Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira praised his side’s display, but was not pleased with the final result after his side were held to a stalemate by Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolves appeared to be heading for a first league win of the 2025/26 campaign at their sixth attempt, but were denied by a stoppage-time goal by former midfielder Joao Palhinha, as the match ended 1-1.
The visitors will be disappointed after leaving North London with a point, but will be encouraged by finally getting off the mark for the new campaign.
Pereira ditched his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation and went with four at the back, in an attempt to outplay Thomas Frank’s Spurs side.
It proved to be a tactical masterclass, as Santiago Bueno gave them an early lead in the second half, tapping home from a rebound in the area.
However, Palhinha broke Wolves heart four minutes into additional time, firing the equalizer into the far corner.
They remain rooted to the bottom of the standings with a single point, but will hope to build on their display against the Europa League champions and hope to kickstart their campaign.
Pereira Wolves improve, but must build on performance
Wolves had lost their opening five league matches of the season, with their only wins coming in two Carabao Cup games against West Ham United and Everton in the second and third round respectively.
They will be gutted by picking just a point after such a disciplined performance, but musy build on it ahead of their next match against Brighton.
In his post-match conference, Pereira hailed his side’s improvement, although he could not hide his displeasure at the final result.
“Congrats to my team and players. We deserved the three points but football is football, sometimes it is not fair. Keeping this period, playing in the way we did in the second half. we will get our points”, Pereira revealed.
“We were the best team in the second half and in my opinion, deserved to win.
“I need to keep my balance. It is very difficult to concede a goal in the last minute. Football is what it is. The difference is now we are working together. Everybody knows what we want”, he added.
“First half was difficult to control but the second half was very good. Two games without losing but we need to keep this spirit and increase our level – and to rest a bit!
“I really believed we would win the game until the last minute. We have the spirit and quality. Now we are proving our quality.”
