Wolves edge closer to safety as Spurs suffer again

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved closer to Premier League safety and heaped more misery on Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou with victory at Molineux.

Postecoglou made six changes to the Spurs side that drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first-leg tie, before a second meeting on Thursday that could shape his future.

And Wolves cashed in with a crucial win that moved them up to 16th place and 14 points clear of the bottom three with six games left.

Vitor Pereira's side were on the way to a fourth straight top-flight victory for the first time since January 1972 inside two minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri scored after latching on to Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario's punched clearance on the edge of the area.

Wolves doubled their advantage seven minutes before half-time in a moment of high farce, with keeper Vicario pushing Marshall Munetsi's header on to backtracking defender Djed Spence and into his own net.

Spurs pulled one back just before the hour mark when Mathys Tel bundled home at the far post after Wolves defender Nelson Semedo made a mess of clearing Brennan Johnson's cross.

But Wolves restored their two-goal lead five minutes later when the excellent Ait-Nouri beat Cristian Romero far too easily before crossing for Jorgen Strand Larsen to complete the formalities with a simple finish and scoring for a fourth successive game.

Substitute Richarlison gave Spurs brief hope four minutes from time when he bundled home after Wolves keeper Jose Sa touched Romero's header on to the bar.

But there was more drama as substitute Matheus Cunha, on for Ait-Nouri after serving a four-match suspension, confirmed 15th-placed Tottenham's 17th league loss this season when Lucas Bergvall lost possession and the Brazilian raced clear and finished calmly.

Wolves boss Pereira took the acclaim of an elated Molineux after this fourth straight league win – a hero to the home fans after transforming their season following the sacking of Gary O'Neil.

The Portuguese has won 26 points since taking over on 19 December, more than the bottom three Premier League sides combined, and tasted success in eight of the last 16 league games, more than predecessor O'Neil mustered in his last 34 games.

Pereira has fostered unity at Molineux, helped by the talents of full-back Ait-Nouri and the gifted Cunha, whose long-term future may be in question but not his current commitment, as he raced clear to score with assurance and confidence to settle any late nerves.

And towering striker Strand Larsen became just the second Wolves player to find the net in four consecutive Premier League games, emulating Henri Camara who scored in five successive matches in 2004.

The spirit Pereira has engendered was demonstrated as the entire Wolves staff and squad took a collective bow at both ends of Molineux when the game finished.

It has been a job very well done by them to drag Wolves out of trouble.

Spurs boss Postecoglou was a picture of despair on several occasions during a defeat that exposed all the glaring frailties that have left his side just two points above Wolves in the table - and put his position in jeopardy.

From the comical Spence own goal to the manner in which Bergvall coughed up possession for the late fourth goal, the visitors contributed greatly to their own downfall.

This game should be placed in the correct context, with Spurs and Postecoglou clearly fixing their gaze on Thursday's crucial return tie in Frankfurt, in which they will hope to improve on their home performance to reach the last four of the Europa League.

Son Heung-min and Micky van de Ven were kept back and their quality missed at both ends of the pitch. They are sure to make a big difference for a game and competition that is now the sole focus for the club after a disappointing season.

The defeat by Wolves was the sort that has happened too often in this campaign – but Thursday matters most now, and while there was no lack of effort, it was once again their habit of conceding poor goals that let them down at Molineux.

With so much at stake, that will have to be addressed in Frankfurt.

Source: BBC Sport