Wolves' Fans Verdict v Tottenham: What a day at Wembley!

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match?

Our last game of 2017 was that win at Bristol City. That was a Wow. So, how many Wow's does our last game of 2018 get?

The day started with thoughts of damage limitation. That was followed by an unexpected team line up. By full time though, only throats were damaged and Nuno had made the perfect team selection. Can I give him 'man of the match'? Everything he did worked.

Dendoncker could have hardly had a harder game to play, as he was brought in from the cold. Saiss was omitted while Neves returned.

Traore kept his place after being mediocre last time out. Cavaleiro too started in an attacking formation.

Our opponents Spurs were on a roll and scoring for fun. Their tempo and movement were hard to live with for thirty minutes. We defended resolutely by working very hard trying not to defend too deep, but also not leaving too much space for Spurs to run into.

We had some bright moments, a few corners too, but did not trouble their keeper. Patricio made one good save as we stayed in the game up to half time, despite an impressive strike from Kane.

Thankfully, that's as good as it got for Spurs as the momentum swung towards us. We protected our box well while keeping possession better and looking increasingly threatening in attack. Moutinho and Costa came on with fresh legs and that helped us look the more likely to score.

The Costa-Doherty combo started working, the Doc found his forward gear in the last half hour once Costa had come on. It made such a difference having a threat down that wing.

With twenty minutes to go, still a goal down, we were still in the game. Not sure we expected, twenty minutes later, to be the only team in the game.

A Moutinho corner was met by Boly who looked a foot taller than anyone else. His bullet header went in. If that brought pandemonium in the away end, wait another ten minutes.

Out of what seemed nothing the ball found Jimenez in a crowd. He neatly placed the ball just inside the post. When the opposition does that, we think that was too easy, as we did it, we think, brilliant. The away end exploded again as half the team sprinted in our direction.

It doesn't get any better than this. Oh yes, it does. A bit of Doc magic, a perfect pass, and Costa one on one with the keeper. Hard as it seems to believe, you just knew he would score. He did. Who cares how long was left - we had won! Twenty minutes you are not going to forget in a hurry.

Simply the best, better than all the rest. Let's get carried away and say it was our best result ever in the Premier League! Twenty minutes later and 'Nuno had a dream' still echoed outside Wembley!

So, that was 2018 then. Quite a year. A good vintage. To everyone involved, and with Wolves in their heart, all the best for 2019.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Patricio made one of his trademark full length dives to tip a goal-bound effort away. His kicking could have been better, again.

We saw the two sides of Doherty. Decent in defence, but with some poorly headed clearances, but excellent in the final third when he looked to play the ball forward.

Otto did get caught out at times but given the opposition, it was to be expected. Tireless throughout he worked very hard, selflessly for the team.

Boly was strong in defence and showed how to attack a cross when it is played into the right area. His form has been consistently good of late.

Coady helped us keep our shape when we could easily have been overrun. It was easy to see how Spurs had scored 5 and 6 in their last two games. Coady was instrumental in making sure that did not happen to us.

Bennett was no slouch either. Up against blistering pace, he did a deceptively good job.

Neves playing in his deeper role helped us defend our box. When we have so little of the ball like we did the first half, he is not going to look as effective (see Eriksen or Son in the second half) but this side of his game is improving.

Dendoncker deserves plenty of credit. After spending two of the first five minutes on the floor injured he got up and made a good contribution. Forced to play deep in the first half he was charged with tackling, breaking up play and trying to find a pass when we had the ball.

This was a typical Cavaleiro shift, longer than usual. He shared the workload with Jimenez, as we defended high up the pitch where possible, while also finding space and taking up several good positions.

Jimenez continues to improve and impress. He covers so much of the pitch and is getting better at holding play up to bring others into the game. Consistently good at the moment and looking like he is enjoying it.

Traore had his best game when starting. He was usually picking the ball up in our half but he did more with it than usual. Fine close ball control and a couple of dribbles just reminded us what potential he has. How many times has the bench changed things for us?

Moutinho provided energy and neat passing just as we were looking the better side. Costa found he had time on the ball, in the final third, and made good use of it.

