Wolverhampton Wanderers produced two stoppage-time strikes to stun Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux, denying Spurs the chance to go back to the top of the Premier League table.
Brennan Johnson gave Tottenham an incredibly early lead against Wolves, converting Pedro Porro's excellent cross after just three minutes. Despite plenty of endeavour from the Old Gold, they couldn't find an equaliser before the half-time whistle.
In a fierce second half, Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina produced two beautiful stoppage-time efforts to break Tottenham hearts and earn Wolves a surprise three points in an astonishing finish at Molineux.
How the game unfolded
Despite battling with an extensive list of absentees, Tottenham made the dream start at Molineux. The visitors took the lead after just three minutes in the Midlands, Johnson opening his Spurs account with a tap-in from Porro's fierce delivery across the face of goal.
A frantic start to the match saw both sides commit plenty of bodies forward, with Wolves giving as good as they got in the opening stages. Ben Davies needed to make a late intervention to prevent Rayan Ait-Nouri testing Guglielmo Vicario from close range, with the hosts seeing several other efforts well blocked by the Spurs backline.
Wolves continued to grow into the game despite their lack of possession, Mario Lemina stinging the palms of Vicario with a powerful low drive from just inside the area. Despite huffing and puffing as the half wore on, the hosts couldn't find a response to Johnson's early strike before the break.
Both sides were clearly missing their chief creators - James Maddison for Spurs and Pedro Neto for Wolves - lacking that cutting edge in the final third. The hosts were particularly guilty of being wasteful in the Tottenham half, Matheus Cunha spooning an effort over the bar and Hwang Hee-chan fluffing his lines from 12 yards early in the second half.
Wolves' desperate search for an equaliser was beginning to frustrate the Molineux crowd as Gary O'Neil's men struggled to carve through a resilient Spurs defence. Johnson had the chance to anger the home fans further with 72 minutes played, but the goalscorer lifted his first-time shot high and wide of Jose Sa's goal.
Wolves were inches away from grabbing a leveller with ten minutes to go, but Lemina's cross was brilliantly cut out by Davies to deny the hosts a tap-in. Substitute Sasa Kalajdzic had the hosts' next opportunity, but his wayward header flew over the crossbar as time began to run out.
Giovani Lo Celso almost doubled Tottenham's lead with two minutes remaining, with Sa tipping over the bar. The Portuguese's save proved vital, with the Old Gold heading up the other end to snatch a late and well-deserved equaliser.
Substitute Sarabia took a cross wonderfully in his stride, volleying home a thumping effort to level the scoreline in stoppage-time.
But Wolves weren't done there. With one last attack, Sarabia turned provider for Lemina, who kept his head and rolled past Vicario after beating the offside trap to take all three points.
Wolves player ratings (5-3-2)
GK: Jose Sa - 6/10 - Aimless with some of his passes and very rarely tested. Some good sweeping off his line.
RWB: Nelson Semedo - 6/10 - Used his speed effectively to test Emerson, but struggled to significantly influence the game. Perhaps could have tracked Johnson's run better for the opener.
CB: Max Kilman - 6/10 - A little wayward with some of his passes, while also putting in several accurate 60-yard diagonals to the wing-backs.
CB: Craig Dawson - 7/10 - A very solid outing from the experienced centre-back, playing some nice long-range passes too. Unlucky to end up on the losing side.
CB: Toti Gomes - 6/10 - A good burst of speed to deny Kulusevski a clear run on goal in the second half, but sloppy on the ball.
LWB: Rayan Ait-Nouri - 6/10 - Some great runs down the left flank, regularly beating the press with his quick feet. Just lacked any quality in the final third.
CM: Mario Lemina - 8/10 - Did well in the press, helping Wolves recover possession with his combative style. Grabbed a stunning late winner.
CM: Joao Gomes - 6/10 - Neat and tidy in central areas, but ultimately didn't do enough.
CM: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde - 5/10 - Pure chaos in midfield and a bundle of energy in both halves of the pitch. Disappointing set-piece delivery and wasteful in the final third.
ST: Hwang Hee-chan - 6/10 - Missed the target with a wonderful opportunity at the beginning of the second half, but wasteful otherwise.
ST: Matheus Cunha - 6/10 - Some great build-up play at times, but just a woeful finisher. Given just how much he set Wolves back, he needs to do a lot better. Somehow managed an assist.
Substitutes
SUB: Matt Doherty (66' for Nelson Semedo) - 6/10
SUB: Sasa Kalajdzic (73' for Bellegarde) - 6/10
SUB: Pablo Sarabia (87' for Gomes) - 9/10 - Grabbed a late equaliser with a stunning strike, then adding an assist to completely change the game.
SUB: Tommy Doyle (87' for Ait-Nouri) - N/A
Subs not used: Bentley (GK), Jonny, Bueno, Traore, Silva.
Manager
Gary O'Neil - 8/10 - Will have been so, so frustrated with his side's end product, especially from corners and free-kicks. However, two late goals changes everything, with Wolves putting in a determined and committed display.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 7/10 - Calm when called upon in another impressive display from the Italian. Had no chance with either goal.
RB: Pedro Porro - 7/10 - Set up Johnson's goal with a wonderful fizzed cross and was Tottenham's best player in the first half.
CB: Eric Dier - 6/10 - A brilliant challenge early in the second half to deny Cunha and didn't put a foot wrong on his return to the team. Unlucky to concede two late goals.
CB: Ben Davies - 7/10 - Returned to the starting lineup out of necessity and made a positive impression. So unfortunate not to have earned a clean sheet after a great display.
LB: Emerson Royal - 5/10 - Struggled with Semedo's pace in wide areas, picking up a yellow card for scything down the wing-back just before the break. The weakest member of the backline.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 4/10 - Booked to earn himself a one-game suspension after the international break in an underwhelming display. Some nice touches and dribbles, but not his best afternoon.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 5/10 - Full of energy in central areas, putting in a typically gladiatorial performance. Marshalled the midfield well and won plenty of tackles but wasteful on the ball.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 5/10 - A decent performance with some nice runs beyond the Wolves midfield early on.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski - 6/10 - Unstoppable for the opening 15 minutes at Molineux, but his influence waned as the game wore on. Still caused Ait-Nouri issues down the right, but too frequently opted to cut back in on his favoured left foot.
ST: Son Heung-min - 5/10 - A quiet afternoon for Tottenham's top scorer, often left isolated in advanced positions.
LW: Brennan Johnson - 7/10 - Grabbed his first Tottenham goal with an intelligent run across the near post and was lively down the left-hand side.
Substitutes
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur (63' for Sarr) - 5/10
SUB: Bryan Gil (75' for Johnson) - 6/10
SUB: Giovani Lo Celso (75' for Bissouma) - 7/10
Subs not used: Forster (GK), Skipp, Dorrington, Phillips, Donley, Veliz.
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 5/10 - Fresh from his third successive Premier League Manager of the Month award, The Australian had some serious injuries and suspensions to contend with. It was, rather unsurprisingly, not a vintage performance from Spurs, and they were made to pay for a slightly passive showing.
Player of the match: Pablo Sarabia (Wolves)
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This article was originally published on 90min as Wolves 2-1 Tottenham: Player ratings as stoppage-time double breaks Spurs hearts.
