Tottenham drop out of the top four.

Losing 1-2 to Wolves at home, Ange Postecoglou's team were pushed down to fifth place by Aston Villa after matchday 25 of the Premier League.

Forward Son Heung-min dribbles past Wolves defender Max Kilman. Photo: PA

After two consecutive comeback victories against Brighton and Brentford, Tottenham were unable to replicate that against Wolves. They conceded a goal late in the first half when midfielder Joao Gomes comfortably headed the ball into the top corner from a corner kick. This was the third consecutive match in which the North London team went into halftime trailing 0-1.

At the start of the second half, Dejan Kulusevski equalized for Tottenham after a skillful dribble and finish from a tight angle. However, while struggling to find another goal, Postecoglou's side launched a trademark counter-attack from Wolves. Pedro Neto dribbled down the right wing, then cut back and delivered a perfect pass into the center for Gomes to complete his brace.

Witnessing his team's first Premier League defeat of 2024, Postecoglou looked pensive on the touchline. Wolves had exposed the weaknesses in Tottenham's "Ange-ball" style of play. Gary O'Neil's team started with a 5-3-2 formation. The Wolves players kept a tight formation, giving the home team no space to combine.

Tottenham created virtually no significant chances in the first 45 minutes. A habit of slow starts seems to have plagued Postecoglou's side recently. Despite playing better after the break, creating a few chances and scoring through Kulusevski, Tottenham were unable to improve their attacking capabilities.

One of the main reasons for Tottenham's decline was the way their playmaker James Maddison was neutralized by Wolves. Maddison had just returned from injury and was a crucial player in Tottenham's build-up play. However, Wolves did everything they could to keep Maddison away from their goal, resulting in him only managing one off-target shot throughout the entire match. Despite being closely marked, Maddison still made two passes that created chances, but his teammates were unable to capitalize.

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