Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance61,298.
Tottenham 1-0 Wolves: Harry Kane scores 250th Spurs goal in edgy win
Match report as Harry Kane edged nervy Spurs past Bruno Lage's men at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Wolves had 12 shots in the first half but could not capitalise; Kane now holds the Premier League record for most goals scored for a single club (185)
Saturday 20 August 2022 19:16, UK
Harry Kane scored his 250th goal for Tottenham as Antonio Conte's team survived a wobbly first half to beat Wolves 1-0.
Kane, who headed home the winner on 64 minutes after a flick-on by Ivan Perisic, now holds the Premier League record for most goals scored for a single club (185) - one more than Sergio Aguero. He is 75 behind Alan Shearer's overall record of 260.
Conte paid tribute to Kane's achievement but stressed the importance of team accolades over personal ones as Spurs go hunting for major honours this season.
Conte said: "I know very well that Harry would like to exchange his personal achievements for a trophy and he is working very hard for this.
"We are talking about a world-class striker but what makes me happy is not only with the ball that we have a top scorer, we have a player that is involved and works a lot for the team".
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The dominant showing by Tottenham after the break contrasted with the first 45 minutes where Wolves posted 12 shots to Tottenham's one - although much of the away team's play lacked quality with the final touch.
Some sections of the home fans booed their team off at half-time but Conte rallied his troops to the desired reaction with Kane hitting the crossbar with another header before his goal, and Heung-Min Son striking a post.
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Spurs have now won seven of their last eight home Premier League games, including each of the last five, while Bruno Lage's Wolves are 10 games without a league win.
Head and shoulders above the rest: How Kane sparked Spurs…
It was expected that Spurs would have been in buoyant and confident mood following Kane's last-gasp salvo at Chelsea last weekend but all the spark came from the away side.
It took Spurs until the 45th minute to register their first shot on goal through Kane, having seen Daniel Podence and Goncalo Guedes fail to take advantage of some great openings in the Spurs box.
Wolves' best chance came just before the break when Davinson Sanchez made a mess of trying to clear a simple long ball over the top, allowing Guedes in on goal - but Hugo Lloris forced him wide and his pull back was then struck wide by fellow new signing Matheus Nunes.
Conte would not have given Spurs the option of playing so badly again after half-time and winning two corners inside the opening 90 seconds set the tone for Tottenham's spell of pressure with Dejan Kulusevski and Kane far more involved in dangerous areas.
Sanchez managed to head wide from a corner before Kane expertly reversed a header from a Kulusevski cross onto the crossbar, but he would not be denied moments later.
Perisic - making his first Premier League start - flicked on a near-post corner and Kane's quick thinking to move into space beyond Nathan Collins resulted in him having the easiest of headers from close range to release the pressure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Analysis: 'Harry Kane, he's one of a kind'
Sky Sports' Lewis Jones at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium writes:
"It really was a sight to behold.
"Harry Kane being interviewed on the pitch in front of Tottenham's impressive South Stand at full time. Both are monumental structures - arguably the best in world football. Both are taking Tottenham to the next level. Both are priceless.
"Kane had just done what Kane does best: scoring goals for his adoring audience, heading home an Ivan Perisic flick-on to keep the early season momentum rolling for Spurs and Antonio Conte. The finish was a simple one but the movement and reading of the situation to get into such a devastating goalscoring position was pure striker's instinct.
"Kane was simply born to score goals. The rumours are that at his 12-week scan, his parents witnessed a silhouette of him wheeling away celebrating a goal, arms aloft.
"Jamie Carragher mentioned on Monday Night Football that Kane is perhaps underrated which struck a chord with me as, how can he be? Who seriously thinks he isn't one of the very best we've ever seen in terms of strikers? Of course these things are subjective and many will tell him to 'show us your medals' when ranking him among the greats. But, remember, Djimi Traore won a Champions League.
"Kane's numbers are frightening.
"As the South Stand stood en masse to sing the synonymous Kane chant about his Tottenham heritage it was clear to see that not only is he one of their own but also one of a kind."
Lewis Jones
Conte: We fixed it at half time
Spurs boss Antonio Conte said: "Half-time was a moment to analyse with players to improve the situation. We struggled in the first half - we played against a fast team. We suffered together but Hugo Lloris didn't make a save. I tried to fix it in the second half with tactical aspects but we had energy to press high and create chances. We played with important intensity and good pressure. The second half was difficult for Wolves.
"To get seven points shows this team is improving in many aspects. We want to improve. It's not enough to fight for something important. There is great chemistry and that is important."
Lage: Lack of finishing to blame
Wolves boss Bruno Lage: "It's the same thing [lack of finishing]. It looks like the same beginning that we had in our first season the feeling is the same. We played very well against this great team with a top manager with a big personality. We controlled the game in the first half and created chances but in the end we go without any points.
"The same thing I said last year that the goals will come."
Opta: Conte's fingerprints all over Spurs
- Tottenham have started the season unbeaten in their first three Premier League games (W2 D1) - it's the first time they've done so in consecutive campaigns since 2004/05 and 2005/06.
- Tottenham's victory today was Antonio Conte's 70th in the Premier League (70/107 - 65%). Of mangers to have recorded at least 70 victories in the competition, only Pep Guardiola has a better win percentage than the Italian (171/230 - 74%).
- Kane's goal was Tottenham's 1000th on home soil in the Premier League, becoming the fifth side to achieve that feat after Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.
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What's next?
Spurs have an away day at Nottingham Forest next Sunday (4.30pm), live on Sky Sports, before heading to West Ham the following Wednesday. Wolves play Preston North End in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday (7.45pm) and are back in Premier League action next Sunday (2pm) when hosting Newcastle, a game also live on Sky Sports.
