Dele, Lloris lead player ratings as Tottenham Hotspur tops Wolves in EPL
By Aaron Coe
Rating Tottenham’s defense
There were some fouls, there were some blocks, there were some clearances and some tackles. The reality is Tottenham spent most of the day playing defense. However, what did not happen was the Spurs making a big mistake in the defensive third and shooting themselves in the foot.
Sergio Reguilón – 7.5
It is quite possible that left fullback Sergio Reguilón was Tottenham’s best two-way player against the Wolves. It was Reguilón who intercepted Ruben Neves to win possession on the deciding penalty kick. Further, it was Reguilón who rolled the ball into Dele to win the penalty. However, if you think that was all the Spanish defender contributed you are wrong. Reguilón was not nearly as busy as Tanganga on the right but he did his part with two tackles, two interceptions, and five clearances. It was really the kind of all-around performance that you expect as a baseline from the defender, such is his talent.
Eric Dier – 7
Absent one moment, Eric Dier had a really strong performance for Tottenham defensively. Fortunately for the Spurs, Dier’s mistake was in the attacking half and although it led directly to a goal-scoring opportunity, his mate Lloris bailed him out. Had the mistake occurred in the defensive third maybe things would have turned out differently but it was what it was in the end. Outside the one turnover, where Dier had first done well to step and win the ball near midfield, Eric was a good leader of a stuck-in defense. Dier consistently urged his team out of the back and did his best Jan Vertoghen impersonation clearing everything near him. A good day where it was nice Lloris could prevent Dier from being the target of fan’s disdain.
Davinson Sanchez – 7.5
Davinson Sanchez was excellent all day for Tottenham defensively. Sanchez was just behind Tanganga and Dier with six clearances – they each had 7 – and led the team with four blocked shots. Sanchez found himself in one-on-one situations with Traore more than he would have liked but like Tanganga managed to avoid the big mistakes. After a summer full of speculation about his future, Sanchez has just been great to start the season for the club.
Japhet Tanganga – 7
After his man-of-the-match performance in week one, it was always going to be hard for Japhet Tanganga to replicate that performance. However, the young defender did his best and despite getting passed a few times by Traore hung in there and helped win the day for Tottenham. Tanganga’s 7 clearances show the kind of pressure he was under and he also managed a couple of blocks. Unlike last week, Japhet did pick up a yellow in the first half but saw out the game without further incident. Tanganga did have a scary moment in the opening five minutes when he clashed heads with Marcal near the touchline. Both teams had doctors on immediately and after sufficient protocol clearance, both players continued without incident. It could have been scary but was handled well and you have to appreciate that. Let’s hope Tanganga can stay fit and available as he has started well on the right.
Hugo Lloris – 8
It was a big day for the Frenchman celebrating a historic club appearance with number 300 in the Premier League. Passing Darren Anderton is certainly an achievement. More impressive was how Lloris played on the occasion, looking like a keeper who has another 300 matches in him on the day. Hugo’s quick release to spread the play was good and he of course had the play of the game with the save on Traore. Pierluigi Gollini may be a serious challenger for Hugo’s job but he is clearly not going to give it up without a fight.