Ange Postecoglou warned no magic wand will get Tottenham’s top-four tilt back on track after they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves.
Spurs had returned to fourth position with a last-gasp victory over Brighton last weekend but were leapfrogged on Saturday by Aston Villa, who won at Fulham.
Joao Gomes headed Wolves into a deserved lead after 42 minutes and, while Dejan Kulusevski levelled 34 seconds after the restart for Tottenham, Gomes grabbed his second after an excellent solo run by Pedro Neto with 63 minutes on the clock.
It consigned the hosts to a frustrating defeat and they have now failed to score in the first half of their last five home matches.
“We will work hard, we’ve got two weeks to prepare for our next game (against Crystal Palace) and there’s no point feeling sorry for ourselves,” Postecoglou insisted.
“You take the blows and you’ve got to move on irrespective of what’s happened in the past. You’ve got to make sure you’re ready for the next game.
“There’s no tricks, it’s hard work. I’m not a magician, I’m a football manager. It’s hard work which these guys have done all year.
“Like I said, we’ve got to this point which is pretty decent on the back of some hard work and that’s what we’ll keep doing.”
Spurs were without first-choice full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie and struggled to break Wolves down in the opening 45 minutes with home goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario making fine saves to deny Nelson Semedo and Pablo Sarabia either side of Gomes heading in a corner by Sarabia.
Tottenham came out firing after the break, like they had done in recent wins over Brentford and Brighton, with Kulusevski equalising after he dribbled past Craig Dawson and poked under Jose Sa.
Postecoglou’s team were beginning to build a head of steam but Wolves remained a threat on the break and, after Vicario denied Sarabia in the 56th minute, the visitors’ second arrived six minutes later.
Yves Bissouma lost possession after a Spurs corner and Neto carried the ball half the length of the pitch before he cut back and teed up Gomes, who slammed home for his second of the afternoon.
A raft of attacking players were thrown on by Postecoglou, but Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Toti and Neto all squandered promising positions for Wolves before Ben Davies headed wide deep into stoppage-time for Tottenham to ensure Gary O’Neil’s side completed the double over the north London outfit.
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 17, 2024
Neto’s moment of individual brilliance was his ninth assist of the campaign but his manager issued a hands off to potential suitors after they moved on to 35 points for the season.
O’Neil said: “I still want to push him and get him as close to perfect as a wide player as we can.
“Yeah, I’ve been asked a few times this week about the summer already and I’m not interested in discussing Pedro Neto leaving the football club.
“He is a fantastic player that we spent a lot of money on, that we work very hard on and as far as I’m concerned, we don’t want to lose our best players.
“We have a long way to go yet this season and then hopefully he stays with us and we can keep pushing towards the top half of the table.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Gyokeres vs Madueke EPL teams vs PSG This would be so funny BELIEVE it or NOT - Italy will be playing in a CRICKET WORLD CUP before they play in a FOOTBALL WORLD CUP! IMAGINE someone told you just a Year ago that Ousmane Dembele would WIN The Ballon d'Or before Kylian Mbappe & Erling Haaland! Lionel Andres Messi is The First Player EVER in MLS histor...
Former Liverpool forward Carroll joins sixth-tier side in EnglandFormer Liverpool and Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has officially joined Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League South, which lies in the sixth-tier in England.Fenerbahce eye PSG duo after securing Duran and BrownAccording to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Fenerbahce are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over deals for Mar...
WHAT HAPPENED?According to a report from Marca, Konate has already told the Liverpool leadership that he wouldn't mind leaving the club this summer, as long as Real Madrid make an offer for him. The Premier League champions are seriously considering cashing in on the Frenchman — who is into the final year of his contract at Anfield — amid fears that they might lose him for free next su...
Tottenham Hotspur are now plotting a surprise move for the Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha.Spurs need more midfield qualityAccording to GMS, they are looking to find out how much it would take to sign the Portuguese international this summer. He has not been able to hit top form since joining the German club, and Palhinha has been linked with a return to the Premier League.According to repo...
According to recent reports, former United defender Alvaro Carreras is on the cusp of joining Real Madrid. United had a buy-back clause that will expire in 2026, following the Spanish full-back's initial transfer to Benfica after a successful loan period with the Portuguese giants.As per Fabrizio Romano, Benfica has confirmed that it won't activate the clause included in Carreras' transfer deal to...
John Terry delivers verdict on Chelsea's title hopesChelsea legend John Terry believes his old side need some experience and have some way to go if they want to win the Premier League title.Chelsea secured a fourth-placed finish and won the Europa Conference League in 2024-25 with the youngest squad in the Premier League.Enzo Maresca’s side have carried that fine form into the new-look FIFA ...
Toni Kroos weighs in on Xabi Alonso's biggest problem at Real MadridReal Madrid legend Toni Kross has weighed in on what he believes is new manager Xabi Alonso's biggest concern ahead of the new season.Alonso’s side were dumped out of the Club World Cup in humiliating fashion, losing 4-0 to a PSG side that never really had to get out of first gear.Kroos, 35, believes the sides lack of defens...
Javier Tebas offers reason behind Barcelona's failed Nico Williams pursuitLa Liga president Javier Tebas as weighed in on why Barcelona ultimately failed in their pursuit of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams.The 22-year-old looked set to head to the Camp Nou before pulling out of the deal at the last minute and signing a massive ten-year deal with Athletic.It’s since been reported that Will...
Juventus eye shock move for SECOND unwanted Man United forwardJuventus have reportedly made Man United forward Marcus Rashford their priority target amid links with fellow wantaway star Jadon Sancho.The Serie A giants have been heavily linked with a move for Sancho, 25, following his return to Old Trafford from his loan at Chelsea.Several reports have suggested that United have accepted an offer o...
Al-Nassr eye move for AC Milan star Christian PulisicAl-Nassr have reportedly made AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic their new number one target as they continue their search for attacking reinforcements.According to journalist Rudy Galetti, the 26-year-old is the latest star to be linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League this summer.Al-Nassr are on the lookout for a new forward had have previou...
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Fixture schedule, group standings, knockout round, tickets, format & everything you need to know
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 New coach confirms Modric move to Milan
- 4 Bayern ready to rival Arsenal for Eberechi Eze and target move for Chelsea flop after losing Jamal Musiala to injury
- 5 Dominic Calvert-Lewin in talks with Newcastle as Man United circle
- 6 Marcus Rashford trains alone after returning to Man Utd for pre-season despite being given extra time off by Ruben Amorim to find new club
- 7 DAZN sports host nearly suffers wardrobe malfunction at CWC
- 8 Everton sign Villarreal striker Barry: The fans here are like crazy people, I like this!
- 9 Bayern Munich lay out terms for Luis Diaz
- 10 Meet Christian Norgaard's gorgeous wife