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A 91st minute header from Jan Vertonghen ensured all three points for Tottenham Hotspur as they pipped Wolverhampton Wanderers by a narrow 2-1 margin. Lucas Moura gave Spurs, who have now won four of their last five Premier League games, the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.
However, a fine-tuned effort from Adama Traore brought Wolves right back in it, before Vertonghen spoiled the party for the home fans in this busy Christmas period. The win not only meant that Spurs leapfrogged their opponents to go fifth, but also marked the end of Wolves' 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions.
The game was played at a serious pace, with Tottenham setup for a counter-attacking outlet more often than not. Despite, it was fairly end-to-end, open and enthralling. On that note, we analyse the five major talking points from Spurs' crucial win over Wolves at the Molineux.
#1 Wolves' defence were in tatters for Lucas Moura's opener
Lucas Moura took absolutely no time to introduce himself to the hostile crowd at Molineux, as he burst into life in the opening couple of minutes by advancing into a dangerous area but just not managing a shot.
The passage of play then flipped to the other end of the pitch, where Nuno Espirito Santo's side won a couple of corners. However, it took just an aerial win for Eric Dier to setup Moura, who did the rest with a sublime solo effort.
Wolves though, should have stayed alert to the threat and closed him down. They had three shies at doing so, but the former PSG winger's balance and precision proved too good for a flat-footed opposition defence.
#2 An open-ended first half leaves Spurs scratching their heads
From a third party's perspective or even, a fan who was present within the stadium's premises, this was a true testament to what the Premier League offers. As early as the sixth minute, Wolves' press in the middle-third of the pitch caused a bit of uncertainty for Spurs, who were forced to concede a couple of corners.
Moura did net in the eighth minute, but Traore sprung into life as the game progressed, drilling a fine shot straight into the bucket of Gazzaniga. Wolves soon picked up from where they had left off in the opening 45 minutes of the game and consequently, restored parity through the Spaniard, who continued his blistering start to the season. With the home supporters urging their players, a Traore cross resulted in a corner, which should have at least been placed on target by Jimenez.
Diogo Jota then entered the game with a couple of piercing runs down the left. His pass to Jimenez should have been put away by the latter for the first goal, but instead, it fell just wide off target. Eric Dier meanwhile, had a busy time making blocks off Jota and tracking Traore's sprints.
All in all, the end product was missing, but Spurs were clearly unsettled.
#3 Adama Traore is a serious player upfront
Amid a buzzing, bouncing crowd at the Molineux, Adama Traore rose to the occasion and served up one of his classic displays against a rather ponderous Tottenham back line.
He tormented the likes of Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, who are not known for their prowess of covering ground quickly, with his lightning pace, trickery and bursts of acceleration.Throughout the first half, he dropped deep to pick up the ball and breezed through the opposition ranks with jinking runs and immediate crosses.
In both the 31st and 41st minute, he left every Spurs player in his wake and delivered teasing balls off the back of a huge surge across 30-40 yards. He does need to improve on the final parts of his attacking game, but with the right grooming and tactical alterations, one would claim he's not far away. No wonder then, have 24 players received yellow cards this season for challenges on Traore alone, in all competitions.
It was his goal that set the stage on fire. Jimenez, who wasn't proving to be as prolific, supplied a well-weighed pass to the former Middlesbrough winger, who took no time to flash past a hapless Gazzaniga.
#4 Wolves' lazy defending costs them as Vertonghen scores
The opening goal from the home side's perspective was a real sight of frustration and calamitous defending. They could have and should have, positioned themselves better down the inside right of the midfield.
However, just when the game really opened up and chances came in plenty for either side, you'd expect one of them to slip up or surrender. It was Wolves in fact, as they completely left a hungry Jan Vertonghen free on the edge of the box. There were no lesser than four orange shirts around Patricio, without any marker.
The Lilywhites, and Mourinho pulled off a masterful move with that corner. Most of the visiting players held their runs and received Christian Eriksen's outswinger from a deeper position. Vertonghen happened to be one of them - completely unmarked, zonally free.
There was still work to be done, and huge credit goes to his poise and the direction he launched with his well-planted header. But Wolves just had to remain on their toes and deploy at least a couple of defenders back to block the opposition's big-framed players.
#5 Tottenham are beginning to play like a Mourinho-drilled side
It's always been, and will remain a stapled feature of Jose Mourinho teams. They fight until the end, despite not faring well until the telling moments. No shoulder seems to drop, and while the players endure astonishingly disappointing moments on either side of the field, they tend to produce quality at some point.
Kane had fluffed his lines on a couple of occasions and failed to test Rui Patricio, with the hosts having more of the ball and the openings. It was far from incisive or clinical from Mourinho's perspective, but his players believed in that one moment that eventually paid off and helped them take home all three points amid back-breaking circumstances at West Midlands.
Football is won through a lot of these numbers, skirmishes and mismatches. It's not always the best team that wins. They weren't at their supreme best, but Spurs bettered a record that read 10 losses in last 14 PL away games.
And although Wolves can't be billed as the better team on the night, one can't take away the fact that they deserved at least a point for all the energy and determination they ejected into the game..
