Antonio Conte will return to duty at Tottenham Hotspur next week with the club’s season in danger of unravelling.
Conte’s final match as a spectator will have proved another excruciating experience and this uneasy marriage will surely come to an end when the season is finished.
Tottenham’s dismal exit from the FA Cup at Sheffield United on Wednesday was bad enough, with the decision to rest players made with their Premier League campaign in mind.
So to then surrender at Molineux with such a wimpish second-half performance will only increase fears that their season is drifting towards the abyss.
For a club so intent on securing Champions League football every year, this was a huge opportunity missed to strengthen their position in fourth.
Conte’s return cannot come quickly enough: he will fly back to England on Sunday, ahead of a crucial Champions League second leg against AC Milan this week.
He has missed the last four matches, after being advised to remain in Italy following surgery to remove his gallbladder last month. With Tottenham’s hopes of silverware this season all but over after their exit from the FA Cup, the race for the top-four has taken on added significance.
They remain fourth but have played two more matches than their nearest rivals Newcastle and Liverpool.
Adama Traore’s late winner punished Tottenham’s fragility and lack of killer instinct, with the club now losing their last four away games in all competitions.
In that sequence they have scored just one goal, and despite hitting the crossbar twice at Molineux, they remain maddeningly inconsistent.
Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, said: “Antonio will be a massive boost to us from Sunday to the end of the season.
“We wanted to have him back with a different result but the team showed him they are alive, and this is important. Wolves found a way to score and we didn’t, that is the story of the game.
“It will be a tough race [for the top-four]. We are not alone with Newcastle, other teams will for sure arrive. We have to be ready to play these types of games again.”
While Tottenham’s team selection was under scrutiny for the second successive game, Wolves’ head coach Julen Lopetegui got all his decisions right.
His substitutions in the second half were particularly impressive, with Traore providing the crucial contribution while Joao Moutinho, the vastly experienced midfielder, brought calm and poise to the contest. Lopetegui also highlighted the performance of Raul Jimenez, who replaced Costa.
Lopetegui’s impact in the Black Country cannot be overestimated since his arrival in November. Wolves have spent nearly £200 million on 12 players this season, but Lopetegui is their best signing by some distance.
It says a lot for the lure of the Premier League that a club battling the drop can attract a head coach with such a stellar reputation.
Wolves’ victory lifts them into the heights of 13th place, six points above the relegation zone.
Lopetegui said: “Three days ago when we lost at Liverpool we were very sad but today we are happy.
“Tottenham had lots of chances in the first half but we are delighted to get the three points. Adama has these qualities and his goal was fantastic.”
The only disappointment for Wolves was a knee injury to forward Diego Costa, who was stretchered off in the 28th minute following an awkward collision with Oliver Skipp.
Costa appeared in clear discomfort as he left the field and Lopetegui is already without injured summer signing Sasa Kalajdzic.
Tottenham did dominate the first-half without taking their chances, with Pedro Porro striking the crossbar from a free-kick.
Son Heung-Min also crashed a shot against the upright early in the second half but then Wolves took hold of the game.
Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster produced fine saves from Jimenez and Ruben Neves, but was finally beaten eight minutes from time.
After Jimenez’s shot was parried by Forster, Traore smashed the loose ball in off the underside of the bar, with scenes of wild celebration at the final whistle.
Source: telegraph.co.uk