Gibbs-White gained a few minutes and as usual, had a chance after a Doherty cross was inch perfect at the far post.

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match?

WEM-BER-LEEEEEY, WEM-BER-LEEEEEY, WE’RE THE FAMOUS WOLVERHAMPTON AND WE WON AT WEM-BER-LEY!!!!!

That wasn’t bad, was it?

Setting off on the train from New Street our group was armed with a 36-pint box of Three Tuns XXX Ale and bottle of Jäger as the day out in London Town was expected to be about the drinking session first and the football as an afterthought with a visit to face a Spurs side who’d smashed 15 goals in their last three games and were in red hot form. Got that a bit wrong, didn’t we?

For those of us in the younger generation of Wolves fans a trip to Wembley has always been a pipe dream, with 1998’s FA Cup Semi-Final defeat dashing our hopes when we came closest to a trip to the old Wembley and our 2003 Play-Off Final victory coming during Wembley’s renovation period. While it was disappointing to be coming to the Home of Football for a league game rather than a major Final it still felt amazing to see our club run out onto that hallowed turf, resplendent in all Gold, for the first time in the 27 years I’ve been attending games.

After an even first half, it was disappointing to go in behind but credit has to be given when it’s due and Harry Kane’s finish was out of the top drawer. A proper rasper. Credit also had to be given to Stuart Attwell for his failure to spot a blatant foul on Cavaleiro in the build up...

A few half-time chats with a some of the ‘faces’ of Wolves Twitter brought many similar comments along the lines of “we’re not out of this” and “I reckon we can get something here”. Not one was wrong!

After the break Wolves produced the best half of football I’ve seen in my lifetime of supporting the club. It felt like a 45-minute session of attack versus defence as we pressed Spurs relentlessly and dominated possession. Buoyed by vociferous support from the travelling fans we came forward in waves but, for 25 minutes, just couldn’t quite get the final ball right. That all changed when Nuno introduced Joao Moutinho from the bench. Never have I seen a player completely change the dynamic of a game in such a short time.

We suddenly had a more urgent, higher tempo to our passing. Where we’d had a lot of possession but taken 3 or 4 passes to move the ball prior to his introduction we were now moving at pace and Moutinho was everywhere, switching play at will, and finding out attackers in yards of open space rather than being marked. His corner delivery to Boly was spot on and sparked scenes of celebration at our equaliser. That was just the taster.

When Cavaleiro found Raúl in the box, the Mexican’s smart half-turn and rolled finish into the bottom corner sent bodies sprawling around the South-East corner terraces. Fans charged to the front of the stand, fell over rows of seats, and grabbed the nearest fellow follower in immense joy. Scenes!

Within 4 minutes we had a repeat when Doc’s superb through ball allowed Costa to finally break his Premier League duck and send us into dreamland.

3,000+ of us watched on, as Wembley emptied faster than a box of Christmas Day Quality Street, cheering our heroes and giving the ‘olé’ treatment as we knocked the ball around for fun during the 5 minutes of injury time. 3-1 up, at Wembley, against a Champions League side who are challenging for the title. It’s what away days are made of! All capped off by a triumphant Nuno coming over to salute us at the end with a series of fist-pumping celebrations. Beautiful

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

I couldn’t fault anyone involved. All played their parts in the victory. The back three were impeccable. Although Kane managed to score with his long-range worldie, the England Captaining MBE found space in the box harder to come by than keeping a group of 20 lads and lasses together on a London pub crawl and didn’t have a single touch of the ball in our area.

Shout out to Bennett for a cheeky second half backheeled pass too. So much for being the ‘limited’ footballer of the three!

Neves was more like his usual self in midfield, closing and harassing well out of possession and using the ball well when he got it.

Traore, while continuing to frustrate with his final ball, had his best game since arriving. He regularly received the ball in his own half and facing our goal, yet managed to beat several players and take the ball 50-60 yards upfield to safety. While there’s clearly still work to do with him, his efforts were vital in relieving pressure and also in tiring Spurs out with his constant willingness to run.

Raúl was excellent again up top. Another exemplary number 9 performance full of pressing defenders, running the channels, and great hold up play. All capped off by a great turn and finish for his goal.

