2-2 v Wolverhampton Wanderers - 29 December 2024 - Home

Jorgen Strand Larsen's late equaliser continued Vitor Pereira's impressive start as Wolves boss after a chaotic Premier League draw with Tottenham.

Wolves took an early lead when the unmarked Hwang Hee-chan swept the ball low into the corner from the edge of the box after the Spurs defence had switched off at a free-kick.

Spurs equalised shortly afterwards thanks to Rodrigo Bentancur, who glanced a powerful close-range header beyond Jose Sa from Pedro Porro's corner.

Tottenham were awarded a penalty when Andre brought down the fleet-footed Brennan Johnson only for Sa to guess correctly and deny Son Heung-min

It did not stymie Spurs' attacking intent and a neat interchange between Dejan Kulusevski and Johnson inside a crowded area culminated in the latter firing home a low shot.

Tottenham had chances to increase their lead in the second half but failed to take them.

Dominic Solanke was unable to get on the end of a Timo Werner cross into the six-yard box while Kulusevski perhaps should have done better when he broke clear.

Wolves were content to hang in the contest and levelled with three minutes of normal time remaining when substitute Strand Larsen beat Fraser Forster at his near post with a rasping angled shot.

Spurs piled on the pressure during 12 minutes of added time but were unable to contrive a winner and finish December with just five points from a possible 21.

Spurs went 1-0 down for the 15th Premier League home game in 2024, the most ever by a side in a single calendar year in the competition, after a bewildering lack of defensive concentration.

Hwang collected a free-kick rolled across the 18-yard box by Rayan Ait-Nouri and was afforded the freedom of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to pick his spot.

Yet that was followed by patches of bewitching football as Postecoglou's favoured high-energy attacking approach got the backsides of the Spurs fans off their seats.

The manner in which Kulusevski and Johnson combined to put Tottenham in front, in particular, was pure silk.

Equally, the apparent lack of game management towards the end of the contest with three points there for the taking was baffling and allowed Wolves to snatch a point.

Spurs' performance even spilled over into the comedic at times. Bentancur and Solanke both ending up on the turf after colliding when they attempted to shoot for goal at the same time.

As 2024 draws to close Postecoglou reflected in his programme notes on the progress made during the past 12 months.

However, Spurs are guaranteed to be lower than seventh in the league at the turn of the year for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

What 2025 holds for Postecoglou, and Tottenham, is anyone's guess.

Wolves are back to doing the basics well under Pereira with a clarity of thought about what an individual player's role is in the collective.

That was embodied by the performances of their two strikers, who both got on the scoresheet against Spurs.

Hwang netted a respectable 12 goals in the Premier League last season but has had to contend with a more limited role this season.

This was only his third start and his first since August after a combination of injuries meant he struggled towards the end of Gary O'Neil's tenure.

Hwang scored his first goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Manchester United last time out, and he opportunistically netted for the second game in succession.

On his 99th league appearance, his pace stretched the high line held by the Spurs defence but when he ran out of steam in the second half Strand Larsen continued to carry the mantle.

The Norwegian ended a run of five games without a goal with a clinical strike to ensure Pereira took his unbeaten streak to three games.

This season Wolves have relied heavily on Matheus Cunha, who been involved in 11 goals in his last 11 league appearances, scoring seven and assisting four.

The Brazilian had a subdued afternoon and was substituted at half-time with a hamstring problem.

But it will have been a source of encouragement for Pereira that goals have seemingly returned elsewhere on the pitch.