Tottenham fall out of top four

Losing 1-2 to Wolves at home, Ange Postecoglou's team was pushed down to fifth place by Aston Villa after round 25 of the Premier League.

Striker Son Heung-min dribbles past Wolves defender Max Kilman. Photo: PA

After back-to-back wins over Brighton and Brentford, Tottenham were unable to replicate that against Wolves. They conceded late in the first half when midfielder Joao Gomes headed into the top corner from a corner kick. It was the third consecutive game in which the north Londoners went into half-time trailing 1-0.

Early in the second half, Dejan Kulusevski equalised for Tottenham after a breakaway and a clever finish from a tight angle. However, as they struggled to find another goal, Postecoglou's men launched a counter-attack that was Wolves' forte. Pedro Neto dribbled down the right flank, then turned back and passed the ball into the middle for Gomes to complete his double.

Postecoglou was pensive on the sidelines as he watched his team lose their first Premier League game of 2024. Wolves exposed Tottenham's "Ange-ball" style of play. Gary O'Neil's side entered the game in a 5-3-2 formation. Wolves kept their formation close together, not giving the home team space to combine.

Tottenham barely created any meaningful chances in the opening 45 minutes. The slow start to the game has been a habit that has plagued Postecoglou's side of late. Despite improving after the break, creating a few chances and scoring a goal from Kulusevski, Tottenham were unable to improve their attacking play.

One of the main reasons for Tottenham's decline was the fact that playmaker James Maddison was nullified by Wolves. Maddison had just returned from injury and was a key player in Tottenham's progression. However, Wolves did everything they could to keep Maddison away from their goal, with the midfielder only managing one shot off target all game. Despite being closely monitored, Maddison still made two passes that created chances that his teammates failed to capitalise on.

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