The undoubted star turn was Moutinho though. Absolute game-changer. Probably the best player we’ve seen at Molineux for decades and makes everything seem so effortless. Amazing that we can have a player like him sitting on the bench!

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match?

How can I find words to do this game justice?

Nuno is the dream that keeps on giving. He shuffled the pack and got it spot on once more. To think we started the season with a record number of the same teams!

Most decisively in this game, he made substitutions in the second half to go on and win the game once we had got the upper hand.

We had a decent first half. Tottenham were on top for half an hour, but their goal chances were restricted to long-range efforts from far out. The Wolves defence were resolute and looking solid.

When Cavaleiro gave away possession, close to the halfway line, we got punished, as moments later, Kane scored a “worldly” from outside the box.

We weathered the Spurs storm and within 10 minutes were starting to make an impression on the game. Most Wolves fans were happy at half-time.

The second half was something else. We were well on top from the start. Not only were we enjoying possession, we were passing Tottenham off the great expanse of Wembley. They couldn’t get in a single shot for the entire second half.

We were building more momentum while lacking a little guile maybe.

This was provided in abundance with the introduction of Costa and, most decisively, Moutinho with around half an hour to go. From the moment Moutinho came on, Tottenham were on the back foot and he was pulling the strings going forward.

Indeed, his corner provided the unmarked Boly with a free header for the equaliser.

He then picked up the free ball in midfield and played to Cavaleiro who found Jimenez on the edge of the box. A cool finish for the lead. Wolves now had Wembley rocking and Spurs were stumbling with a knockout blow to follow soon.

Their only venture into our box was a clumsy but perfectly timed challenge by Boly on Eriksen.

Neves set us forward once more, with a ball to Doherty. He put Costa through on goal as he broke past the last defender. 5 white shirts chased his shadow, but he slotted in for our third.

“Wolverhampton Wanderers are (possibly) leaving Wembley in ruins” - Sky.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Wolves were well set up for this, both tactically and mentally. Not a single player had a below-par performance. There were a few standout performances though. Boly in defence was inspiring and also got his goal. Neves was excellent and Cavaleiro was doing well further up the field. I thought Jimenez was also excellent throughout, with much of his work going unnoticed. Traore had his best performance for Wolves, before departing with a rumoured hamstring pull. He is coming good and the faith shown in him, by Nuno, will do him a power of good.

Costa came on and looked like his old self. The third goal reflected his self-confidence.

The game changer was Moutinho. Yes, we were already on top, but we couldn’t find the key to unlock what had become a five-man defence. The Master Moutinho completely ran the game for the final 27 minutes and orchestrated this victory.

I still find it hard to believe he is a Wolves player.

That said, Man of the Match here was every single one of the Wolves supporters in the stadium. The noise they made was relentless when we were losing and was notched up a couple of levels a full 15 minutes before the equaliser. We sensed what was about to unfold and made sure our team knew it.

What a year 2018 has been for Wolves fans.

We started it doing well in the Championship but finished it 7th in The Premiership.

So engrossed in this game, I had forgotten we were playing at Wembley until the third goal, at the end - “Que Sera Sera”

Happy New Year to all football fans. We are back!

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match?

People ask why we travel up and down the country following Wolves... this result is the exact reason why we do it! For special moments like that!

I was fully expecting a Tottenham win so just went to Wembley for a nice day out and when I saw the team it initially felt like Nuno felt the same. Moutinho was by far our best player against Fulham so seemed strange for him to be dropped.

The first half went as expected with Tottenham well on top. We were keeping our own in the game but we struggled to really get any sort of control-Spurs looked really impressive. Defensively we didn’t do too badly but we were making a few lazy mistakes and giving spurs far too much space which allowed them to have shot after shot.

A Spurs goal was inevitable and it was a good goal to be fair to them, I was expecting them to kick on after the goal but we managed to keep them at bay for the most part. I don’t really remember us having a solid chance in the first half but we did have some good build-up play from Traore especially, a certain Mr Neves also put in a better performance.

Going into half time being 1-0 down felt like quite a good result, I think if Tottenham had scored one more then it would have been game over but we still had a chance!

