João Palhinha struck in stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw for Tottenham Hotspur, denying Wolves their first Premier League win of the season.
Wolves, who had lost their opening five league games, looked set to turn their fortunes around when Santiago Bueno scored in the 54th minute following a series of bold changes by manager Vitor Pereira.
Spurs, meanwhile, struggled to create clear-cut chances, particularly in the second half, until Palhinha curled home a dramatic equalizer in the fourth minute of added time.
Palhinha, on loan from Bayern Munich, notched his third goal for Tottenham, helping new manager Thomas Frank avoid a second home defeat of the season.
Despite missing an opportunity to leap to second place, Frank chose to focus on the positives.
“I’m very pleased with the effort and mentality of the team,” Frank said. “To come back twice in a row shows the character of the players. Yes, we wanted more and didn’t perform at our highest level, but earning a point in stoppage time is encouraging.”
Pereira abandoned his usual 3-4-2-1 setup, switching to a four-man defense for the first time in the Premier League since his appointment at Wolves last December.
The change initially paid off as the visitors forced early corners, but Tottenham had their chances to take the lead.
Xavi Simons, one of two changes from last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Brighton, cut inside to find Mohammed Kudus, whose close-range header was superbly tipped onto the crossbar by Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
Kudus later saw a well-taken goal ruled out for offside after a flick from Lucas Bergvall.
Despite a lively first half from Kudus and Palhinha, Spurs could not break the deadlock. Wolves, however, took the lead shortly after halftime.
Pereira brought on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Jackson Tchatchoua, and nine minutes later, Bueno netted following a scramble in the box after Ladislav Krejcí’s shot was saved.
Frank responded with substitutions, introducing Brennan Johnson, Pedro Porro, Pape Sarr, Wilson Odobert, and Mathys Tel, shifting Tottenham into a 3-4-3 formation.
The tactical tweak eventually paid off as Tel’s cutback found Palhinha, who slotted home the equalizer.
Despite the late heroics from Spurs, Pereira expressed mixed feelings. “I’m proud of my players’ spirit and ambition,” he said. “But when you lose two points at the last minute, it’s hard not to feel frustrated. Did we win one point or lose two? I think we lost two.”
