch. He was also a pivotal out ball for our defence whenever they were under pressure and it was great to see him track back and help out in defence on a couple of occasions as well. It certainly looks as if he has taken to Mourinho and his methods straight away.

4) Paulo Gazzaniga

Gazzaniga has proven to be a reliable pair of hands in the run of games he has had over the past couple of months but his performance against Wolves was arguably up there with his best in a Spurs shirt. While Wolves didn’t create too many clear cut chances, he had to be alert and deal with numerous crosses throughout the game. He also did well to parry shots away from the goal on a couple of occasions. There was also a lot to admire about his distribution yesterday and it thus comes as no surprise that he earned Mourinho’s praise after the game.

5) Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen had arguably the toughest job on the pitch as he was up against Adama Traore who looked a threat throughout the ninety minutes. However, despite his lack of pace, the Belgian didn’t allow himself to be exposed on too many occasions down our left-hand side. He used all his experience to help deal with Traore’s pace and trickery and his dramatic stoppage-time header was brilliantly placed.

Related Topics