Second half we came out with a lot more confidence and probably most importantly Tottenham seemed to sit back slightly. We started to move the ball better and were starting to outplay them.

The key moment for me was the introduction of Moutinho - he brought that extra bit of stability we needed to really kick on going forward.

By the time we scored our equaliser we were well on top, Moutinho corners can be a bit hit and miss but this was just perfect, landing perfectly for Boly to head home - the away end went mad! I fully expected Tottenham to have some sort of response but I think the equaliser really took it out of them and they just had no response whatsoever.

We continued to have a lot more possession and were controlling the game. Cav really impressed in the second half so it was a well-deserved assist for our second but credit has to be given to Jimenez who had another great game, a really well taken shot to put us in the lead.

Again I was fully expecting Spurs to have a response but they just had nothing. Our third goal was typical Wolves hitting them on the counter attack and a lovely ball over the top, Costa has been looking a shadow of the player he was a few weeks ago but the way he took his shot was so confident and calm - it was slightly overwhelming in the away end...it all felt a bit unbelievable. We not only beat a top team we completely outplayed them for 45 minutes.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

It is difficult to pick a man of the match, it was a superb team display.

A few that stood out for me though were Cav, Jimenez and Traore. Cav looked so confident going forward and gave Spurs defence the right run around. Jimenez again looked a superb asset to our team - he is strong, skilful and calm when we need it most. He has to be top of our January wishlist!

Traore probably just pipped it though for man of the match. Playing in his more natural position he looked a different player and was the start of a lot of our attacks. Shame he had to go off as I think a goal was coming his way!

2018 has been by far the best year watching Wolves for me, there have been so many memorable games and moments but beating Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley is by far the best! What a way to finish a really special year.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match?

Never in doubt. It took a wonder strike from Harry Kane to put Spurs in front, even though it seemed like a foul in the build-up. No heads dropped, and the support from the away end seemed to get louder as we pushed Tottenham back before completely outplaying them for the entire second half.

Only Rui in goal was unemployed as in front of him ten warriors, worthy of a chapter in a new Steve Plant book, wore those shirts with pride, passion and a whole load of panache.

Spurs never had another kick or chance and old MBE boy was left to the cheating game, at which he proved to be useless.

Take a bow Si Fillingham for giving up your ticket to a six-year-old kid who had been let down on a ticket as our 79-year unbeaten Wembley run continues. Ruby, that one was for you x

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match?

That was the perfect way to end 2018, a fantastic year as a Wolves fan and boy have we been treated to some class away days over the past 12 months.

It was my first time watching Wolves at Wembley and although I wish it was a cup final or something similar, it was still an unreal experience to do something I’ve always wanted since watching us as a kid and a day I will never ever forget. With the way Wolves are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to have a Wembley final awaiting us in the future.

Who would have thought at half time that we’d end up winning 3-1 and Spurs wouldn’t have a single shot in the entire second half, absolutely crazy.

Where Wolves have come from and now got to in the space of five years is just incredible when you really think about it. Going into 2019 in at worst eighth place in the Premier League is such a great feeling and we are only going to keep progressing as a football club so roll on the journey next year and more quality away days.

The first half wasn’t even that bad because we stayed in the game and although we didn’t test Lloris, we caused some problems for them especially with Traore down the right, in his natural position, running at Ben Davies.

Kane’s goal was a fantastic strike in all fairness and even though Boly could have maybe closed down a little better, it was a top finish and Patricio had no chance with the power that was generated on it.

Going into half time only 1-0 down was key because we all know Wolves can create chances and cause problems for any opponent. We’ve turned up in the second half more often than not this season and yesterday was another example of that.

The entering of Joao Moutinho was the biggest factor of our win yesterday. Dendoncker played well considering he got a knock very early on, it was his first start in the league this season and up against tough opposition but we all know what Moutinho can do on the ball and as we were on top, that was who we needed.

Everyone could feel we were going to score, it was just a matter of time with the amount of pressure we were putting on and Spurs kept giving the ball away cheaply which helped us out. Moutinho was then stood over the ball as we had a corner and that’s when the turnaround and madness began.

