Nuno 'disappointed' at first goal in Wolves' defeat to Spurs
Nuno Espirito Santo has expressed his disappointment at the manner of Spurs’ first goal as Wolves were condemned to a 2-0 away defeat.
Although Wolves struggled to threaten offensively - aside from the occasional burst from Adama Traore - they were on course for a defensively strong first half.
But on the stroke of half-time a long ball from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, from his own half, caught the defence napping and Harry Kane was able to stay onside and tuck the ball home.
When asked if that moment was the turning point in the game, Nuno said: “Yes, because in the first half we were organised.
“We didn’t allow many situations. Tottenham gave us pressing and set pieces into the box, but besides that we were controlling well.
“Tottenham have very good players but the turning point was the goal. I’m really disappointed with the manner of it. A simple pass that breaks all the lines - we cannot allow that.”
Following that opening goal the hosts probed and pressed for a second, which eventually came after an hour through Hojbjerg.
Again the goal was born through sloppy defensive errors - this time by Ki-Jana Hoever who allowed Sergio Reguilon to keep the ball in and cross - and Nuno was disappointed with the performance as a whole.
“We did good things and we did bad things during the game,” he added.
“The overall performance was not as good as we expected, but we had good moments.
“I’m disappointed with the way we conceded at the end of the first half. We are open and disorganised. We allowed a simple pass to break all the lines.
“It was a good reaction in the second half but not really testing (Hugo) Lloris. Half chances, a finish that requires better situations. But that’s the idea. Lets try and improve.
“There are young players that need a lot of work.”
Some eyebrows were raised when Romain Saiss returned to the team, replacing Max Kilman who had a good game in the win over Brighton a week ago.
Speaking after the game, the Moroccan defender was unhappy with the lapses in concentration from Wolves.
He said: “We knew before the game that they are really good offensively and on the counter-attack so should worry about that.
“It was a lot of work for us. I think we tried our best and conceded two goals we can avoid.
“At the same time I think we can score maybe one or two goals.
“It was not an easy game, it was tough. Maybe we can have some regrets about the way we conceded the goals and that we didn’t score our chances. But that’s football.
“We now have to think about the next game on Wednesday.”
Daniel Podence missed out on the squad altogether and Nuno confirmed he will undergo surgery tomorrow on a groin issue.
He said: “He’s going to surgery tomorrow at 8am. Solving a problem that he’s had for some while now. This is the time to solve it so he can return better.”
