Uninspired Tottenham lose 1-0 to Wolves on the road

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min in action against Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Nunes during a Premier League game at Molineux in Wolverhampton, England on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their second lackluster 1-0 defeat of the week on Saturday, failing to take score despite 22 attempts on goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

At the other end of the pitch, Wolves needed just eight attempts with Adama Traoré converting just eight minutes before the end of the game to lock in a much-needed three points for the up-and-down middle of the table club.

The game, at Molineux in Wolverhampton, England, marks the third straight loss on the road for Spurs and another played without manager Antonio Conte, who is still in Italy recovering after surgery, on the touchline.

Son Heung-min and Harry Kane played the full 90 minutes, with Dejan Kulusevski starting and later replaced by Lucas Moura in the 77th minute. That was the first change of the game, quite possibly too little, too late with Son and Kane both looking off their game.

Richarlison came on in the final five minutes of the game, but was also unable to provide any real impact.

"We were playing well, and the pace and we controlled the game," Cristian Stellini, Spurs' assistant manager, said after the game. "There wasn't reason to change. After we change because there was a reason to change because we needed more energy and to interrupt their pace in the game, but only one detail changed the story of the game."

Tottenham expect to get a boost with the return of Conte this week. The Italian manager was expected to fly back to London on Sunday as of press time.

The manager's return comes at a crucial time as Spurs face Milan in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday and already trail by one goal. Spurs will then face Nottingham Forest in the league on Saturday.

For Wolves the result was a good one and came off the back of an impressive second half performance. The midlands club are still without Hwang Hee-chan, meaning the Spurs-Wolves game lacked the exciting intrigue of the usual Korean derby as the fiery midfielder remains out with a hamstring injury.

Hwang is expected to rejoin Wolves within the next two weeks, although how much playing time he'll get initially will likely depend on his fitness once he resumes training. In the meantime, Wolves have a week to rest and train before they're back in action in the Premier League next Sunday as they face Newcastle on the road.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]