Willy Boly with a header that matched the power of Kane’s strike in the first half. Bullet header which was too much for Lloris and the limbs in the away end were insane. He’s been due another goal for a while now and what a time to get it.

At that point I think if we’d have drew the game, everyone would have been ecstatic but I love how Nuno and the players wanted to win and carried on playing how we were and took the game to Spurs.

I can guarantee most of the teams below the top six would have sat back and played for a 1-1 draw at that point and we are setting an example to the other teams and showing them that sometimes you’ve got to take risks to win a game.

Ten minutes later and we were 2-1 up and everyone is thinking what on Earth is going on. Jimenez who was everywhere, coming back to do defensive work and then going forwards when we countered, started the attack from deep and ended up finishing it off brilliantly, through Alderweireld’s legs and past Lloris. It trickled into the corner perfectly and at the time it felt like forever after it left the Mexican’s right foot and hit the back of the net.

Then just top everything off, Helder Costa goes and gets his first goal of the season after a fantastic counter attack. Great read of play from Neves in the first place and waited nicely for Doherty to overlap who then slotted Costa in, who has been missing those kind of chances all season, to finish it calmly and at that moment everyone knew we had it in the bag and those scenes were the best I’ve experienced at an away game so far this season.

The fact we were then singing “we want four” against second in the Premier League away from home and then “ole” for every pass we made near the end shows how far we have come as a football club in such a short amount of time.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

Nuno firstly got his tactics and substitutes spot on. Traore was taken off due to a slight injury and he’d done fantastic all game but the introduction of Costa came at the right time and the same with Moutinho coming on for Dendoncker.

Ben Davies might need a go fund me page setting up for him after yesterday because what Traore was doing to him could have been classed as bullying. He constantly beat him for pace and that was our main threat in the first half. Adama did the same to him after half time until injury meant Helder Costa replaced him and I bet Davies wished he could have been taken off himself.

Joao Moutinho was the game changer in the end. Set up the first goal with a pinpoint corner straight onto Boly’s head and then whenever he was on the ball you just felt like something could come of it. He’s such an exquisite footballer and it’s still crazy to think he plays for us and Monaco got robbed in daylight only selling him for £5m to us.

Raul Jimenez just doesn’t stop running does he? He plays for the team and comes deep to win the ball back and collect it which is integral for how we want to play. Not only that but he’s capable of scoring and setting up his teammates. Fantastic finish yesterday which now takes him to six goals and four assists and if he carries this on for the remainder o the season then we simply have to pay the £30m+ for him.

To stop Tottenham from having a single shot in the entire second half and for Harry Kane to not touch the ball in our box for the whole game just speaks volumes about how good we were defensively.

Willy Boly must have a brick inside his head because the power on his header for the goal was stupendous. Yes he could have got closer to Kane for their goal and he almost made an error when getting dispossessed by Eriksen but he more than made up for it with his perfectly timed slide tackle on Lucas Moura straight after.

Coady did well to marshal Kane and his passing to the wide areas was beautiful to watch. Stunning slide tackle to stop Heung Min Son in the first half too.

I don’t remember Bennett having much to do defensively and in the second half, there wasn’t much defending needed with how well we played. Deserves a knighthood for that backheel half volley pass he played though, the type of skill you’d see in a Brazilian futsal game.

Doherty and Jonny were both solid and the Irishman got forwards a few times, one of them being when he set up Costa with a perfectly timed through ball.

Rui Patricio is an excellent shot stopper but an awful kicker of the ball. His save from Eriksen’s first half long range strike just shows the ability he possesses with his hands and he’s pulled off similar saves throughout the season. When the ball is at his feet it’s as if he turns into Stevie Wonder because so many of his kicks were wayward and going straight out of play but he’s a fantastic goalkeeper there’s no doubt about that.

Ruben Neves was back to his best, except for the volley he attempted in the first half which is one of the worst shots I’ve seen him have in his time at Wolves. His passing was good and when Moutinho came on, the pair worked well in midfield and his reading of the game and calmness on the ball allowed us to get the third goal.

Hopefully we can start 2019 in the best way possible by beating Crystal Palace on Wednesday night although it certainly won’t be easy.